Today's Quote

Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind.

W. Somerset Maugham, "Of Human Bondage", 1915

Whaling and Peopling

Iceland has officially resumed commercial whaling. Norway already does it, always has, and will continue to at least until such time as the industrialized production and consumption of mammal-based foodstuffs ceases worldwide. Also, on a slightly different note, it was explained to me once by a Norwegian that as long as the US reserves the right to continue the hunting and killing of human beings worldwide, the Norwegians and their fellow whalers will not manage to lose any sleep over their practice of hunting and killing whales worldwide.

'Nother Quote

The price of empire is America's soul, and that price is too high.

J. William Fulbright

Short Note

What if we decided to be the first democracy to come up with something better than a system based upon political parties? Why do we have to have parties? Are our interests best served by continuing to be subject to the party-based system? Why not a democracy made up of individuals?