Democracy?

"I don't care who does the electing, so long as I get to do the nominating."

 

William Boss Tweed 

Ignorance

 "The more dangerous kind of ignorance is the ignorance of the educated."

- Thomas Sowell, "Race and Culture" p. 102

Patriotism

 "Naturally, the common people do not want war,neither in Russia nor in England nor in America nor, for that matter, in Germany. That is understood. But the people Can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger."

- Hermann Goering at Nurenberg trial

Exploitation

"We know that the system which privatizes its profits, and wholeheartedly socializes its losses, trying to convince us at the same time that that is philantropy, will live seven lives."

- Eduardo Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America

Political Correctness

"Political correctness is a more dangerous form of totalitarianism."

- Slavoj Zizek

Entitlements

- Kathy Newman: "Why should your right to free speech trump a trans persons right not to be offended?"
- Dr. Peterson: "Because in order to be able to think you have to risk being offensive. I mean, look at the conversation we are having right now. You know, like, you are certainly willing to risk offending me in the pursuit of truth. Why should you have the right to do that? It's been rather uncomfortable."

-  Dr. Jordan Peterson's interview on BBC Chanel 4 on free speech and being offensive

Rulers

"A ruling group is a ruling group so long as it can nominate its successors. The Party is not concerned with perpetuating its blood but with perpetuating itself. Who wields the power is not important, provided that the hierarchical structure remains always the same."

- George Orwell, 1984, pg 187

The President

"How willingly would I exchange places today with the soldier who sleeps on the ground in the army of Potomac."

- Abraham Lincoln as quoted by Schuyler Colfax

Democracy?

"In September last year, the UK Parliament rejected a bill to allow assisted dying for the terminally ill, with 330 MP's voting against it and 118 backing the measure, despite an opinion poll showing it was supported by 82% of the public. The same poll suggested that 44% of people would break the law to help a loved one to die, risking a jail sentence of up to 14 years."

What happened to democracy? Aren't those MP's suppose to represent the will of their constituents in the voting process?

Freedom of Speech

"If my offended feelings can justify a travel ban on Donald Trump, I have no moral grounds on which to argue that those offended by feminism, or the fight for transgender rights, or universal suffrage, should not oppress campaigners for those causes."
"If you seek the removal of freedoms from an opponent simply on the grounds that they have offended you, you have crossed a line to stand alongside tyrants who imprison, torture and kill on exactly the same justification."

 - J.K. Rowling on petition to ban Donald Trump from entering the UK.

Elections

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will have to give up on their slogan "The greatest show on earth" and tip their hat off to our presidential campaign.
Furthermore, Mr. P.T. Barnum's quote "There is a sucker born every minute." seems to be very appropriate here.
Therefore, our presidential elections have become "The Greatest Circus on Earth."

- MG

Tennis equality

Although Novak Djokovic is my favorite tennis player, I can not help but to completely disapprove of his act of apology to what he had said only a couple of days earlier about pay equality between men and women.
In general, men and women are not equally equipped to play sports: men are stronger (although some women look like well built men) to the point where men's serve reaches well over 150mph and women's is barely over 120mph; men's durability is greater; they play five where ladies only go to three sets, men are faster as in example of Usain Bolt's 9.58 vs Florence Griffith-Joyner's 10.45 seconds on 100 meters, and so on.
Also, out of 166 tournaments played each year (65 ladies and 101 men) they participate together in only 9 (4 majors and 5 masters), where the equal pay is being questioned. And the women are using these 9 tournaments to gain their leverage at the expense of men. Because the organizer's purse stays the same, it's the distribution of award money that's changing where men are actually paying for their female colleagues to participate. Outside of these 9, women (in their own WTA) are getting paid on an average about half of what guys do in the rest of their own ATP tournaments. Speaks volumes about the amount of tickets sold and interest generated. Just think of all the "other" athletes who we only see on tv once every four years during the Olympics and how much do they get paid. Most of them actually have to balance between their daily jobs and practicing for which most of them have to pay themselves. How about they start asking for equal pay? Impossible, we live in a society that values you and your work based on your marketability. Period.
Two simple facts: if they were playing against each other, then the pay would have to be the same. If they were playing under the same rules (up to five sets a match) the pay could be the same as long as individual tournament organizer finds it financially justified and all guys agree.
It's not an even playing field. And the pay rate should not be the same because the outcome, which is the quality (and the profitability) of the game, is not the same.
This factor only, and not some politically correct, baseless equal rights emotions and sexist and discriminatory cries, should keep the game fair and balanced. Because there is nothing sexist nor discriminatory here. Just facts of life.
And nobody should apologize or, god forbid, resign because they are politically incorrect or simply out of some artificially established line.
And that's why I don't respect Nole's decision. He bowed down under pressure. And he actually supported ladies' efforts to get more money, retaining men's right to fight for more as well. So, one side is entitled to something that the other side has to respect out of political correctness and at the same time being treated as sexists upon attempting to do the same for themselves.
Not right! 

