THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Saturday, September 17, 1994           TAG: 9409160006
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A14  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Letter 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   33 lines

EVEN FOR NORTH, A LIE IS A LIE

The Sept. 2 headline ``Did North lie? Yes, but not under oath'' appeared to be a blatant attempt to lay a bit of casuistry on your readers: A lie is only a lie if it is said under oath. Ollie's lie was not said under oath, therefore it is not a lie.

When Ollie was a midshipman at the Naval Academy, he ``pledged'' to abide by the Honor Code. ``I will not lie, cheat or steal.'' Those midshipmen who were expelled from the Academy for violating the Honor Code did not make this pledge under oath, but they were obligated to abide by the Code. Those who violated the Code were dismissed from the Academy.

I have been informed that the Honor Code is not merely an academic exercise to be practiced only by undergraduates; it is to be a lifetime principle of ethics. Ollie North seems to have abandoned his responsibility to that Code, and he has done it with impunity.

The question is not whether Ollie North is a perjurer but whether Ollie North is a liar. The Academy makes no distinction regarding this question among its midshipmen, nor should it make any such distinction among its graduates. Ollie North has violated his pledge and should have been cashiered!

E.J. GANLEY

Melfa, Sept. 11, 1994 by CNB