My mother was a hard-line, no prisoners taken, disciplinarian. Lies were never tolerated, unless of course my other was the one telling the lie.
As a child, my mother maintained an invisible "lie jar" on top of our refrigerator. Whenever my mother assumed that I was lying, she would point to the "lie jar" and warn me that "the top is about to pop off and when it does...."
Her implication was quite clear. Switches would fly and welts would appear. The reality of course was that my mother's "lie jar" never over-flowed and I grew up to be a reasonably honest person desite the fact that my mother's ability to not lie was at a high premium.
So, why this walk down memory lane? The recent Brian Williams kerfuffle. If the society of the United States even remotely resembled the US ofA of my youth, the Brain Williams story would not be an issue of journalistic credibility, especially when compared to all of the "lies" posited by Fox News 'journalists and the majority of conservative bloggers that have hopped on the band wagon to besmirch the name and credibility of a assumed liberal journalist.
How many lies are spun by the Fox News Corp and no one calls their toxic, vitriolic, divisive reportage into question? Based on his years as a credible journalist and his apology for misstating the facts, I believe that Brian Williams deserves a "pass" and allowed to go on with his life and his assigned duties.
My husband is an ex-Marine, is a combat vet, and holds no animosity towards Mr. Williams for his misstatement and his apparent unearned attribution of being under fire.
What do we gain by being so hard-lined, so unforgiving, unless of course we are addressing the numerous mendacities hurled at anyone who listens and wants to believe the tripe that passes for truth?
The last time I checked Mr. Williams is a man and therefore fallible. The man made a mistake and trying to crucify him for his mistake is an exercise in insanity, especially when compared with the mountain of exhausting lies spread by those in conservative media!
Me thinks I have lived far too long. Once upon a time, not so long ago, Americans were forgiving and understanding human beings!