A liar and a cheat

When I initially saw my name in the paper some weeks ago next to the words liar and cheat, it was an odd sensation. I have never been called either by someone I don’t know and certainly not in a public paper.

I wondered if I had ever been called a liar or cheat and remembered my wife about eight years ago when I “forgot” to tell her I had put a down payment on a new fat tire snow bike. I was delaying telling her because I knew I should not have put a down payment on something expensive without asking her how she felt. I was planning and scheming how to tell her with the least amount of disgust from her coming toward me. She found the receipt in a jacket pocket of mine while I was at work, and even then I stuttered and stammered when she asked me, point black, how much the bike cost. I was guilty and knew it. I was, in fact, a liar and a cheat at this moment in my life. I came clean, apologized and learned from my lies and how it affected someone I care so much about. I definitely felt bad and did not want to feel this way again. 

Back to being called a liar and a cheat. I feel really good today about being called a liar and a cheat in the paper. Some of our friends got whipped up about it. And my dad just likes having his name in the paper, so he thought it was great. I am grateful that I live in a country where we can call people out, however unsubstantiated or unfounded the opinion may be, and voice our freedom of speech.

I was reading a book about World War I a couple days ago and it mentioned Eugene Debs speaking out against Woodrow Wilson getting the U.S. into the war. The Espionage Act of 1917 stated that there would be new consequences for those voicing the wrong opinions at this time. Debs gave a speech in 1918 criticizing Wilson and was jailed for it because it was considered disloyal and dangerous. He spent three years of a 10-year sentence in prison for it. 

We have come a long way since then and mobs are no longer allowed to hang minorities in our country for expressing their freedom of speech that was sometimes in conflict with the white majority. I hope that our country continues to move forward with freedom of speech and not just freedom of speech for those who are the angriest and most divisive among us. When bullies rule countries, freedoms are always diminished. 

To the person who called me out for changing my political affiliation … thank you. I admire your passion and dedication to your cause. You have also inspired me to most likely campaign for moderate Republicans in two years, something I have never done before. So thank you again, for that. Like you, I am passionate about moderation where you are passionate with your views. 

I looked up past and current presidents and presidential candidates who have changed political parties. I found that Hillary Clinton used to be a Republican and Ronald Reagan was a Democrat before famously stating “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the party left me.” And most recently, Donald Trump changed parties five times according to four reputable sources. His latest change was from Democrat back to Republican in 2009. 

The logic used to call my wife, father, and myself liars and cheats must certainly apply to those running for president and changing parties, unless I am really missing something. I hope that those calling out others for lying, cheating and changing parties are not calling Donald Trump a massive liar and cheat, but it sure sounds like it to me.

JUSTIN HENNEY

Sandpoint