Lying

An observation:

To rationalize their lies, people -- and the governments, churches, or terrorist cells they compose -- are apt to regard their private interests and desires as just.

-- Wendy Kaminer

And another:

One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we've been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. The bamboozle has captured us. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.

-- Carl Sagan

I wish I could get everybody in the country to read and ponder the Sagan quote. Maybe then people would wake up.