EthixBytes
A Collection of Quotes, Comments, Statistics, and News Items

“Never retire. Your brain needs exercise or it will atrophy.”
Nobel laureate James Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA.

“The left mocks the right. The right knows its right. Two ugly traits. How far should we go to try to understand each other’s point of view? Maybe the distance grace covered on the cross is a clue.”
Bono, lead singer of U2.

“I have a son-in-law serving his second tour in Iraq. I correspond with him several times a week. I send him packages . . . Don’t tell me that I can’t support the troops while opposing the war. In a similar vein, don’t accuse the media of not telling the truth about the war just because you don’t like what you hear.”
Pat Miller, Austin-American.

“To be a superpower is to be the champion of peace, freedom, and democracy, of human rights, environmental quality, and the alleviation of suffering.”
President Jimmy Carter, PBS Newshour Interview, 19 Novemeber 1996.

“War itself is the most extreme form of terrorism.”
Howard Zinn, in The Progressive.

“There is no such thing as the United Nations. There is an international community that occasionally can be led by the only real power left in the world, and that is the United States.”
John Bolton, President Bush’s choice to be U.N. ambassador, in a 1984 speech.

“Revelations is taking the reality of supernatural evil seriously and giving validity to the prophecies of the End Time.”
Richard Land, SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty President, the only religious expert in TV Guide giving a positive review of NBC’s controversial miniseries.

“There are seven counts [of war crimes] against Saddam Hussein—five of which he committed while the United States supported him.”
Ambassador Edward Peck, former U.S. Chief of Mission in Iraq.

“The analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Bush’s plans for spending and taxes would yield deficits through the decade ending in 2015 totaling $2.58 trillion. That is $1.6 trillion worse than they would be if none of the president’s fiscal plans become law.”
Alan Fram, Associated Press 3/5/05.

“According to the White House’s own numbers, this budget [Federal 2006] would move 300,000 people off food stamps in the next five years. It would cut the funds that allow 300,000 children to receive day care. It would reduce funding for Medicaid by $45 billion over the next ten years, and this at a time when 45 million Americans—the highest level on record—are already without health insurance.”
Joint Ecumenical Statement, Episcopal News Service, 3/8/05.

“About 1400 college students die each year from excessive drinking. Because binge drinking is frequently tied to fraternities and athletics, . . . some universities are banning alcohol at both fraternities and football games.”
New York Review of Books, 12/16/04.

“Statistically speaking, if you drove across the country, every ninth household you passed was unable—or in danger of being unable—to afford sufficient food at some point in the past year.”
Arloe Sherman, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (www.cbpp.org).

“In 2004 Roman Catholic leaders received 1,092 new abuse claims against American priests and deacons, even after they had paid more than $800 million in settlements during the long-running crisis over predatory clergy.”
Rachel Zoll, Associated Press.

“There is no energy policy and no real effort to reduce our voracious demand of foreign capital. The U.S. pulled in 80 percent of total world savings last year largely to finance our consumption. . . . 43 percent of all U.S. Treasury bills, notes and bonds are now held by foreigners.”
Robert Hormats, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs International.

“Actually it’s a lot of fun to fight, you know. It’s a hell of a hoot. It’s fun to shoot some people.”
Lt. Gen. John Mattis, who led 65,000 troops into Baghdad in 2003 at a forum in Los Angeles sponsored by top U.S. defense contractors.

“He has an abominable record on the death penalty, and while it is certainly healthy to decide to throw 50 million federal dollars toward the training of lawyers, it is really nothing more than bonsai gardening; clipping a little bit here and a little bit there and reshaping the tree. At its roots this is an ugly, racist, rotten tree that should wither.”
Jed Stone, Chicago lawyer responding to the President’s plan to fix capital punishment.

“When we advertise the gospel in terms of the world’s values, we lie to people. We lie to them, because this is a new life. It involves following Jesus. It involves the Cross. It involves death, . . . We give up our lives.”
Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, expressing concern about using the language of our culture to interpret the Gospel.

Updated Saturday, April 30, 2005