EthixBytes
A Collection of Quotes, Comments, Statistics, and News Items
"Yesterday the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Al Gore for his work on the environment. In a strong reversal, the Supreme Court awarded it to George W. Bush."
NBC`s Saturday Night Live, Oct. 13, 2007).
"Democracies die behind closed doors. The Framers of the First Amendment did not trust any government to separate the true from the false for us. They protected the people against secret government.
Federal Appeals Court Judge Damon Keith (Newsweek, 10/08/07).
"I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: The Iraq war is largely about oil."
Alan Greenspan, former chief of the Federal Reserve.
"Nothing is quite so uninteresting as a religious moralism that is always on the side of the angels but never fights any particular evil, which advocates brotherhood, but never in a specific situation; . . we must be willing to `take sides` if we are to make any concrete contribution to any moral issue."
Reinhold Neibuhr (The Lutheran, 1949).
"People [like Joel Osteen] are saying that what you`ve got to do is to take charge of your life, think good thoughts, and you will be able to overcome adversity. That`s just inconsistent with . . . the Gospel and the critical realities of life."
William Lawrence, Dean of Perkins School of Theology, SMU.
"The U. S. does not torture people."
Pres. George Bush after disclosure of secret Justice Department memos authorizing harsh CIA interrogation techniques, such as head slapping, frigid temperatures, and simulated drowning (The Washington Post, 10/06/07).
"I`m tired of these games. They can`t say Congress has been fully briefed while refusing to turn over key documents used to justify the legality of the [interrogation] program."
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV).
"About one of every eight veterans under the age of 65 is uninsured, a finding that contradicts the assumption many have that all vets qualify for free health care through the Veterans Affairs Department."
Sojourners Daily Digest (10/31/07).
"This was supposed to be Indian Territory . . . . It basically comes down to land theft."
Mike Graham, Cherokee tribe member and founder of United Native America in response to the Oklahoma Centennial Celebration.
"This lawsuit . . . is about intimidation, blackmail, and extortion."
Richard Roberts, President of Oral Roberts University, responding to charges of lavish spending of donor money including home remodeling, use of the university`s jet for his daughter`s senior trip to the Bahamas, and a red Mercedes convertible and a Lexus SUV for his wife (Assoc. Press, 10/06/07).
"There was one problem. It was not true."
Former White House Spokesman Scott McClellan, on his 2003 denial to reporters that Karl Rove and Lewis "Scooter" Libby were involved in the Valerie Plame identity leak (Assoc. Press, 11/20/07).
"ISSUES CANDIDATES SHOULD DISCUSS: Health Care, 23%, War in Iraq, 20%, Immigration, 8%, Economy/Jobs, 7%; Abortion, 2%, Gay Rights, 0%."
CBS News Poll of White Evangelical Voters (October 17, 2007).
"Christians should be among the hardest, not the easiest, to convince [to go to war] and we should require the highest burden of proof before military force is approved."
Jim Wallis, at the Values Voters Summit (Oct. 19, 2007).
"British Petroleum committed serious environmental crimes in our two largest states, with terrible consequences for people and the environment."
Granta Nakayama, EPA`s Office of Enforcement, noting a $373 million settlement of criminal charges for manipulation of energy markets and violation of environmental laws.
"Dogs don`t bark at parked cars."
Lynne Cheney, in response to former Pres. Jimmy Carter`s comments about her husband`s `militant` influence on U.S. foreign policy (Newsweek).
"Every family has a black sheep."
Barack Obama spokesperson on the revelation that V.P. Dick Cheney is a distant cousin of Obama`s.
