Dang Tootin’, High Falootin’, Ping Pong Playin’ Yahoo from Texas.
The Infinite Echo
B. Thomas Cooper
Yes folks, you read it here first:
The true to life, ever-unfolding story of a boy and his dog.
Or maybe not…
After many months of cyber-hell, I finally find myself back on the business end of a word processor. I have much catching up to do, but as ‘they’ say in Washington, there’s no time like the present, providing of course, it’s election season, which it isn’t.
All the more curious, I suppose.
As for Washington…
The plague of corruption continues without notice of my absence. I assume the lot are all too busy stuffing pockets to worry themselves about accountability. My vitriol has been missed by no-one.
Good ol’ Washington…
The first president, I mean. I have spent countless hours recently, pouring over quotes by he and our other founding fathers in an attempt to glean some sense of understanding in regard to their original intent when drafting the US Constitution. I have been trying to imagine what the scene must have felt like, as Franklin, Jefferson, and the guys strolled along the banks of the Potomac, pipes clenched tightly between their lips, the aroma of hemp wafting lazily in the night air, as they pontificated the virtues of freedom and democracy.
One fact stands out above all others…
One should not expect to convey a broad message, whilst insisting on being as oracular as I tend to be.
So be it.
I’ve decided to include a few of my favorites (quotes, that is.)
Perhaps you recognize some of them from college. I’ve tried to credit the appropriate sources, but in the event I err, or credit the wrong quote to the wrong founding father… well, no harm no foul.
Some of my favorite quotes on the subject are from Thomas Jefferson himself, the man responsible for drafting the wording of the Constitution.
“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on occasions, that I wish it always be kept alive”
“The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government,
And to protect it’s free expression should be our first object.”
I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty,
than to those attending to small a degree of it.”
All great stuff, from a great thinker. Here’s a rather cryptic quote he made about corruption of government. It has a familiar ring to it.
“Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, it’s necessary consequence.”
Indeed! And this from the man who penned the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Ben Franklin also gave much thought to the subject.
“All wars are follies… very expensive, and very mischievous ones.”
“There was never a good war or a bad peace.”
“Wars are not paid for during wartime. The bill comes later.”
And of course, the oft referenced…
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain temporary security, deserve neither and will lose both.”
It was our second president, John Adams who exclaimed…
“Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.”
What did George Washington, the father of our country have to say on the subject?
“Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it.”
“An inglorious peace is better than a dishonorable war.”
Wow! And of course, we all know George Washington would never tell a lie.
There are many related quotes worthy of note. In fact our current president, number forty-three, has made a few memorable quotes himself. I won’t get into his verbal assault on the language, as that can be addressed better by others, but I do find his remarks nothing less than revealing. Like these, for instance:
“If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2000
“I’m the commander, see… I don’t need to explain. I do not need to explain why I say things. That’s the interesting thing about being president.”
He also said the following:
“There are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way… any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap it requires, a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way… when we’re talking about chasing down terrorists, we’re talking about getting a court order before we do so. It’s important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think patriot act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protecting our homeland, because we value the Constitution.”
Obviously, George Bush made the latter remarks prior to disclosure to the contrary.
I think the quote that really digs at my craw the deepest is one made by American literary icon, Mark Twain. Twain wasn’t always known for biting commentary, but on occasion he made exceptions. This quote represents one of those occasions.
“Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation which is attacked, and every man will be glad for those conscience- soothing falsities, and will study them, and will refuse to examine any refutations of them, and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self deception.”
He also said:
“Our country, right or wrong. Have you not perceived that that phrase is an insult to the nation?”
Ouch!
I can’t help but wonder if perhaps, Mark Twain ever met the likes of Bill O’Reilly, for instance? We have become a nation of no shame. On second thought, enough with these “conscience- soothing falsities“ already. It’s time to get to the matter at hand; the process of grotesque self deception. I’ll play along if you will.
In fact, I’ve decided to include a few of my own quotes I think you might relate to:
“In order for an individual to get kicked in the head by a horse, one must position one’s face within precarious proximity of the horse’s ass. This having been established, it’s not difficult to understand why I prefer foresight to hindsight.”
“Be careful what you wish for…
Reality can make for funny bedfellows”
“Information is a unique currency. It possesses an intrinsic value and is instantly redeemable. It can be transferred, stolen, manipulated, diluted…
even hoarded.”
“In order for a lie to be effective, it need not be accepted as truth…
It need only be accepted.”
“Ignorance is bliss, providing one happens to be ignorant.”
“It is neither noble, nor patriotic to guard the door, while the fox raids the henhouse.”
"It is truly pathetic, the extent to which fear has caused our leaders to betray our core values, and allow the wholesale destruction of our basic civil liberties."
In closing, I must admit to providing perhaps a few more quotes than I had originally intended, but I suppose it provides more food for thought, providing of course, you hunger for such nourishment. As such, no-one need go hungry.
Chow.
The Infinite Echo 2006
B. Thomas Cooper
Yes folks, you read it here first:
The true to life, ever-unfolding story of a boy and his dog.
