What We Can Learn From Our President?
Dad - Son, come in here, we need to talk.
Son - What's up, Dad?
D- There's a scratch down the side of the car. Did you do it?
S- I don't believe, if I understand the definition of
"scratch the car", that I can say, truthfully, that I
scratched the car.
D- Well, it wasn't there yesterday, and you drove the car last
night, and no one else has driven it since. How can you explain
the scratch?
S- Well, as I've said before, I have no recollection of
scratching the car. While it is true that I did take the car out
last night, I did not scratch it.
D- But your sister, Monica, has told me she saw you back the car
against the mailbox at the end of the driveway, heard a loud
scraping sound, saw you get out to examine the car, and then
drive away. So again I'll ask you, yes or no, did you scratch the
car?
S- Oh, you mean you think you have evidence to prove I scratched
it. Well, you see, I understood you to mean did "I"
scratch the car. I stand by my earlier statement, that I did not
scratch the car.
D- Are you trying to tell me you didn't drive the car into the
mailbox?
S- Well, you see sir, I was trying to drive the car into the
street. I mishandled the steering of the car, and it resulted in
direct contact with the mailbox, though that was clearly not my
intent.
D- So you are then saying that you did hit the mailbox?
S- No sir, that's not my statement. I'll refer you back to my
original statement that I did not scratch the car.
D- But the car did hit the mailbox, and the car did get scratched
as a result of this contact?
S- Well, yes, I suppose you could look at it that way.
D- So you lied to me when you said you did not scratch the
car?
S- No. No, that's not correct. Your question
was "Did I scratch the car?". From a strict legal
definition, as I understood the meaning of that sentence, I did
not scratch the car... the mailbox did... I was merely present
when the scratching occurred. So my answer of "No" when
you asked "Did I scratch the car" was legally correct,
although I did not volunteer information.
D- Where did you learn to talk like this?!?
S- From The President of the United States.