April 12th, 2008
Via 37Signals, some General Patton quotes worth repeating:
“A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.”
“Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.”
“If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you’ll be amazed at the results.”
“Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.”
“If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.”
“Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.”
“Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.”
“There is no approved solution to any tactical situation.” [From the comments]
“The time to take counsel of your fears is before you make an important battle decision. That’s the time to listen to every fear you can imagine! When you have collected all the facts and fears and made your decision, turn off all your fears and go ahead!”
April 5th, 2008
I don’t begrudge hard working, well educated, public servants from making a good living. Dang, I wish firefighters, cops, nurses and teachers all made a great living (given the hard work that teachers perform, their salaries should start at $75k – $85k); after all, the sacrifices that they make for the rest of us are immeasurable. That said, it is simply astounding that a former president, a servant of the people, can shoot up to such meteoritic income heights after leaving office. Yesterday we learned that since leaving the White House in 2000, the Clintons are now “in the top one-hundredth of 1 percent” of all American taxpayers:
The bulk of their wealth has come from speaking and book-writing, which together account for almost $92 million, including a $15 million advance — larger than previously thought — from Mr. Clinton’s 2004 autobiography, “My Life.” The former president’s vigorous lecture schedule, where his speeches command upwards of $250,000, brought in almost $52 million.
During that time, the Clintons paid $33.8 million in federal taxes and claimed deductions for $10.2 million in charitable contributions.
To me, this is outrageous and a clear indication of the revolving door that exists between Washington, D.C. and the gleaming corporate boardrooms of America; proof, too, of how access is paid for and bought by monied interests, and who — ultimately — has the ear of OUR public representatives.
Of course, the Clintons are not the only ones that have benefited from this revolving door policy, they just happen to be the most recent example of this corrosive practice eating away at American democracy. The $109 million dollars that the Clintons have received since 2000 does not just place them in the top hundredth of one percent of American taxpayers, it places their descendents in an all together different strata — that’s right, $109 million dollars is generationally changing money. Thus, public service in the White House, or even in Congress, coupled with the revolving door policy leading is antithetical to the very anti-aristocratic principles that America was founded on; thus, a threat to our democracy.
March 12th, 2008
I’m certain that am pretty late to this party, but no matter, having just discovered the Flobots, I’m officially a fan.
Check out their “Handlebars” video:
How awesome is that!?
January 23rd, 2008
It’s a simple question, that’s hard to answer if you’ve not thought things through.
If abortion is criminalized by making it illegal, what punishment should the women that have abortions receive?
These anti-choice protestors haven’t even asked themselves the question… see the video here.