Or maybe not…
After many months of cyber-hell, I finally find myself back on the business end of a word processor. I have much catching up to do, but as ‘they’ say in Washington, there’s no time like the present, providing of course, it’s election season, which it isn’t.
All the more curious, I suppose.
As for Washington…
The plague of corruption continues without notice of my absence. I assume the lot are all too busy stuffing pockets to worry themselves about accountability. My vitriol has been missed by no-one.
Good ol’ Washington…
The first president, I mean. I have spent countless hours recently, pouring over quotes by he and our other founding fathers in an attempt to glean some sense of understanding in regard to their original intent when drafting the US Constitution. I have been trying to imagine what the scene must have felt like, as Franklin, Jefferson, and the guys strolled along the banks of the Potomac, pipes clenched tightly between their lips, the aroma of hemp wafting lazily in the night air, as they pontificated the virtues of freedom and democracy.
One fact stands out above all others…
One should not expect to convey a broad message, whilst insisting on being as oracular as I tend to be.
So be it.
I’ve decided to include a few of my favorites (quotes, that is.)
Perhaps you recognize some of them from college. I’ve tried to credit the appropriate sources, but in the event I err, or credit the wrong quote to the wrong founding father… well, no harm no foul.
Some of my favorite quotes on the subject are from Thomas Jefferson himself, the man responsible for drafting the wording of the Constitution.
“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on occasions, that I wish it always be kept alive”
“The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government,
And to protect it’s free expression should be our first object.”
I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty,
than to those attending to small a degree of it.”
All great stuff, from a great thinker. Here’s a rather cryptic quote he made about corruption of government. It has a familiar ring to it.
“Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, it’s necessary consequence.”
Indeed! And this from the man who penned the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Ben Franklin also gave much thought to the subject.
“All wars are follies… very expensive, and very mischievous ones.”
“There was never a good war or a bad peace.”
“Wars are not paid for during wartime. The bill comes later.”
And of course, the oft referenced…
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain temporary security, deserve neither and will lose both.”
It was our second president, John Adams who exclaimed…
“Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war.”
What did George Washington, the father of our country have to say on the subject?
“Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when it deserves it.”
“An inglorious peace is better than a dishonorable war.”
Wow! And of course, we all know George Washington would never tell a lie.
There are many related quotes worthy of note. In fact our current president, number forty-three, has made a few memorable quotes himself. I won’t get into his verbal assault on the language, as that can be addressed better by others, but I do find his remarks nothing less than revealing. Like these, for instance:
“If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2000
“I’m the commander, see… I don’t need to explain. I do not need to explain why I say things. That’s the interesting thing about being president.”
He also said the following:
“There are such things as roving wiretaps. Now, by the way… any time you hear the United States government talking about wiretap it requires, a wiretap requires a court order. Nothing has changed, by the way… when we’re talking about chasing down terrorists, we’re talking about getting a court order before we do so. It’s important for our fellow citizens to understand, when you think patriot act, constitutional guarantees are in place when it comes to doing what is necessary to protecting our homeland, because we value the Constitution.”
Obviously, George Bush made the latter remarks prior to disclosure to the contrary.
I think the quote that really digs at my craw the deepest is one made by American literary icon, Mark Twain. Twain wasn’t always known for biting commentary, but on occasion he made exceptions. This quote represents one of those occasions.
“Next the statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation which is attacked, and every man will be glad for those conscience- soothing falsities, and will study them, and will refuse to examine any refutations of them, and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self deception.”
He also said:
“Our country, right or wrong. Have you not perceived that that phrase is an insult to the nation?”
Ouch!
I can’t help but wonder if perhaps, Mark Twain ever met the likes of Bill O’Reilly, for instance? We have become a nation of no shame. On second thought, enough with these “conscience- soothing falsities“ already. It’s time to get to the matter at hand; the process of grotesque self deception. I’ll play along if you will.
In fact, I’ve decided to include a few of my own quotes I think you might relate to:
“In order for an individual to get kicked in the head by a horse, one must position one’s face within precarious proximity of the horse’s ass. This having been established, it’s not difficult to understand why I prefer foresight to hindsight.”
“Be careful what you wish for…
Reality can make for funny bedfellows”
“Information is a unique currency. It possesses an intrinsic value and is instantly redeemable. It can be transferred, stolen, manipulated, diluted…
even hoarded.”
“In order for a lie to be effective, it need not be accepted as truth…
It need only be accepted.”
“Ignorance is bliss, providing one happens to be ignorant.”
“It is neither noble, nor patriotic to guard the door, while the fox raids the henhouse.”
"It is truly pathetic, the extent to which fear has caused our leaders to betray our core values, and allow the wholesale destruction of our basic civil liberties."
In closing, I must admit to providing perhaps a few more quotes than I had originally intended, but I suppose it provides more food for thought, providing of course, you hunger for such nourishment. As such, no-one need go hungry.
Chow.
The Infinite Echo 2006
posted by B. Thomas Cooper | 10:53 AM
1 Comments:
I enjoy your writing
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