In my formative years, youth had good, clean rules to live by — rules that didn’t have to be written down to be remembered. We were guided by this question: Would what we did make our parents and others who we respected and loved proud of us?

The boys in my neighborhood had a “Liars Club.” Each of us would make up an adventure story and tell it as though it had really happened. This took a lot of imagination because actual lies were not allowed. It was good, clean fun; the kid with the best story was crowned the “Lying King.”

Our Liars Club will always be a wonderful moment in time for me, a time when character and strength were greatly appreciated and needed.

Unfortunately, a new Liars Club has been formed, composed of hundreds of people we have chosen to represent us and our desires in our government. Members of this new Liars Club seem to take unrestrained delight in telling actual lies and deceptions that could destroy our Constitution, justice system and the country many of us fought for (I am a 100% disabled Vietnam veteran). If one of them dares to tell the truth, he is often treated as an outcast, fired and childishly called names by the other club members.

I never thought I would say it, but I am now ashamed to be associated with the Liars Club name because it now stands for everything we fought against, and still do. I hope we don’t lose this fight. We can’t afford it.

Terry E. Swindell

New Alexandria

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