progressive involvement

Quote of the Day

The immortal Dante tells us that Divine Justice weighs the sins of the warm-hearted and the cold-blooded on different scales.  Better the occasional faults of a government which lives in a spirit of charity than the continual omissions of a government frozen in the ice of its own indifference.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Plethora of quotes

First, Mitt Romney said Newt Gingrich "has been an extraordinarily unreliable leader in the conservative world — not 16 or 17 years ago but in the last two to three years."  "Ordinarily unreliable" is one thing, but "extraordinarily unreliable" is too much.

That was extraordinarily funny all by itself, but then David Axelrod's citation of a Chicago alderman's saying in reference to Newt leaked out:

"Just remember the higher a monkey climbs on a pole," Axelrod said, quoting an expression a Chicago Alderman taught him, "the more you can see his butt. So, you know, the speaker is very high on the pole right now and we’ll see how people like the view.”

That was pretty funny too.  But Christine O'Donnell, former Senate candidate, topped them all.  She endorsed Mitt Romney.  The flip-flop charge didn't bother her because he flipped to her side:

“That’s one of the things that I like about him — because he’s been consistent since he changed his mind,” O’Donnell said.

Quote of the Day

“Christianity is at its best when it is peculiar, marginalized, suffering, and it is at its worst when it is popular, credible, triumphal, and powerful.” 

― Shane Claiborne

Quote of the Day

An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.

Plutarch, c. AD 100

Quote of the Day

“Any girl can be glamorous.  All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.”

Hedy Lamarr

Zinger of the day

Nancy Pelosi, at Rick Perry's suggestion she debate him:  "I can’t debate Rick Perry because on that day I have to be in Oregon, California, and … I forget the third one."

Dueling quotes of the day from text study

"Somebody said, 'In heaven, everybody gets a harp;  in hell, everybody gets an accordion."  Pr. John Pederson

"Somebody else said, 'In heaven, the definition of a gentleman is someone who knows how to play the bagpipe, but doesn't.'"  Pr. Kevin Maly 

Quote of the Day

"Yes, we might well keep quiet here about individual petty thieves since we ought to be attacking the great, powerful archthieves with whom lords and princes consort and who daily plunder not just a city or two, but all of Germany. . . In short, this is the way of the world.  Those who can steal and rob openly are safe and free, unpunished by anyone, even desiring to be honored.  Meanwhile, the petty sneak thieves who have committed one offense must bear disgrace and punishment to make the others look respectable and honorable.  But they should know that God considers them to be the greatest thieves, and that he will punish them as they deserve."

Martin Luther, Large Catechism, explanation to the 7th commandment, (Book of Concord, Kolb-Wengert edition, page 417, paragraphs 230-231)

 

Quote of the Day

"If we look at the world in all its situations, it is nothing but a big, wide stable full of great thieves. This is why these people are also called armchair bandits and highway robbers. Far from being picklocks and sneak thieves who pilfer the cash box, they sit in their chairs and are known as great lords and honorable, upstanding citizens, while they rob and steal under the cloak of legality"

Martin Luther

Quote of the Day

"There will be no thought, as we now understand it now.  Orthodoxy means not thinking--not needing to think.  Orthodoxy is unconsciousness."

George Orwell, c. 1950