Of special interest to readers of this forum:

"The professional liar is the hardest to identify. He doesn't lie indiscriminately, like the habitual liar. He lies for a purpose. For example, a mechanic who routinely cons motorists about their 'faulty' transmissions will have his diagnosis carefully prepared. A real estate salesman who doesn't want to acknowledge a leaky roof will respond quickly to an inquiry about the stains on the ceiling with a rehearsed, very spontaneous sounding statement: 'That was old damage from a water leak in the attic. All it needs is a little touch-up paint.'

"The professional liar has thought the lie through and knows exactly what he's going to say, how it will fly, and whether the customer can easily verify it. Such a well-practiced lie will not be revealed by the liar's voice, body language, or appearance. The lie will be consistent, both internally and logically. The only sure way to detect it is to check the liar's statements against entirely independent sources. Have the roof inspected. Get a second opinion from another mechanic. Take nothing for granted. ...

"More than once, a client has told me that his adversary lies all the time and will undoubtedly lie on the witness stand. I counsel my client not to worry: the habitual liar is the easiest target in a lawsuit. In real life, he can run from one person to another, from one situation to the next, lying as he goes, and no one compares notes. There are no court reporters or transcripts of testimony; no one reveals what every witness has said to every other witness, and nobody pores over everything the liar has written on the subject to see whether it's all consistent. But in litigation, that is exactly what happens -- and suddenly the habitual liar is exposed. It's very rewarding to see."

-- Jo-Ellan Dimitrius, Ph.D. and Mark Mazzarella

-- Anirudh Sahni (anirudhsahni@hotmail.com), March 17, 2000

Answers

I know, but it didn't stop the bast**d from getting elected President twice. Hope the Arkansas bar boots the guy.

And Gore isn't much better!

-- (zowie@hotmail.com), March 18, 2000.

Watch for part 2. Coming soon.

-- Anirudh Sahni (anirudhsahni@hotmail.com), March 30, 2000.

Anirudh is accusing Tim Eyman of using us for a money making scam on another thread.

Present your "facts" Anirudh. Let us see who is a liar. Let us be the judge.

Perhaps I could send Tim Eyman some more of my money to sue you for libel.

-- Marsha (acorn_nut@hotmail.com), April 01, 2000.

I note with amusement how fast zowie's comments put the brakes on this thread!

-- Mark Stilson (mark842@hotmail.com), April 06, 2000.