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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> >It's hard to bear in mind that social assumptions in the mid-19th
> century were entirely different from what they are now, but any of us
> can vouch that social assumptions have changed over our individual
> lifetimes.

They have!    In my misspent youth a great deal was put on someone's word.  
Now lying and deception seem to be business as usual.  I know this is a 
low-rent example, but I am struck by the fact that every bit of advertising I 
am 
exposed to, every single bit of it, starts with an obvious lie or deception.

"Your number has been chosen to receive a free cell phone...."
(Six times this month alone??)

"Our records show that the warranty on your vehicle is about to expire ..."
(On my 1985 S-10??)

"We are going to be in your neighborhood this week installing siding..."
(What, for the bears?)

" We are calling about your credit card.  There is currently no problem with 
your account ..."
(Do you suppose that's because I don't have one?)

"We guarantee to accept ALL credit applications..."
(What about actually giving them the money though?)

"Our orange juice is cholesterol free..."
(As opposed to?  A variation on this is Obama's pronouncement that he has 
accepted no money from oil companies.  You reckon?  It's illegal for any 
candidate to accept money from oil companies.)

How long can a society exist whose most common mode of expression is 
deception?   </HTML>