Friday, July 8. 2005
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. Winston Churchill
Wednesday, July 6. 2005
I have very poor and unhappy brains for drinking: I could well wish courtesy would invent some other custom of entertainment. Shakespeare, Othello
Tuesday, July 5. 2005
Chance favors the prepared mind. Louis Pasteur
Monday, July 4. 2005
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
Read the rest, below the fold:
Continue reading "Happy 4th"
Sunday, July 3. 2005
Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver; instead of wood, bronze instead of stones, iron. I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness. Violence shall be no more heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. Isaiah 60:17
Saturday, July 2. 2005
Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the Democrats believe every day is April 15. Ronald Reagan
Friday, July 1. 2005
"You make your own luck." Anon.
Wednesday, June 29. 2005
Eve chats with God: "Lord, I have a problem." "What's the problem, Eve?" "I know that you created me & provided this beautiful garden & all of these wonderful animals, as well as that hilarious comedic snake, but I'm just not happy." "And why is that Eve?" "Lord, I am lonely, and I'm sick to death of apples." "Well, Eve, in that case, I have a solution. I shall create a man for you." "Man? What is that Lord?" "A flawed creature, with many bad traits. He'll lie, cheat & be vain; all in all, he'll give you a hard time. But he'll be bigger, faster & will like to hunt & kill things. I'll create him in such a way that he will satisfy your physical needs. He will be witless & will revel in childish things like fighting & kicking a ball about. He won't be as smart as you, so he will also need your advice to think properly." "Sounds great," says Eve, with raised eyebrows, "but what's the catch Lord?" "Well,.....you can have him on one condition." "And what's that Lord?" "As I said, he'll be proud, arrogant & self admiring..... So you'll have to let him believe that I made him first. And it will have to be our little secret...you know, woman to woman."
Adam sees God across the garden and calls out "Yo, Lord, do you have a minute?" God comes over and asks Adam "Sure, what's up, Adam?" "I'm lonely, God. I need a companion." God asks "How would you like someone who would make your clothes, and feed you, do the housework, always love and obey you, and bear little Adam babies for you to play with, and always be cheerful and happy to give you any kind of pleasure, and to take care of you in your old age?" "Sounds great" says Adam. "What would it cost?" "Well," says God, "that's a lot to ask for. That will cost you an arm and a leg." "An arm and a leg!" replies Adam. "Hmm, well, what can I get for a rib?"
Tuesday, June 28. 2005
The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once. Albert Einstein
Monday, June 27. 2005
"Public affairs go on pretty much as usual: perpetual chicanery and rather more personal abuse than there used to be...." John Adams
Sunday, June 26. 2005
from Paul's Letter to the Philippians: Finally, brothers and sisters, fix your thoughts on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious. If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Friday, June 24. 2005
Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. Robert A. Heinlein
Wednesday, June 22. 2005
"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." Albert Einstein
Tuesday, June 21. 2005
My formula for success is rise early, work late, and strike oil.
J. Paul Getty
Monday, June 20. 2005
Three from Jose Ortega y Gasset: "A revolution only lasts fifteen years, a period which coincides with the effectiveness of a generation." "Effort is only effort when it hurts." "The metaphor is perhaps one of man's most fruitful potentialities. Its efficacy verges on magic, and it seems a tool for creation which God forgot inside one of His creatures when He made him."
A note on Ortega: Many of us read his Revolt of the Masses in college, but not everyone knows that this philosopher also wrote one of the all-time classics on the joys and ethics of hunting, Meditations on Hunting.
Sunday, June 19. 2005
Matthew 6, 1-4 Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they will have their reward. But when you give alms, let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees you in secret will reward you.
Friday, June 17. 2005
"Be careful, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." (I have also seen this translated as "Be kind,...") Philo
Wednesday, June 15. 2005
"The past is never dead; it's not even past." William Faulkner
Tuesday, June 14. 2005
It works in practice, but it doesn't work in theory. Anon.
Monday, June 13. 2005
"I love deadlines. I especially love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
Douglas Adams, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Sunday, June 12. 2005
I asked for wisdom...and God gave me problems to solve. I asked for prosperity...and God gave me brain and brawn to work. I asked for courage...and God gave me danger to overcome. I asked for love...and God gave me people to help. I asked for favors...and God gave me opportunities. I asked for strength...and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I received nothing I wanted...I received everything I needed. Anon.
Friday, June 10. 2005
When you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Anon.
Wednesday, June 8. 2005
You can change someone else 5% of the time, but you can change yourself 50% of the time. Anon.
Tuesday, June 7. 2005
Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy. Albert Einstein
Monday, June 6. 2005
"90% of this game is half mental." Yogi Berra
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