Recent testimony on perjury before the House Judiciary Committee once again reminded Americans how serious the charge of perjury can be.
One of the perjurers to testify was Pam Parsons, a woman I mentioned in a previous radio commentary. She was the former University of South Carolina basketball coach. In 1982 she sued Time, Incorporated for a Sports Illustrated story that accused her of having a lesbian relationship with one of her players. During the trial, Miss Parsons and her 17-year-old alleged lover both denied a sexual relationship. When an eyewitness surfaced to testify that there was such a relationship, the libel trial ended in a verdict for Time. Both Miss Parsons and her lover were charged with perjury. In fact, her charge really centered on whether she had been to a gay bar. Anyway, both player and coach pled guilty and were sentenced to three years in prison, and served four months.
The other person to testify about perjury was Barbara Battalino. She has been featured on a number of television newsmagazine programs. She was a Veterans Administration doctor who had a sexual encounter with a patient and then lied about it in a civil suit. Later she was found guilty of perjury. She told the panel, "Because the president is not a king, he or she must abide by the same laws as the rest of us."
These two cases (along with many more documented cases) raise a troubling question, especially at the time when it appears that the president may not be impeached. If the president is allowed to perjure himself in a civil deposition and before a grand jury with virtual impunity, what effect will that have on the court system in the future? These two women paid a heavy price for lying in court. I doubt the president will pay the same price.
I'm Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries, and that's my opinion.
© 1998 Probe Ministries International