[Bella]

BUT if Tom had never stepped in for that fairly short time, WOULD WE EVEN BE PAYING ATTENTION TO TOM? When he had stepped in, this led to his being on LKL, etc. He had a weird way of expressing himself. But if he had never had occasion to get in the middle of it, due to his stepping in for Ed, I don't think he'd have come to our notice any more than the other Smart brothers, who are mentioned less.

Really??...I guess you forgot about his inconclusive polygraph...

[jandji]

or tom's claim that he recieved a phone call from ed at 3:30am, printed in the deseret news, where tom is a longtime fixture. only to be dressed down by sister cynthia, who basically called him a moron.

[Devil_Anse]

Really??..I guess you forgot about [Tom's] inconclusive polygraph...

No, I didn't forget about it. But having been around courtrooms, as I know YOU also have, I am definitely able to put it in its proper perspective. As YOU know, polygraphs--even the mention of a person's "results"--are VERBOTEN in the world of evidence. I am sure that you are as familiar with the rules of evidence as I am.

And, given your legal training, including that class they require even "high-powered" law students to take--criminal procedure--you know that the polygraph is, first and foremost, an interviewing TOOL. It, and its "results," are NOT acceptable evidence.

I'll go further and say that polygraph results prove virtually nothing. What is their use? Their usefulness comes about when we observe the reactions that human beings (especially the person being tested) have to being TOLD they are being tested, and TOLD their results.