Need I say more?

"I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually."

-James Baldwin


"Naturally the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor in Germany. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. ...Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

-Hermann Göring (Adolf Hitler's #2)

And you thought our leaders did not do their homework...

Ban This!

I'm not exactly sure what these librarians are protesting (librarians are always protesting something...). Still, I am posting it, because who doesn't need to see more naked librarians?

Recently I read an article about attempts in middle America to ban certain books from public libraries. One angry parent was quoted as saying that "if it shouldn't be on a billboard on I-70, it shouldn't be in a public library."

So true. Also, if we kept all books short enough for that medium, I am sure America's students would perform better on their SATs and Jeopardy would be a whole lot easier for mass consumption!

In a similar vein, the quote of the week comes from the trailer to the new documentary about the Dixie Chicks, Shut Up and Sing (coming soon to a theater near you). Are you ready for this? Here it is:
"Freedom of speech is fine, but... you shouldn't do it in public!" From the mouths of senior citizens...

P.S. I said it before and I'll say it now, Natalie was right. A lot of people should be ashamed.

P.P.S. From the looks of the movie posters, Natalie would also make a great librarian!

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Order the Salad

What is the world coming to when CBS reports that "Federal agents raided two Salinas Valley produce companies Wednesday," and the green leaf in question is SPINACH?

At Trader Joe's today I noticed that the salads were marked with pre-printed labels certifying "contains no spinach." Suddenly the surgeon general has a whole new pack of warnings for us.

Apparently, spinach is once again safe to eat, but some folks are still being arrested for "possession with intent to distribute."

Think Smart

As the comments don't link easily, I thought I would facilitate some intelligent exchange with the link previously provided in the comments section. Thanks to B.S. for keeping us honest and watching our dollars!

The graphic is available on t-shirts from Cafe Press... They CLAIM 40% of proceeds go to research, but I am so confused...

Good thing there are watch dog groups
to help alleviate the confusion... Very interesting stuff--Breast Cancer Action was raked MUCH higher than the American Cancer Society.

Still, who is watching the watch dogs? I guess we need a dog watcher watcher...

Think Pink

Well, it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month... so, next time you are searching Yahoo, "turn your page pink" and Yahoo will give $1 to cancer research... If these directions stump you, you're not the only techno-sap. It took me a few minutes to discover that under the search bar there is a "page options" pull down... think pink.