I’m thinking, that buried deep in our DNA, (probably descended from Cain), is a universal, overpowering urge of denial in the face of undeniable complicity.  (Cain was somewhat indirect with his “brother’s keeper” bullshit, but, “who me” would probably have been un-biblical).  There doesn’t seem to be a learning curve or an overt parental or sibling imparted knowledge of this behavior.  We just seem to know that lying when caught red-handed, as baseless as the lie may be, and as frivolous a means of escape, is our genetically expected first response.  As children, sidestepping admission to, “who ate all the cookies”?, or “who spray painted the cat”?, or “who tracked mud on the new white carpet?”, had only minor consequence.  When the situations became increasingly dire, “who set the curtains on fire?”, and “why is the car parked on the neighbor’s lawn?”, and “who shot JFK?”, the first, loud response was still one of bewildered why-are-you-looking-at-me?  I’m sure that this is one of those stats that has not been charted, (unlike left handed jump shots beyond the key), but I would lay some serious money, that the percentage of positive outcomes, throughout history, as a result of lying when caught with one’s hand in the proverbial cookie jar is minute.  Neither liar nor lyee ever benefit from this behavior and, even though forgiveness and forgetfulness often soften the worst of a situation, the stain never completely fades.

We are all too aware of political examples:

“I am not a crook!”

“I did not have sex with that woman…!”

“…weapons of mass destruction…”

Weiner, Weiner, Weiner

NSA…spying…lying

You would think that, especially in today’s information age, these guys, with all their advisors, would know that being bit in the political ass is usually more painful than other varieties of ass biting.  But time and time again we’re face to televised face with one shifty-eyed liar after another, pleading a hopeless case for a hopeless cause, where the lie, in retrospect is generally more heinous than whatever they were lying about.

Oh, by the way, Area 51, Roswell, NM…not a secret facility for the study of a crashed UFO.  The Air Force finally admitted that it is a base for testing highly classified spy planes, like the U2.  Yeah….right.