Lying Liars

Script:

How many times does someone have to lie to you before you call them a liar?

One? Five? Twenty?

It seems like many Americans are okay being lied to over and over and over again.

Here’s just one example.

Michael Brown was a young black teenager—a “gentle giant”—who, on August 9th, 2014, during a routine police stop in Ferguson, Missouri, raised his hands and pleaded for his life as he looked down the barrel of racist white police officer Darren Wilson’s gun. Brown famously held his hands up and yelled, “don’t shoot,” before he turned and ran.

Wilson shot him six times in the back, killing him, dead.

If you bought that, you bought a lie.

Here are the facts:

Michael Brown was 6’4” and weighed 292 pounds—80 pounds heavier than Officer Wilson. He was a giant, but there was nothing gentle about him.

Brown and his friend had just robbed a convenience store. Wilson, in his police car, spotted them walking in the middle of the street—the two men matched the description of the thieves. Wilson drove up and told them to move to the sidewalk.

Brown refused, blocked Wilson from opening his car door, punched the officer through the open window, and reached for Wilson’s gun. Wilson fired in self-defense, striking Brown’s hand.

Brown ran. Wilson got out of the car and pursued him. Brown then suddenly turned and charged Wilson. Wilson repeatedly told him to stop, but Brown kept coming. Wilson shot Brown until he collapsed.

A local grand jury and federal investigators from the Obama justice department concluded that Officer Wilson was justified in his use of deadly force.

There is no evidence that Brown ever held his hands up and yelled, “don’t shoot.”

The whole story was manufactured by the media.

It wasn’t the first time. It wouldn’t be the last.