More pithy quotes

I'm still collecting quotes. I'll never stop, because time is ticking on my life (I'm not sick, I'm referring to the fact that I'm human), and there a novel in every excellent quote. Here are some of my recent favorites: Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. - Arthur C. Clark, as quoted in Visions : How Science Will Revolutionize the Twenty-First Century (1999) by Michio Kaku, p. 295 "We simply do not understand our place in the universe and have not the courage to admit it” - Barry Lopez One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory. - Rita Mae Brown Holding a grudge is letting someone live rent-free in your head. - From a sign. He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire. - Sir Winston Churchill There is nobody so irritating as somebody with less intelligence and more sense than we have. - Don Herold “My main purpose in life is to make enough money to create ever more inventions…. The dove is my emblem…. I want to save and advance human life, not destroy it…. I am proud of the fact that I have never invented weapons to kill….” - Thomas Edison “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that. I wish I had more years left.” - Thomas Edison “I never did a day’s work in my life, it was all fun.” - Thomas Edison It is part of the general pattern of misguided policy that our country is now geared to an arms economy which was bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and nurtured upon an incessant propaganda of fear. While such an economy may produce a sense of seeming prosperity for the moment, it rests on an illusionary foundation of complete unreliability and renders among our political leaders almost a greater fear of peace than is their fear of war. - General Douglas MacArthur. Speech to the Michigan legislature, in Lansing, Michigan (15 May 1952). The crime is not failing to know. It’s failing to ask. - Anon My work is a game, a very serious game. - M. C. Escher (1898 - 1972) Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.” - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, p. 298 "There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people for a purpose which is unattainable". - Howard Zinn Voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by concerned citizens. - Howard Zinn, "Election Madness" The Progressive (March 2008) "If those in charge of our society — politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television — can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves." - Howard Zinn, Declarations of Independence: Cross-Examining American Ideology (1991)

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The long-term ambitions of the for-profit prison industry

The ACLU is reporting on a heinous new proposal being made by the private prison industry to almost every state:

If you live in one of 48 states, right now there's a proposal sitting on your governor's desk from a company called Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). That for-profit corporation is offering to buy and run prisons across the nation. In exchange, states must agree to keep the prisons at least 90 percent full. Two articles in USA Today examine the ethical concerns raised by the proposal. . . . And, since private prisons thrive from keeping the bottom line low and their profits high, they have an incentive to cut corners — meaning lower-paid, less experienced staff and little accountability. The results can be troubling: in 2008, a study by the Idaho Department of Corrections found that the CCA-run Idaho Correctional Center (ICC) had four times as many prisoner-on-prisoner assaults as Idaho's other seven prisons combined.
Privatizing prison leads to much more prison violence, as indicated in the following video:

Continue ReadingThe long-term ambitions of the for-profit prison industry

Quotes concerning freedom of speech and freedom of the press

Like many people, I'm a collector of quotes. This batch includes some of my favorite quotes concerning the freedom of speech and press: “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freedom of speech.” Benjamin Franklin “The one thing that’s worse than hearing about all that violence and all that bad news on television is not being permitted to hear it.” Charles Kurault "Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it a crime for any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment-- the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution--not primarily to amuse and entertain, not to emphasize the trivial and the sentimental, not to simply "give the public what it wants"--but to inform, to arouse, to reflect, to state our dangers and our opportunities, to indicate our crises and our choices, to lead, mold, educate and sometimes even anger public opinion." John F. Kennedy http://surftofind.com/secrecy “When the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe.” Thomas Jefferson “The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. But I should mean that every man should receive those papers and be capable of reading them.” Thomas Jefferson “If a nation expects to be both ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson “Nothing could be more irrational than to give the people power, and to withhold from them information without which power is abused. A people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with power which knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps both.” James Madison “To the press alone, checkered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the triumphs which have been obtained by reason and humanity over error and oppression.” James Madison [More . . . ]

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Religion: Good for the individual. Bad for the world. An opinion.

I don't think it can be denied that religion provides much good to the individual. Those who suffer from addictions, the effects of abuse and loss of loved ones are strengthened and comforted by the religions of the world. Many are comforted by the knowledge that there is more to life than what we see. That helps them deal with the daily trails and tribulations that can all too often discourage us. I don't dispute that. Religions also provide a framework of community that helps people come together to help each other. One need only look to your local churches to find food banks, clothing drives and other altruistic community activities that benefit your less fortunate neighbors. This also is hard to ignore or speak ill of. However, when multiplied by millions or billions of people, certain tenants of religion which are built into the doctrine can become toxic. An analogy… In the late 80s computer technology in the investment industry had given some brokers an edge over their competition. Complicated algorithms would determine the best time to buy and sell stocks. However, as more and more firms got the software the computer systems began to synchronize and it eventually led to wild fluctuations in the market bringing on an automated sell off and the crash of October 19, 1987. See this article for more… It wasn't the only reason for the crash and it's an imperfect analogy, but I think it illustrates my point that small advantages for a few can add up to large problems for many. It's the same with religion. When multiplied by millions you inevitably get conflict between religions and even sub-cults of various religions because of the very nature of elements within the doctrine. These elements are inherent in any successful religion. Here are what I think are the top 5 elements of dogmatic religion that, when multiplied, have created conflict in the world. I don't think I need to provide examples of the kinds of conflicts these elements have created. We are sadly all too familiar with them. 1. The "one true" religion. - This assertion is necessary for religion in order for it to create a cohesive community. Believers must believe that they have found the best possible faith among the many that exist in order for them to commit completely to it. However, when expanded to the world at large it also tends to pit the religion against all others. [More . . . ]

Continue ReadingReligion: Good for the individual. Bad for the world. An opinion.