Free Republic

"France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country. France has usually been governed by prostitutes." ---Mark Twain "I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me." --- General George S. Patton "Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion." --Norman Schwartzkopf "We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it." Marge Simpson "As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure" ---Jacques Chirac, President of France "As far as France is concerned, you're...

There are two ways to tell when a political party thinks it is losing an election. The obvious one is where the candidates are choosing to campaign. If they’re stumping in their own backyards and shoring up their bases, while the other side is on the attack, that’s a clear sign. But so is the level of lying. When all is almost lost, the unethical campaign will haul out the lies – the bigger the better. Others have commented on the political geography of where Bush and Kerry are respectively campaigning in the closing days of this campaign. This comments...

Ah, the French. How to think of them? There is an easy default answer: kindly and gratefully. After all, they helped us in the Revolutionary War, gave us Alexis de Tocqueville and the Statue of Liberty, and to this day feel a keen republican spirit in harmony with America's own. Sure, we have had our spats. But when the chips are down, you can count on France to be on our side, more or less, and to supply some great wine if it is needed. ...Before 9/11, 77% of Americans held a favorable opinion of France. By March 2003, only...

Before the first zionist congress Twain wrote "The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then . . . passed away. The Greek and the Roman followed. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts. … All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality?"

I have to admit that the first sentence caught my eye. It's not often that you find a scientific article that begins, "Can relief from pain be a pleasure?" When I started reading, however, I soon discovered that this was not research in the long and honorable tradition of Kinsey. There wasn't a dominatrix to be found. No one dressed in leather. In fact there was no sex at all. You can imagine my relief. Instead of some lurid tale of domination and submission, the article was all about fruit flies - their pain, their pleasure and what neurological pathways...

Reflections of Great Minds on Government 1) Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. . . But I repeat myself. Mark Twain 2) I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. Winston Churchill 3) A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. George Bernard Shaw 4) A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to...

Mark Twain frequently used the title quote to introduce himself to civic associations where he spoke. It seemed the proper beginning to an article about Congress in general, and about why I am not running for the House – in 2004. The “trade” that Twain referred to was extracting ill-gotten gains from the unsuspecting public. Eight years after the first Americans established our new government under the Constitution, we divided into two major political parties: the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Both they and their allied newspaper editors then turned the denigration of their congressional opponents into a cottage industry that...

Lately I’ve been reminded constantly of a remark that James Lileks made to me in an e-mail regarding the Writing of Essays and Other Deep Thoughts. He’s a perfectly ripe mango of annoyance, that fellow; if the man weren’t so funny and spot-on I’d like and despise him far less. But no – my admiration for him continues to grow and soon murder will be the only way for me to adequately express it. We were talking about this process in an e-mail exchange, and he said that when we chase the rabbit down the hole we never know where...

<p>William Robinson, 18, claims a teacher at Cousino High School in Warren used the word when reading from the book and during later discussions about it. He said he was offended. Robinson's mother, Theda Harris, said the family plans to file a lawsuit against the district. A spokesman for the district pointed out that the slur is in the book.</p>

<p>Although right-minded Missourians cling to him as their favorite son, the celebrated man from Hannibal exhibited a penchant for leaning left.</p> <p>Missourians have always been a rather conservative lot. How strange, therefore, that Missourians so cherish and champion their most famous native son, Mark Twain, who died 93 years ago Monday. Twain's work was not just liberal, it was often radical, as a cursory examination of his pronouncements on various subjects will show.</p>

As they get closer to their season opener in Japan, the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners are jittery. They're not the only ones - with war possible, major league baseball is wondering whether now's the time to play ball so far from home. There were no plans Monday for the teams to call off their trip to Tokyo. The A's and Mariners are supposed to leave in a couple of days and scheduled to play a two-game series beginning March 25. But commissioner Bud Selig and baseball officials were busy talking to the State Department, the FBI and other government...

"France has neither winter nor summer nor morals. Apart from these drawbacks it is a fine country. France has usually been governed by prostitutes." --Mark Twain "I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me." --General George S. Patton "Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion." --Norman Schwartzkopf "We can stand here like the French, or we can do something about it." --Marge Simpson "As far as I'm concerned, war always means failure." --Jacques Chirac, President of France "As far as France is concerned, you're right."...

From the Washington Politics & Policy Desk, Published 2/14/2003 8:05 PM HIGHLANDS, N.C., Feb. 14 (UPI) -- This here's the 337th Report ta the Folks Back Home from the (More er Less) Honorable Billybob, cyberCongressman from Western Carolina. I lernt a lot inna one room schoolhouse unner Miss McGillicuddy, what has stood me in good stead. In fack, I could rat this hole Report from that. But as ma Close Personal Assistant, Felicity Fahrquar, once sed, "Yer twaddle makes ma head hurt." So I'll turn this over ta ma able assistant, J. Armor, Esq. Using the Old NoodleMany subjects that...

Hey all -- I need help turning up a quote by Mark Twain relating to how presidents and other statesmen need to be more ethical than the general populace in order to lead. Googles searches have been unsuccessful. For those who may have watched it, Twain's quote was mentioned in a recent PBS documentary on his life. Hal Holbrooke mentioned the quote in apparent reference to the Clinton Administration, then said, "Ouch."