Jane’s Blog

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.

There is no such thing as a good tax.

Some see private enterprise as a predatory target to be shot, others as a cow to be milked, but few are those who see it as a sturdy horse pulling the wagon.

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.

We contend that for a nation to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile—hoping it will eat him last.

The problems of victory are more agreeable than the problems of defeat, but they are no less difficult.

From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I shall not put.

A fanatic is one who can�t change his mind and won�t change the subject.

Bessie Braddock: �Sir, you are drunk.�
Churchill: �Madam, you are ugly. In the morning, I shall be sober.�

Nancy Astor: �Sir, if you were my husband, I would give you poison.�
Churchill: �If I were your husband I would take it.�

A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.

Once in a while you will stumble upon the truth but most of us manage to pick ourselves up and hurry along as if nothing had happened.

If you are going to go through hell, keep going.

It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations.

You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.

If you have ten thousand regulations, you destroy all respect for the law.

You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else.

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.

Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement; then it becomes a mistress, and then it becomes a master, and then a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him out to the public.

The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.

A sheep in sheep’s clothing. (On Clement Atlee)

A modest man, who has much to be modest about. (On Clement Atlee)

I am ready to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter.

The truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end; there it is.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.

Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.

Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.

The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

Everyone has his day and some days last longer than others.

The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong.

From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.
-“The Sinews of Peace” speech, Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, March 5, 1945

If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favorable reference to the devil in the House of Commons.

Those who can win a war well can rarely make a good peace and those who could make a good peace would never have won the war.

Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all the others.

The problems of victory are more agreeable than those of defeat, but they are no less difficult.

If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without blood shed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.

You ask, What is our policy? I will say; �It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us: to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy.� You ask, What is our aim? I can answer with one word: Victory—victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.

We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.

Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fall, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science.
Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth lasts for a thousand years, men will still say, “This was their finest hour!”

Victory

I wrote on Larry King’s blog tonight but didn’t cut the mustard it would appear. I was responding to his interview of Sarah Palin on his show Nov. 12th.

Perhaps my comments against Sarah Palin which didn’t seem any nastier than the others on the blog thread were too much for his moderation panel?
Was it because I called her an opportunistic, double-talking windbag? Or possibly it was the reference to her smarmy grin? Maybe it was the plea to get her off the airwaves. To give those of us living in the lower 48 some respite from her unintelligible, disingenuous, unaware, rambling non-answers?

It might have been my concern that maybe I was insane for tuning in with the hope for something different? Greater expectations too great?

Then again it could have been my parting appeal to Larry and the rest of CNN to reconsider their irritating manner of breaking for yet another commercial instead of providing some lengthy flowing in-depth interviews.

Geez I guess I’ll never know for sure…too bad..sort of.

Hi Jane,

The overwhelming pent up worldwide desire for positive change in the U.S. government is truly amazing. It goes to show you how important America’s leadership role is. After 8 years of Darth Vader and his chimp 90% of the world’s population and a substantial group of Americans, except those living in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi and Tennessee, are ready to embrace the new “Commander in Chief”.

However, the expectations of B.O. are messianic and this I’m afraid does not fit well with the role of “Commander in Chief”. B.O. is not becoming the Secretary General of the U.N. He is not going to electrify or run sewage lines in rural Kenya, nor is he going to be everything to all people of the world. He is today and for the next two months going to be sucked into the maw of the C.I.A., the N.S.A. and the Pentagon. B.O. will learn a new language and militaristic philosophy that will help him become the “Commander in Chief”. One can only hope that he uses his power judiciously. The first test will come in January. Will B.O. close Gitmo or will the Defence staff urge him to postpone the closing until every detainee has completed their water boarding sessions?

If B.O. does not, in short order, make decisions that will re-establish world respect for America then the honeymoon will be over quickly and “the second coming” will be a bust.

Cheers,
Macky

Hey Macky

We are already hearing from various parts of the world how this election will change peoples lives, but it was interesting yesterday on NPR when a journalist in Nigeria who, while congratulatory toward BO, also counseled his fellow Africans that this historic event doesn’t mean all of a sudden they have a free ticket into the USA. BO isn’t going to necessarily open the door to all of Africa just because of his connection to Kenya.
An Iranian on the same NPR report who was pleased by the prospect of a new US administration and excited it might mean a change in their own government in ten months, is concerned that this could encourage Israel to use major force preemptively against them before BO is sworn in, because their(Israel’s) actions would be sanctioned by the present administration but not necessarily by BO’s. That will indeed be a test of diplomacy for him.
Even the new Russian Pres was taking digs at BO and the USA in his first public speech already.

So history is made here and the world continues to turn. People and country’s have their own agenda’s and it seems are trigger itchy no matter who is in power in the lower 48.

