Sometimes I have more to say after I’ve finished an essay. This week I was going to write about new research on the mechanisms of aging, but the turmoil in our nation and the lies of our leaders can’t go unchallenged. So I’ll stick my neck out again as the battle for the homeland continues.
I’ve just finished a book by Scott Peck, titled “People of the Lie.” Doctor Peck was a psychiatrist and best known for another book, “The Road Less Traveled.” Some months ago I was rummaging in my library for something to read and I came across “People of the Lie” and the title intrigued me in view of our current political situation. A working definition of a lie is a willful misstatement of the truth for personal or political gain. I see patients every day who magically think or lie to themselves there won’t be consequences for their health choices. Others can’t even comprehend their complex medical situations and must be cared for. Dr. Peck would not categorize these as lies. You’ve heard the phrase you can’t fix stupid. Peck believed liars choose dishonesty.
In my medical practice I’m responsible for my patients and my staff. If a patient falls in my office this could be determined as malpractice. Likewise, a clerical error by my staff that causes harm to someone is my responsibility. Just like a captain on the high seas, a surgeon is the captain of the ship in the operating room and has the overall responsibility for his patient’s care.
It seems to me that Obama takes no responsibility for the State Department lies about Benghazi. Hillary Clinton took the fall for this debacle. Lois Learner took the fall when the IRS targeted TEA Party conservatives and then lied about it. Now, Jon Stewart and many others accuse HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of lying to Americans about Obama-care. Many call for her resignation; should she take the fall for Obama? Obama never seems to be accountable for anything and continues to blame others for his own policies and decisions.
Narcissism is a psychiatric condition which stems from the myth of Narcissus who fell in love with his own image. The narcissistic person views themselves as special and has a sense of entitlement. Narcissists sometimes display omnipotent fantasies engineered to defeat/damage others to bolster their own internal poor self-esteem. Dr. Peck describes this extreme form as “malignant narcissism” and he believes the psychodynamics of this destructive neurosis is actually a refusal to answer to one’s conscience. The ancient Greeks called this arrogant pride (hubris) and Peck labels this degree of narcissism as evil because it harms others.
Well, that’s enough psycho-babel, especially from a non-psychiatrist. I’m more intrigued by those who are sucked into the manipulation of the malignant narcissist and become “people of the lie.” In 1923 there was an uprising in Munich, Germany that would later be called the “Beer-Hall Putsch.” It was a revolt against the German government and it failed. Its leader, Adolph Hitler was imprisoned, but used his incarceration to write “Mein Kamph” or “My Struggle.” Apart from his rants against Jews and Gypsies and communists, he came upon the notion of “The Big Lie,” later used effectively by Joseph Goebbels, his propaganda minister. Apparently, a big enough lie, told boldly and often enough, will be believed by the common man who cannot imagine such deviousness or evil.
It appears that people want to believe Obama and can’t imagine that he does not speak truthfully or have their best interests at heart. I don’t believe for a minute that the government can take care of me. People often point to our military as a governmental success, but I would counter that the military basically manages itself. Here’s a basic question: who do you trust? I trust the people of America and my neighbors, not our out of control government and President.
Furthermore, I no longer trust the media to report the facts without their political spin. How can we trust the media to be fair or balanced when Obama just added the 16th journalist to his administration headed by Jay Carney, the Presidential talking parrot from Time Magazine? Many others come from the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, etc. His appointees echo the polls which show 80% of journalists admit to being Democrats. If you haven’t figured it out, my column is an opinion piece. I’m not a journalist; I’m not a Democrat or a Republican. I am a conservative.
So what shall we do with a government that budgets $95 million for a website which doesn’t work after spending $634 million? Do we turn over our health care to this bunch? Today I heard that Obama didn’t know the web site for his signature plan wasn’t tested or wouldn’t work. Should we allow the dishonest and dysfunctional IRS to be in charge of who gets subsidies for Obama-care or who fines the rest of us? Never mind that subsidies will be granted on the honor code; that is if anyone can register on their broken website.
The answer is, “The buck stops here,” as the forthright President Harry Truman once said. And as captain of our ship, Obama is responsible for the Fast and Furious border debacle, the Benghazi catastrophe, the IRS abuses and his signature health plan. Demand that he stay in Washington and fix his mess rather than, again, gallivanting around the country fund raising for Democrats. He’s supposed to be the President of all of us. But maybe that’s not the truth either.
