Truth Is Stranger Than Fishin'

This evening as I was idly clicking web links while searching for nothing in particular, I came across a headline for a news story about a man who had admitted to cheating in a bass fishing tourney. For some unfathomable reason this headline stirred my curiosity, and I clicked the link to find out more...

Last fall, Robby Rose stuffed a lead weight into a bass during a fishing tournament and this week he learned his punishment.
An investigation by a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game warden concluded Rose stuffed his fish during the 2009 Bud Light Trail Boss Big Bass Tournament on Lake Ray Hubbard last October 24.
Rose, a competitive bass fisherman, was competing for a $55,000 bass boat tournament grand prize. The boat would be awarded to the angler who caught the biggest fish by weight.
After Rose turned in the fish and went to the polygraph area, officials noticed the bass had nearly sunk to the bottom of the tank. The fish was examined and a lump was found in its belly.

Wait a minute. What the... Went to the polygraph area? People in fishing tournaments have to take polygraph tests? This grabbed my attention. More research was required. And sure enough, a search on Google with the terms "competitive fishing" and "polygraph" returned pages of results on the business of polygraph testing at fishing competitions.

Now, don't get me wrong. I've got nothing against fishing; not even competitive fishing. But polygraph tests to weed out fishing cheaters? I'm sorry, but that seems a little bit fucked if you ask me. Maybe I just need to get out more, I don't know...

Speaking of polygraphs and things that are fucked up, did you know that the earliest polygraph was invented by the same guy--William Moulton Marston, who created the comic book character Wonder Woman? And what was the weapon Wonder Woman wielded so wonderfully? The Lasso of Truth ("forces anyone it captures to obey and tell the truth"), of course.

Image Source [Hmm...]
And then, of course, we have AntiPolygraph.org, where they believe that the polygraph and all of its "science" are complete bullshit.

And this shit is all true.