November 11, 2005
as in the olden times
Winston Churchill in the British House of Commons after Prime Minister Chamberlain betrayed the hope of his countrymen by signing the Munich Pact ("Peace in our time!") with Hitler Sept 30, 1938. Hitler would then turn around and invade Poland a year later, augmenting yet another world war that would call on the deepest reserves of determination and strength from those who still believed in freedom--the noblest sacrifice of a generation:
"[The people] should know that we have sustained a defeat without a war...they should know that we have passed an awful milestone in our history...and that the terrible words have for the time being been pronounced against the Western democracies: 'Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting.' And do not suppose this is the end. This is only the beginning of the reckoning. This is only the first sip, the first foretaste of a bitter cup which will be proffered to us year by year unless, by a supreme recovery of moral health and martial vigor, we arise again and take our stand for freedom as in the olden times."
July 27, 2005
The Preservation of Liberty
"The preservation of liberty depends upon the intellectual and moral character of the people. As long as knowledge and virtue are diffused generally among the body of a nation, it is impossible they should be enslaved."
--John Adams
March 27, 2005
Let the World Stand Back
"Eric, you are the proud possessor of many gifts. It is your sacred duty to put them to good use. Don't compromise. Compromise is the language of the devil. Run in God's name, and let the world stand back in wonder."
-Chariots of Fire (1981)
February 14, 2005
A Word from Quincy
"This principle, that a whole nation has a right to do whatever it pleases, cannot in any sense whatever be admitted as true. The eternal and immutable laws of justice and morality are paramount to all human legislation. The violations of those laws is certainly within the power of a nation, but it is not among the rights of nations."
-John Quincy Adams (from Political Sermons of the American Founding Era, ed. Ellis Sandoz)
July 23, 2003
Quote of the Day
"The characteristic of heroism is its persistency. All men have
wandering impulses, fits, and starts of generosity. But when you
have chosen your part, abide by it, and do not weakly try to
reconcile yourself with the world. The heroic cannot be the common,
nor the common the heroic."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
June 15, 2003
Quote of the Day
"Do or do not, there is no try."
-Yoda, Empire Strikes Back