Chickashanews.com

Editorials

October 5, 2008

Some people lie, even when the truth sounds better

Jerry Pittman

Even at the end, Kieran McMullen couldn’t find it in him to tell the truth.

On Monday, a matter of minutes after he told his staff he was “retiring” he told me there were no developments on his status and with his impending trial.

I guess he thought he was pulling one over on me. That ex-sheriff, he’s such a big joker.

He lied. He wasn’t man enough to say no comment or I’m not not talking to the newspaper or even, it will be cold day in Hell before I give you anything. No, as he had done on countless other occassions, the Grady County ex-sheriff lied.

He had already told other people, including radio and tv folk, that he was moving on. And as radio and tv people often do, they accepted his little tap dance about “retiring,” without challenging him.

Then he didn’t leave at all, doing an about face and giving conflicting reasons -- more falsehoods -- for staying on.

What he didn’t tell us was another thing we all know now as the truth -- and, make no mistake about this -- his departure wasn’t a retirement.

He can put whatever spin, twist or BS he wants to on it, but he was forced to resign as part of a plea deal to keep from facing a trial on felony charges that even an arrogant ex-sheriff knew he couldn’t win.

What most liars don’t realize is, that sometimes --- most times -- the truth sounds better.

What would be wrong for ex-sheriff McMullen to say that he was leaving to accept a plea deal to get on with his life without a possible felony charge hanging over him or that it was best for the citizens of Grady County that he put the two years of turmoil behind him?

No, he wants the public to believe he “retired” to work with horses and play with grandkids.

Then he wanted us to believe he was staying on to“tie up loose ends.”

It never dawned on the ex-sheriff why he got only 25 percent of the vote in July. He never could buy into trying to restore some credibility.

To the end, the ex-sheriff stayed true only to himself -- he was loose with the truth. He lied.

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