Are some lies worse than others?

Listen to Dave’s Commentary: Are some lies worse than others?

Xavier Alvarez is a liar. He was also a politician serving on a Pomona County Water Board in 2007 when during a public meeting he introduced himself as a retired Marine who had been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Somebody sent the tape to the FBI, which discovered he was lying, and he was convicted under the Stolen Valor Act which makes it a federal crime to lie about military medals.

Now, the Supreme Court has to decide if the Stolen Valor Act violated his free speech rights.

Not an easy call because Alvarez is your classic sleazeball. Lied about everything. Claimed he’d played hockey for the Detroit Red Wings.

But like I say, he was also a politician. And if the FBI had to investigate every political exaggeration — I mean, they need at least SOME spare time to go after terrorists, right?

But no, they’d have to investigate John Kerry’s swift boat claims, George W. Bush’s National Guard service — and if the Constitution allows prosecution of lies about military service, why not lies about Congressional service? And once that happens there’d be no more of this stuff:

“You’re entitiled to your opinion, Mitt, you’re not entitled to misrepresent the facts and you’ve misrepresented the facts.” – santorum

“I’ve heard that line before. I’ve heard that before.” – Romney

Call the FBI! Candidates would be cuffed by their own security details after every debate.

But you don’t have to take a chisel to the Constitution for liars like Xavier Alvarez to get what they deserve. Two years after his military lie, Alvarez was sent to prison for lying about his divorce to get medical benefits for his ex-wife.

He is now prohibited from holding public office ever again.

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