It will be interesting to see how long it will take for the USA to complete it’s trek toward a lesser world power. It is/has lost it’s grip, I think, as a major player, financially, not to mention morally, and up until Tuesday night, spiritually. We owe so much money to so many institutions here and around the world it is scary, scary, scary.
In order to for the USA to get its own “financial house” in order, won’t it have to pull back from some of its international initiatives? I mean how can we/they afford not to?

It will be a real dance to pull it off successfully and convincingly if this country is to remain at the top.

BO is mesmerizing to listen to. Every time I hear him I think how could people NOT want the hopeful things he speaks of. Given he is messianic it strikes me as ironic that it was primarily the bible belt who turned away from him. Although I suppose some of that belt consider him the Antichrist….perhaps it is because he is God loving rather than God fearing?

Now is a test of the American mindset,…will the American public who supported his candidacy work toward achieving his ideals? Will we actually pay more than lip service to it, actually make sacrifices, work harder, consume less, conserve more, stop maintaining a sense of entitlement that has been encouraged to blossom these last few years? Can we become more humble,less fearful, and open up to a global world view?

Or will the American public revert back to their old ways figuring they’ve done their part by electing him and now it’s up to him to get the job done?

The verdict is still out on all sides of the table.

ciao,
janie

Is the USA mature enough to elect a president who happens to be an African American?
Although Obama, like McCain, is unproven in office, he is someone who is willing to obtain the facts from all sides, use diplomacy at all costs, and make informed intelligent decisions. He also happens to be black.
The disgruntled Hillary diehards, the undecided electorate, and the GOP-at-all-costs voters need to dig deep within and examine their true motives for voting another inept Republican into office. It isn’t about experience and it isn’t about women, and it certainly isn’t about change. It’s about race.

Since when is a community organizer less patriotic then McCain or Palin .
When did the GOP corner the market on patriotism? Male or female?
Where are all the thoughtful creative concerned people who want to see change, if not real, at least compassionate in Washington?

Along with Waldo,WHERE’S OBAMA? Why haven’t we heard much from him, Biden, or for that matter, other Democrats, since Sarah Palin’s speech last Wednesday?
Have the Democrats gone into hiding? Lashing out only pitifully against the GOP juggernaut of disinformation.
Why isn’t Barack Obama out there reminding us what he and the Democrats stand for loud and clear, with all the eloquence and thoughtfulness that behooves a President?
We do not have to be bamboozled once again by the Republicans and their rhetoric aimed at belittling people who are intelligent free thinkers.

Do we not want a President who can think on his/her feet? One who can make important connections on global matters and speak to them without relying on their speechwriters or tele-prompters. We need a President who can create and maintain a dialogue both on a national and international level, not someone who can read a screen in front of them.

Throughout the primaries I wondered if the USA was mature enough to nominate either a woman or a black man to one of its’ major parties. Now that that question has been settled, I am wondering if they are mature enough to vote in a president who, although is as yet unproven, is one willing to listen to all sides, take in the facts, use diplomacy at all costs, and make intelligent decisions after collecting the information.

Why does America want to be known as a Shoot First, Ask Questions later kind of country? Where do we get off bullying other countries under the guise of spreading democracy when we abuse our own rights here at home?

America is caught up in the celebrity culture of style over substance, garnering their news from the likes of People Magazine and other “well informed” tabloids such as The National Enquirer,etc.
It is more and more apparent that people don’t really want to know what is going on out there. It is easy for us to blame big business interests lobbying for the continuation of distracting news rather than real news, but, in the long run it comes down to the American populous’ willingness to be spoon fed insincere, insignificant, moronic entertainment sound bytes, instead of demanding in-depth coverage. The sad fact is the desire to be entertained runs deeper than the desire to learn.

Why are the GOP and some major media outlets intent on misinforming Americans about global warming and climate change? Why aren’t people more concerned about polar bears floundering 60 miles out to sea because the ice fields they roam for food are melting away? (Oregonian WWF stat Sept.4 or 5th ,2008)
What is it about science that makes them reluctant to concede perhaps the human factor is indeed a factor in our global warming dilemma? Why can’t we have politicians who are willing to be brutally honest with their constituents about the need to curb their consumption of energy? Why can’t people be allowed to make their own choices about their bodies when it comes to abortion or stem cell research?
Why can’t we teach both creationism and evolution in the classroom? Why does it have to be either or?
If people were willing to be informed they could make informed decisions for or against, for themselves, without imposing their beliefs on others.

Isn’t it imperative to have both Liberal and Conservative judges on the Supreme Court? Wasn’t America formed by people who wouldn’t take no for an answer? They took their job seriously when they set out to create a country that was safe for opposing thought to flourish, to allow for questioning and, to make room for dissension, surmising correctly that it would promote discussion amongst their peoples. This fundamental right is one of the things that make America a truly great nation.

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I never sent this in because truthfully it needs a lot of work but the questions are still relevant and people need to ask themselves.. how much do they want to think and how much don’t they?