Logic and Lying

I'm going to ask your indulgence as I once again use C. S. Lewis' marvelous story to illustrate something about the recent flap over Rep. Joe Wilson's shout-out during the President's speech on health care reform.

From "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe".

Lucy Pevensie has just discovered another world in a wardrobe.

Her siblings do not believe her tale of fauns and white witches.

But one day her brother, Edmund stumbles upon the magical world of Narnia and finds all that Lucy said to be true.

However, he has his own reasons for lying about this knowledge and later betrays Lucy by telling the other siblings, Peter and Susan, that Lucy was in fact, lying.

Peter and Susan go to Professor Kirke for advice and here is the interesting part--the part I wish to focus on:

(Professor Kirke) "How do you know," he asked, "that your sister's story is not true?"

"Oh, but--" began Susan, and then stopped.

Anyone could see from the old man's face that he was perfectly serious.

Then Susan pulled herself together and said, "But Edmund said they had only been pretending."

"That is a point," said the Professor, "which certainly deserves consideration; very careful consideration. For instance--if you will excuse me for asking the question--does your experience lead you to regard your brother or your sister as the more reliable? I mean, which is the more truthful?"

"That's just the funny thing about it, sir," said Peter. "up till now, I'd have said Lucy every time."

(Susan concurs when the Professor asks her the same question)

"Logic!" said the Professor half to himself. "Why don't they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either you sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth..."

Now, about Joe Wilson's outburst...I have no desire to get into an argument about propriety.

Accusing the President of lying is more important than where and when it happened.

If the accusation is false, then the decorum was terribly breached. If the accusation is true then I believe Rep. Wilson's outburst to be excusable.

So let's focus on the accusation and try to figure out who was lying.

Let's apply Professor Kirke's logic:

Either Obama or Joe Wilson is lying, mad or telling the truth.

First let's ask: who is known to be the more truthful?

Has Joe Wilson contsistently lied during his tenure as Representative in South Carolina?

Has President Obama consistently lied during his time as Senator and President?

I'll leave that question to be answered by your own research.

I have posted numerous words about the President's "misrepresentations" throughout his time in the spotlight...so I'm not trying to be coy.

As for Joe Wilson, I've done some reading up on him since his foray into the hottest spotlight of all, and so far I've seen nothing untoward or nefarious in his past behaviors.

If someone has a different take, I'd be happy to take a look at it.

As to Joe Wilson's accusation against the President, let's apply the three possibilities:

Either Joe Wilson is lying, mad or telling the truth.

I see no evidence of insanity...on the contrary, the democrat-controlled congress are on the verge of looking insane if they keep ignoring the public outrage at their drunken spending sprees.

Is Joe Wilson lying?

According to the Congressional Research Report for H.R. 3200 (Obama's health care bill),

there is no provision in the bill to exclude "non-resident" aliens from government healthcare...which means they can get it if they want it.

The reference to illegal aliens and healthcare is the denying of a "tax credit" which residents with proof of citizenship will receive for their healthcare.

Ironically, citizens would be taxed extra for not taking the public option while illegals would not be taxed extra if they decided not to be forced into government healthcare with the rest of us.

It appears then, that Rep. Joe Wilson's accusation has merit.

(I need to take a moment to sigh deeply here...this whole debate is based on the premise that this healthcare bill will pass...and I'm not ready to accept the downfall of American liberty just yet.)

*SIGH*

So here we have it: Joe Wilson isn't crazy and he isn't lying. He is telling the truth.

What about President Obama?

Is he crazy?

I don't think so...obtuse when he doesn't get what he wants, but crazy? Like a fox, perhaps?

Is he telling the truth?

If he hasn't read the bill, then in a sense he believes what he is saying, but that would make him rather stupid to keep pushing this bill to the public without having read it.

And if he's that stupid, how many other things has he gotten wrong?

And why if he doesn't know what is in the bill, did he accuse certain congressmen of lying to misrepresent the bill?

Is he, as Rep. Wilson accused, lying?

According to the provisions in Obama's healthcare bill itself...yes.

"Nothing is more probable," said the Professor, taking off his spectacles and beginning to polish them, while he muttered to himself, "I wonder what they do teach at these schools."

redink
www.homeschoolblogger.com/thelionsmane/