Posted on 07/09/2007 9:05:06 PM PDT by jazusamo
July 10, 2007
Random thoughts on the passing scene:
A sense of logic underlies a sense of humor. The same professor who wrote the first treatise on symbolic logic also wrote "Alice in Wonderland."
"A good catchword can obscure analysis for fifty years," said Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. If so, then we may be hearing about "diversity," "social justice" and "a living wage" for many years to come.
Bill Clinton's attack on President Bush's commuting of Scooter Libby's prison sentence qualifies Clinton for the Guinness Book of World Records in chutzpa.
Whenever I hear terrorists referred to in the media as "militants," it is a painful reminder that we have degenerated to the point where we no longer even have the courage to talk straight.
Does anybody seriously believe that "hate speech" prohibitions will be applied to Muslims demonizing Jews, to blacks demonizing whites, or to women demonizing men?
Before we panic about "global warming," we should take a look at six-day weather forecasts and see how much they change during those six days -- quite aside from how much they differ from what the weather actually turns out to be.
If Lou Gehrig were not so well known for his consecutive games played and the disease that cut short his life, more people might remember him as one of the greatest hitters of all time. His lifetime batting average and lifetime slugging average are both higher than those of anyone who has played since 1960.
Few things are more scary than the number of people who rely on talking points, instead of weighing serious issues in a serious way.
Wisdom and cleverness are very different things. My nominations for the three wisest presidents would be Washington, Lincoln, and Reagan. For the three cleverest -- FDR, Nixon and Clinton.
Has anyone actually seen Rachael Ray measure out the ingredients she puts into her cooking, instead of using a pinch of this and a handful of that?
The same people who think it was wonderful that the Warren Court forbad government to assign children to schools on the basis of race think it is terrible that the current Supreme Court has recently stopped local governments from assigning children to schools on the basis of race.
In politics, there are few skills more richly rewarded than the ability to misstate issues in a way that will sound plausible and attractive.
Most of the time, I don't feel any different from the way I felt when I was 50 years younger. But that doesn't mean that I can actually do whatever I did when I was 50 years younger.
"Nations are like men in that they prefer a fuss made in their behalf to real services rendered." Although de Tocqueville said this back in the 19th century, it may help explain why the black vote today is so overwhelmingly for the Democrats, when Democrats have done so little good for blacks and so much harm.
In contrast with today's senators who try to get every Supreme Court nominee to pledge allegiance to Roe v. Wade, when Abraham Lincoln was considering nominees to that court, he said, "we cannot ask a man what he will do, and if we should, and he should answer us, we should despise him for it."
If the Democrats' presidential and vice-presidential candidates next year are Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, most of the mainstream media will just gush at the image and the rhetoric of a woman and a minority -- and specific issues and track records will fade into the background.
A month doesn't go by without several offers to lend me money arriving in the mail. Where were these people when I was broke?
Many people who have never held a firearm in their hands are nevertheless convinced that the police fired too many shots in a confrontation with a criminal.
Many people who have never run one business for one day are nevertheless confident that they know corporate CEOs are not worth as much as they are paid.
--------
Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His Web site is www.tsowell.com.
I love Dr. Sowell’s Random Thoughts columns.
Yes, I always look forward to Random Thoughts, they’re great!
“Does anybody seriously believe that “hate speech” prohibitions will be applied to Muslims demonizing Jews, to blacks demonizing whites, or to women demonizing men?”
right on target, as usual, thomas sowell.
thank you.
I wanna have a beer with Mr Sowell
Sowell!
“In contrast with today’s senators who try to get every Supreme Court nominee to pledge allegiance to Roe v. Wade, when Abraham Lincoln was considering nominees to that court, he said, ‘we cannot ask a man what he will do, and if we should, and he should answer us, we should despise him for it.’”
Maybe he should have - President Lincoln’s nominees for the SCOTUS don’t look like an inspiring lot.
Many people who have never held a firearm in their hands are nevertheless convinced that the police fired too many shots in a confrontation with a criminal.
I settled on that one only to mention to anyone who didn't know that Prof. Sowell was a Marine pistol instructor at one point.
Thanks. More wisdom in bite-sized chunks...
Thanks for that, I didn’t know he was a Marine pistol instructor but that statement caught my eye and he knows what he’s talking about.
Always a pleasure.
I didn’t know he was a Marine pistol instructor ...
.
Sowell has always been a fave at this address. Love the random thoughts.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
You’re right. I used to enjoy watching the idiots try to explain the inexplainable but now they just disgust me.
I can relate to this. I have made this statement more than once over the years. (Was he listening? :))
I know exactly what you mean. Every once in a while I’ll say that to one of my grandkids and they smile and probably think I’m nuts but it’s the truth. lol
We can add to those:
Discrimination is always bad.
Guilt by association is always wrong.
Prejudice is always unwarranted.
Generalizations are more often than not, wrong.
And my all time favorite, "Nothing is too horrible, too evil, too incompetent, if it was done for the best of reasons and good intentions."
Either Thompson, or Romney or Hunter (lets be real, he isn't going to work for McCain or Rudy) has got to find a way to get this guy on board in some way shape or form.
First guy to hire him, is the first guy I can swear I will with out condition support, his word is good enough for me.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.