- MG

Oscars (so white?)

Regardless of whether the Academy is racist or not (and there is a big chance that it is), how can anyone rightfully expect and even demand to be selected as a candidate or a winner in a field where a combination of artistic performance and a commercial value of it is measured not by tangible preset scale but by a speculative hope of the production house executives to maximize the return on their investment and by the tastes of academy members and a world wide audience?

i.e.:

A guy has a chance with a girl only if she likes him (or his wallet).
No complaints, no bitching.
If a guy presses the issue, the guy becomes either a stalker or ultimately a rapist.
And neither one is an artist. 

 - MG

TPP

"The majority of Congress is being kept in the dark as to the substance of the TPP negotiations, while representatives of U.S. corporations—like Halliburton, Chevron, PHRMA, Comcast, and the Motion Picture Association of America—are being consulted and made privy to details of the agreement. More than two months after receiving the proper security credentials, my staff is still barred from viewing the details of the proposals that USTR is advancing. We hear that the process by which TPP is being negotiated has been a model of transparency. I disagree with that statement."

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) as quoted in Wikipedia

"Let’s be clear: the TPP is much more than a “free trade” agreement. It is part of a global race to the bottom to boost the profits of large corporations and Wall Street by outsourcing jobs; undercutting worker rights; dismantling labor, environmental, health, food safety and financial laws; and allowing corporations to challenge our laws in international tribunals rather than our own court system. If TPP was such a good deal for America, the administration should have the courage to show the American people exactly what is in this deal, instead of keeping the content of the TPP a secret."

Senator (I-VT) Bernie Sanders as quoted in Wikipedia

"In June 2015, Senator (R-KY) Rand Paul opposed fast-tracking the TPP bill on the basis of secrecy. Paul explained that fast-tracking the secret trade partnership would "give the permission to do something you haven’t seen", which he likened to "[putting] the cart before the horse."

Wikipedia

p.s.: or better yet "putting the corporations before the government."

Right on the spot

"Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one."

 - Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography

Old values

"It is hard to promise, but it is easy to perform."

-  Count Gyula Andrassy, Foreign Minister of Austria-Hungary

Scary stuff

"Bush has failed more than any predecessor in memory to express or embody a unifying sense that he, too, has a stake in the greatness of this country, in the real war on terror, in the economy, and in the fact that we are in this together. Instead, it's: "I know what's best, I'm the Decider. Trust me. Be very afraid, but keep shopping. And don't you dare question my judgment."
Scary stuff, boys and girls."

- Jack Cafferty; It's getting ugly out there, pg. 17

Land of the free...

"How can the country, that murders its own children and discriminates between them daily because of the color of their skins, a country that allows murderers of Negroes to go free, actually protects them and punishes the Negroes for demanding respect for their lawful rights as free human beings, claim to be a guardian of liberty?"

- Jon Lee Anderson; Che Guevara: A revolutionary life, pg. 617

Golden rule

"In a system where money is considered speech, and corporations are people, this trend is inevitable. Elections become not a system of participatory engagement determining how the country is run, but the best democratic charade that money can buy. People get to vote; but only once money has decided whom they can vote for and what the agenda should be. The result is a plutocracy that operates according to the golden rule: that those who have gold make the rules."

- Gary Younge; The Guardian 04/06/2014

Spies for the people

"This is what we are: spies for the people. If states have their intelligence agencies to spy on us and control us, should the people and history itself also not have their own counterintelligence?"

- Julian Assange on Wikileaks role; Delo, Ljubljana 12/08/2013