Don't Back Down

During the speech last night by Dubya, he gave us some inspirational words - namely that his motivation shall "lead the 21st century into a shining age of human liberty". While of course he wouldn't say anything else, since he's in a position whereby it is his job to make sure that you are inspired, I have to wonder if anyone else was as amused by this position as I was.

If anything, we as a country have done nothing but lost liberty since the attacks of September 11, 2001, and while I don't necessarily agree with him in many cases, I would generally say that he at least tries in most cases. Or at least he tries to make us think that he is trying. What becomes difficult for him is trying to convince a populace that security is a difficult concept in such a world. But in this case, it's less of a best-case scenario and more of a flat-out lie.

While people will naturally define liberty differently, as they should, I think most would agree that there are some things that you perhaps would sacrifice in exchange for security. For instance, having to take off your shoes as you go through security at the airport. It doesn't make anything any safer, but if it makes someone a little happier, what the heck. It's a minor inconvenience in the scheme of things. But when does it stop?

Read "A Shining Age of Human Liberty" »

From the print version of this morning's paper: "Knight Ridder, the nation's second-largest newspaper company in the United States"... nice.

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Read "What is safety worth to you?" »

Even though Carolina Panthers coach John Fox was outed by New York Jets coach Herman Edwards as having earned the nickname of Crash in college for his hard-hitting play, he'll always be Foxy to us.

Why? When asked about the team's record (currently 7-2) and what it meant for the future, Foxy responded: "We are 7-2," he said. "The worst we can do is 7-9. That is all I know."

Heh. Even though some of the defensive players are starting to talk a little smack, Foxy is keeping it real. Well done.

According to Douglas Gresham, stepson of C. S. Lewis, the clearest image of Lewis' Christianity came one day when a beggar asked for some change. Lewis dug into his pockets and gave the beggar all that he had. The person with them (perhaps J. R. R. Tolkien) suggested that the beggar would just spend it on drink, and that Lewis' effort was wasted. Jack's response to his companion? "Well if I had kept it, I would have only spent it on drink." Heh. (via, thanks)

If you don't read Pearls Before Swine, you should. It's a bit uneven, and sometimes goes a few days or weeks without anything really enjoyable, but yesterday's strip was awesome.

JoJo the Gator has become a radio talk-show host. When he hits a patch of dead air, he starts to wing it, asking if the caller wears pants. His response is classic: "Me no wear pants. It feel guuuuud".

Even better is a little family tie-in, where when dinner is especially tasty, we say "It's good - G-U-D". Don't ask. I don't know how these things start.

The big Dubya was on TV the other night talking about how Social Security needed shoring up before it goes bankrupt. I listened for about five minutes. The problem is that it's not going to be fixed. It will be debated. It will be sound-bited to death. But it won't be fixed. Our country doesn't have the cojones to fix it.

Read "Let Projects Pay for Themselves" »

I love this story about Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The story offers perhaps my favorite quote ever. When the inmates complained about the lack of coffee, having to wear pink, having to work on chain gangs and perhaps, above all, not being able to smoke, he told them: "This isn't the Ritz/Carlton. If you don't like it, don't come back."

A close second for favorite quote was when the sheriff was asked about his cable TV choices. Apparently there is a federal court order that requires cable TV for jails. He piped in the Disney Channel and the Weather Channel. Someone asked Sheriff Joe why he chose the Weather Channel, to which he answered: "So they will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs."

Sweet.

"Let's be clear: Children under the age of 21 cannot procure alcohol; children under the age of 18 cannot vote; children under the age of 15 cannot drive; but a child aged 14 can enter into a legally binding union with another child in North Carolina -- if the girl is pregnant. And it's the committed gay couples we need to worry about?"

Well said, Ms. Flaxman. This is the sort of thing that I just don't get. Whether you are for or against same-sex marriage, surely it's clear that getting the government involved is not a good thing. There's a point where we just need to buckle up and be responsible for our own actions, rather than hoping the government will legislate it. Doing that is just asking for trouble.

Our country was formed on a series of checks and balances. For good reason, it was decided that each branch of the government would operate independently of the others. In this way, it was assumed, no single branch - or single person - could wield too much power. While this is certainly up for debate, I for one am glad that it works as well as it does.

House Republican leader Tom DeLay warned that lawmakers "will look at an arrogant and out-of-control judiciary that thumbs its nose at Congress and the president", and that sounds to me like he's just tiffed that the judicial branch of government did what they were supposed to do - uphold the law. And that they have done, regardless of what wackos like Mr. DeLay think about it.

"We believe in communication. We're doing this because we think LiveJournal has something that's really strong with the community. We feel that that's one of things we are lacking."

Mena Trott, in an interview about The Deal. I doubt anyone would argue that point with her. To be fair, I'm not sure that anyone wants to argue much of anything with Mena. But on this point, I think she pretty well nailed it.

"Government can do certain things very well, but it cannot put hope in our hearts or a sense of purpose in our lives."

I like that one. Sums it up nicely. There are undoubtedly some things that the government - any government - can do well. Very well even. But it cannot do everything. What I don't get is why people (okay, politicians) continue to insist that government can solve all problems.

Read that again. Government cannot give us hope. It cannot give us a sense of purpose. I agree with these things wholeheartedly. Government is welcome to do what they do well, but those things ought to be in the background.

Read "The Place of Government" »