Quote-a-palooza
“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed, and next oblige it to control itself.” —James Madison
“When it comes to figuring out what’s gone wrong with our culture, we can usually rely on the American Psychological Association (APA) to catch on last. Thus, it came to pass a few days ago that the APA released its findings that American girls are sexualized. And that’s bad. If you missed the headlines, it may be because of stiff competition from the breaking news that Anna Nicole is still dead and Britney is still disturbed... It can’t be coincidence that girls’ self-objectification—looking for male attention in all the wrong ways—has risen as father presence has declined. At last tally, 30 percent of fathers weren’t sleeping in the same house as their biological children. The APA is calling for more education, more research, forums, girls groups and Web zines to tackle girl sexualization. But my instinctual guess is that getting fathers back into their daughters’ lives and back on the job would do more than all the forums and task forces combined. Ultimately, it’s a daddy thing.” —Kathleen Parker
“What is it about the Christian faith that so unnerves our public officials and private atheists? Not believing is one thing—persecuting those who do is something else... After all, Jesus’ teachings are not only important to those who consider Him the Son of God; they are the basis for countless tenets of polite behavior. Why wouldn’t we want our children learning to turn the other cheek, go the second mile, reach out in mercy to those who are lonely or impoverished or hurting? Would it be so awful if they strove to emulate His integrity, His selflessness, His love? Oh, it’s a scary thought all right. Better to let our kids watch cinematic bloodbaths, and joke about serial killers and satanic rites and bewitching vengeances. These are the ideals that inspire depth of character. These are what we want to parade before our children, and celebrate with publicly-funded school festivities. Interesting, all the effort our government and courts expend, frantically trying to keep our kids away from a God Who is—by definition—everywhere, all the time. Maybe we think that by systematically removing every element of faith from our society, we’re gradually evolving a more broad-minded generation. But, in fact, we’re not. All we’re really doing is... creating a monster.” —Michael Johnson
“There can be no real peace while one American is dying some place in the world... for the rest of us. We are at war with the most dangerous enemy that has ever faced mankind in his long climb from the swamp to the stars, and it has been said if we lost that war, and in doing so lost this way of freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening... If we lost freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth.” —Ronald Reagan
“In the six years since he left the presidency, [Bill] Clinton has taken in nearly $40 million... It ought to be a concern... when so much money is paid to a former president by foreign governments, foreign entities and corporations with interests in U.S. foreign and domestic policies. While Bill Clinton is no longer in a position to determine such policies, his wife... is and she may soon be in an even more powerful position. Given the Clintons’ history of questionable political, business and personal relationships, can anyone say with certainty that the providers of this largesse are uninterested in influencing a President Hillary Clinton through her husband?” —Cal Thomas
“Perhaps the saddest thing... is that some ‘highly qualified’ potential nominees for the Supreme Court ‘had not wanted their names considered’ because the Senate confirmation process had become ‘too bitter and too vitriolic’ and ‘they just didn’t want any part of it.’ The momentous and lasting repercussions of Supreme Court decisions mean that people of the highest caliber and character are needed on that court. There are too few who are ‘highly qualified’ to lose any of them. The ugly and cheap circus atmosphere of Senate confirmation hearings is just one of the factors which cause top notch people not to be nominated, while others who are little more than warm bodies are seated on the highest court in the land.” —Thomas Sowell
“Oh, perhaps you think it’s wise to conserve and recycle; perhaps you think it’s common sense to explore alternative energies. Perhaps you’ve come to suspect that the climate is changing. That is, after all, what climates do. You might believe all these things—and still be a heretic. The demands of the faith are specific and exacting. You must believe that climate change is largely the fault of man—specifically, lard-bottom Americans driving around for no reason in cars the size of Spanish galleons. You must believe the change will be catastrophic—billions will be killed when the jet stream reverses and knocks everyone over, or drowned when a ceaseless series of Katrinas backs up the Mississippi and sends tsunamis across the heartland. You must believe that this disaster can be prevented with fluorescent light bulbs, whirring cars that run on pixy dust, methane traps strapped to the hindquarters of cows, and magic federal dollars that invent new forms of energy by virtue of being congressionally bequeathed.” —James Lileks