Liars and Lying: The Myth of Fingerprints

“Over the mountain, Down in the Valley, Lives a former talk show host, Everybody knows his name, He says, ‘There’s no doubt about it, It was the myth of fingerprints, I’ve seen them all and,man, they’re all the same.’ ” – Paul Simon, “All Around the World, They Myth of Fingerprints” from the album Graceland.

Whether you agree with Paul Simon’s political views or not, he is a hell of a songwriter. In my opinion, the album Graceland is one of the best albums ever. This song, however, connected so strongly with what is going on right now.

Certainly people can interpret song lyrics in any way they want and there are plenty of interpretations of this song. One of them is that the “myth of fingerprints” refers to the unproven idea that all fingerprints are individual and different. Many people have been convicted of crimes based on that theory.

Using fingerprints to identify criminals began in the late 1800’s. It’s use spread through the 1900’s with the first criminal convicted of a crime using fingerprints was in 1910. From then on, it was a regular piece of evidence in the courtroom.

It had a problem though. There were no standards and the idea that “no two people have identical fingerprints” has never been proven. And, fingerprint experts have never agreed on a way to measure the rarity of an arrangement of fingerprint characteristics in the human population. So, while people asserted fingerprint identification was unmistakable, there are many variables that can make a fingerprinting inaccurate, such as if a print is full or partial, the reliability of the fingerprint expert, etc. But, people believed that fingerprints were rock solid, so they were a factor in sending many people to jail. Over the myth of fingerprints.

This is a great example of how people can be convinced something is not true or accurate even though it isn’t. Many cult leaders, dictators and yes, even political leaders, rely on that premise to spread lies and beliefs among the population.

By now you are asking yourself why I am going on about this. Most of us know that politicians use lies all the time to sway their followers. What’s my point?

My point is that as “advanced” as many people think society is these days, we are even more susceptible to the “myth of fingerprints” than ever before.

Aside from the initial lie that created the Covid false pandemic and the subsuquent shutdown of many economies across the world, many across the globe are locked into many myths regarding the effectiveness of masks and vaccines. They are so locked in that no facts, studies, etc. can convince them otherwise. I could take days talking about that. But I would like to write about just one of the myths.

It’s the mandate myth and it is being promoted by the Biden regime and it’s accolytes.

I can’t tell you how many people have told me that there is a Presidential mandate that companies of over 100 employees must have all of them vaccinated. Some even get angry with me when I dispute this. But, if you go to the Federal Register, ( http://www.federalregister.gov ) the site where Presidential Executive Orders are filed and listed, you will not find an order that mandates it. You will find one regarding federal employees and that is all.

So why would people believe in this so strongly?

I believe it’s like the myth of fingerprints. Someone in authority said it was true so it must be. Why else would the administration keep saying it over and over? Why else would large corporations comply?

I also think that many people WANT it to be true. Face it, if you are a person who believes Covid is the deadliest virus ever and the vaccine is the only way to get life back to normal, a “mandate” would be great for you. Just like a victim of a crime would be thrilled to have fingerprints convict someone of that crime. It takes away your fear and anxiety. It provides order for your world. You feel safe, even if you may not really be safe. If the wrong person is convicted that means the perpetrator of the crime is still out there walking around, possibly committing more crimes.

For the person anxious about Covid, having everyone around you vaccinated makes you feel safer, even if the vaccines don’t really work.

As for the corporations, the fake mandate means they can require everyone to get vaccinated and then if things go bad, they can blame it all upstream to the government, even if it isn’t true.

And the government can flex its big old regulatory bicep and keep everyone in line.

But it is a mirage. A fake. Illusion.

Just like so much in this regime it is built on lies. They have lied about Covid. They have lied about the vaccine efficacy. They have lied about Afghanistan. They have lied about Biden’s ties to China and Russia. They have lied about the economy. They have lied about the border. They have lied about the 3.5 trillion dollar spending bill and how much it will cost. They have lied about January 6th. They have put the fake President in a fake White House set and given him a fake “booster” shot.

Most of the people are catching on. Biden’s poll numbers are the worst for any President since they started doing them. But, there are still those few cult members out there who believe.

They believe in the myth of fingerprints. It’s easier than knowing the truth.

I hope they catch on before it is too late.

***By the way, the song refers to other untruths and myths in history, specifically wars, that have been started because of lies.

Here’s a link to the YouTube video of the song.

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Jan

I am a 67 year old runner and conservative. I taught for 31 years and retired a few years back. In my life, I have coached and judged gymnastics, coached softball, and raised two amazing kids.

Thanks for commenting!!