When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.
— Dom Helder Camara
Any content-based regulation of the Internet, no matter how benign the purpose, could burn the “global village” to roast the pig.
— U.S. District Court Justice Stewart Dalzell (in his ruling to grant a preliminary injunction against the CDA)
Ever notice how they have to distinguish between Truth, Justice, and then the American Way?
— Richard Darwin
I hate the idea of causes, and if I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend, I hope I should have the guts to betray my country.
— E. M. Forster
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
— John Kenneth Galbraith
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under Communism, it’s just the opposite.
— John Kenneth Galbraith
The Net interprets censorship as damage, and routes around it.
— John Gilmore
Never underestimate that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world, indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.
— Margaret Mead
No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we’re looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn’t test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed, and love of power.
— P.J. O’Rourke
Your choice is simple. Join us and live in peace or pursue your present course and face obliteration. We shall be waiting for your answer. The decision rests with you.
— Klaatu (Michael Rennie), The Day the Earth Stood Still
It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.
— Televangelist Marion “Pat” Robertson (speaking of the Equal Rights Amendment)
A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who has never learned to walk.
— Franklin D. Roosevelt
A non-vegetarian anti-abortionist is a contradiction in terms.
— Phyllis Schlafly
- Date:
- Thu, 10 Nov 1994 10:11:25 -0500 (EST)
- From:
- Andrew B Stellman <roo+@CMU.EDU>
- To:
- Bulletin Board Administration <bb+graffiti.unhinged@andrew.cmu.edu>
- Subject:
- republican congress elected
— Andrew B Stellman
If you are bored and disgusted by politics and don’t bother to vote, you are in effect voting for the entrenched Establishments of the two major parties, who rest assured are not dumb and are keenly aware that it is in their interests to keep you disgusted and bored and cynical and to give you every possible psychological reason to stay at home doing one-hitters and watching MTV Spring Break on Primary Day. By all means stay home if you want, but don’t bullshit yourself that you’re not voting. In reality, there is no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some Diehard’s vote.
— David Foster Wallace, Rolling Stone, April 13, 2000
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.
— Daniel Webster
A conservative is a man who believes that nothing should be done for the first time.
— Alfred E. Wiggam
There are two visions of America. One precedes our founding fathers and finds its roots in the harshness of our puritan past. It is very suspicious of freedom, uncomfortable with diversity, hostile to science, unfriendly to reason, contemptuous of personal autonomy. It sees America as a religious nation. It views patriotism as allegiance to God. It secretly adores coercion and conformity. Despite our Constitution, despite the legacy of the Enlightenment, it appeals to millions of Americans and threatens our freedom.
The other vision finds its roots in the spirit of our founding revolution and in the leaders of this nation who embraced the age of reason. It loves freedom, encourages diversity, embraces science and affirms the dignity and rights of every individual. It sees America as a moral nation, neither completely religious nor completely secular. It defines patriotism as love of country and of the people who make it strong. It defends all citizens against unjust coercion and irrational conformity.
This second vision is our vision. It is the vision of a free society. We must be bold enough to proclaim it and strong enough to defend it against all its enemies.
— Rabbi Sherwin Wine