This is quite a provocative question and it has been raised by James Stewart.  He is the author of the new book “Tangled Web: How False Statements are Undermining America”.   His book brings to the surface the epidemic of lies by politicians, athletes, business leaders, government departments, corporations and more.  I look forward to reading it.  I heard his interview on the radio and his research over the last several years highlights some deeply rooted problems at the heart of many of our institutions.

What is really disturbing is the loyalty factor involved in lying.  An example is the Scooter Libbey trial a few years ago that covered up the lies made by many in the Bush administration regarding the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame.  We are now uncovering the loyalty factor in the drug cover up by those on the Lance Armstrong cycling team or Barry Bonds, Giant’s …