Of Liars And Lies

"I was involved, deeply involved, in a deception...
I have deceived my friends - and I had millions of them."
Charles Van Doren
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Chances are you haven't heard the story of Charles Van Doren, unless you've seen the movie or are old enough, like me, to remember the scandal.
However, I've studied the case and am still learning from it because lies are webs we investigators untangle every day to get at the truth.
Van Doren's case is one great case in point in my study of lies.
While many say "follow the money"
I agree. With one addendum, "Follow the lies."

Simply stated, Charles Van Doren lied.
Then the lie dug its way deep inside his entire being....
burrowing through him like some kind of parasite...
until it ruined his life and exposed an industry which was not only vulnerable to lies, it was a industry laden with them.

Not to say that much has changed over the years.
Reality TV isn't real.
They just show the parts they think you want to see.
And in real life, we have people buying into and imitating the lies the media feeds us.
Lies about how to look, how to act, what to weigh, how to be, who to love.
Lies that if you live alone you are not whole.
Lies that a bad relationship is better than no relationship.
Lies about what constitutes success.
Lies about what will and won't make you happy.
Lies that wrinkles suck, weight is an enemy, age is a burden, pain isn't real, money makes you better than others.

The  TV lies from my childhood about the "perfect" family -- Ward, June and Beaver Cleaver...
Father Knows Best... 
The Andy Griffith Show with Aunt Bea...
all those shows, when compared to my real life,  made made me feel, as a kid,  that maybe my life wasn't or never would be "normal."

And late in my life, I was still buying into those lies...
especially when I re-married and blended families... my two daughter, his two kids...
I relied on the Brady Bunch as my role model.
I never once considered the Amityville Horror.
Fortunately, my new expanded family... ultimately... blended well.
Though it took time and it took experience/guidance/knowledge the TV shows never provided.

That said, this post is about one man who made a massive lie that destroyed his life and few others.
His name is Charles Van Doren.
This lie was all about money... and fame.
I'm not sure whether Van Doren was was spoon-fed that lie, or he just snorted it up...
because allegedly, it did not originate with him.
However, he became one with... and embodied the lie.
Then the lie grew within him and the industry like a soul-sucking parasite until he was done.
The lie exposed.
Rather than blog about the story, I'm going to post a link right after the last sentence of this post that describes what went down in Van Doren's own words.

Let this be a lesson to us all.
Lies are like tornadoes.
Often they come on strong out of the gate.
Other times they are small then churn, cycle, circle and spin into a vortex that sucks in all within its range.
For an investigator, the key is dissecting or exposing lies.
Separating truth from fiction.

The challenge is this:
often the person telling the lie can only contain that lie by lying to himself...herself... or others.
The lie is told so often, it can appear the liar actually believes the lie.
"I never had sex with that woman" said Clinton.
Perhaps, in his mind, what he did wasn't sex, though I believe he was lying.
And then of course, witness the late and no longer great John Edwards.
His life and career are officially toast because of his lies.


Or take the trial of Casey Anthony.
Her defense is now, "Okay, maybe I did kill Caylee, though it was an accident and I freaked out."
If this were the case, it doesn't explain the duct tape and little sticky heart (the same kind mom and daughter used to play with) on the duct tape allegedly  used to cover what was left of Caylee's tiny little mouth.
Nor could Casey's lies to her parents, police, everyone about Zanny the nanny... or working at Universal Studios.... hide the smell of death from her car trunk.
However, watching the trial, I see how smart her lawyers are being, or attempting to be.
They are exposing her lies as part of her defense.
Now they say Caylee's mother, accused murderer Casey, had a life-long chronic history of lying due to her father's newly announced, alleged sexual abuse of Casey, his own daughter.
Her lawyers, it appears, are blaming those closest to her for not only causing her lies, but also for not seeing or addressing those lies her entire life.
In essence, Casey's lawyers are attempting to deflect, to blame, Casey Anthony's family for being the source of those lies.
That they claim, could be cause of Caylee's "accidental" death.
The defense theorizes the family literally drove Casey crazy, contributing to Caylee's death, by not recognizing and/or  stopping those lies.

S'cuse me, can you say... B.S.?

So be forewarned, you liars, liars liars.
Your pants are on fire and you will go down in flames.
Maybe not on the scale  Madeoff, Weiner, Casey Anthony or Charles van Doren did...
however, lies are webs that will entrap you and choke the life out of you, sooner or later.
And only the truth... and nothing but the truth.... will set you fee.

Just follow this link to read, in Van Durning's own words, his actual testimony... the story of his lie.It is a lesson that rippled to millions and allegedly changed the way one industry does business.
Link to Van Charles Van Doren testimony: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6566/