Sean Cole's Politics Page


Important Political Links

  • Poltics.com
  • Salon
  • Real Change
  • Democratic Party
  • Republican Party
  • Political Corner
  • Stratfor
  • Drudge Report
  • The Onion
  • Political donations by Zip Code
  • Emperors-clothes.com

    Other thoughts

  • Old UO Quiz Bowl lexicon
  • There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge-Bertrand Russell
  • Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich-Napoleon
  • One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors-Plato
  • It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place-H. L. Mencken
  • When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators-P. J. O'Rourke
  • He who controls the past commands the future. He who commands the future conquers the past-George Orwell
  • Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac-Henry Kissinger
  • The empires of the future are the empires of the mind-Winston Churchill
  • We shall never surrender-Winston Churchill
  • Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former-Albert Einstein
  • Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear-Thomas Jefferson
  • Live free or die-New Hampshire State Motto
  • Big Brother is watching you-George Orwell
  • I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat-Winston Churchill
  • Mercantile morality is really nothing but a refinement of piratical morality-Nietzsche
  • The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around them-Machiavelli
  • Only those means of security are good, are certain, are lasting, that depend on yourself and your own vigor-Machiavelli
  • Of our troubles, we must seek some other cause than God-Plato
  • In individuals,insanity is rare, but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs, it is the rule-Nietzsche
  • I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter-Winston Churchill
  • The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt-Bertrand Russell
  • I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually-James Baldwin
  • War does not determine who is right - only who is left-Bertrand Russell
  • The price of greatness is responsibility-Winston Churchill
  • The penalty for laughing in a courtroom is six months in jail; if it were not for this penalty, the jury would never hear the evidence-H. L. Mencken
  • The issue is not war and peace, rather how best to preserve our freedom-Gen Russell Dougherty
  • The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten-Calvin Coolidge
  • The price of freedom is eternal vigilance-Thomas Jefferson

    Noah's Dilemma

    And the Lord spoke to Noah and said, "In six months, I'm going to make it rain until the whole earth is covered in water and all evil people are destroyed. I want to save a few good people and two of, every kind of living thing on the planet. I am commanding you to build an Ark." And in a flash of lightning, He delivered the specifications for an Ark.

    "Okay" said Noah, trembling with fear and fumbling with the blueprints.

    "Six months and it starts to rain" thundered the Lord. "You'd better have the Ark completed, or learn to swim for a very long time."

    Six months passed and the skies clouded up and rain began to fall. The Lord saw that Noah was sitting in his front yard, weeping and there was no Ark. "Noah," shouted the Lord, "where is the Ark?"

    "Lord, please forgive me!" begged Noah. "I did my best but there were big problems. First I had to get a building permit for the Ark construction project, and you plans didn't meet code. So I had to hire an engineer to redraw the plans. then I got into a big fight over whether or not the Ark needed a fire sprinkler system. Then my neighbor objected claiming I was violating zoning by building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning commission. Then I had problems getting enough wood for the Ark, because there was a ban on cutting trees, to save the Spotted Owl. I had to convince the US Fish and Wildlife that I needed the wood to save the owls, but they would'nt let me catch any owls, so no owls.

    "The carpenters formed a union and went out on strike. I had to negotiate a settlement with the National Labor Relations Board before anyone would pick up a saw or a hammer. Now we have 16 carpenters on board and still no owls.

    'Then I started gathering up animals, and got sued by an animal rights group. They objected to me only taking two of each kind. Just when I got the suit dismissed, EPA notified me that I couldn't complete the Ark without an environmental impact statement on your proposed flood. They didn't take kindly to the idea that they had no jurisdiction over the conduct of a Supreme Being.

    "Then the Army Corps of Engineers wanted a map of the new flood plain.

    I sent them a globe

    "Right now I'm trying to resolve a complaint from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over how many Croatians I'm supposed to hire. The IRS has seized all my assets, claiming I'm trying to avoid taxes by leaving the country. And I just got a notice from the state about owing them some kind of use tax.

    "I really don't think I can finish the Ark for at least another five years."

    Then the sky began to clear. The sun began to shine. A rainbow arched across the sky. Noah looked up and said, "You mean you're not going to destroy the earth?"

    "No," the Lord said sadly. "The government already has."
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