Public Disclosure

Defendant has indicated that he is willing to cooperate with the governmment in its ongoing investigation into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.  Public disclosure of the defendant's initial appearance, however, would significantly undermine his ability to serve as a proactive cooperator.

-- Office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, in a July court filing successfully seeking a seal on records related to George Papadopolous, a former Trump foreign policy adviser who admitted lying to the FBI, so Papadopolous could continue to cooperate with investigators

Why Would You Want That?

It’s just astonishing to me.  President Trump is not the person who I wanted to be in that office, and I've been very open about that.  That being said, he is the president.  If he fails, the country is in jeopardy.  It would be egotistical for anyone to say, "I hope he fails."  To that person I would say, fuck you.  Why would you want that?  So you can be right? ...

We've got to get away from this idea that our country is political football, and someone with a different opinion is the enemy.  Assume they love this country as much as you do, and there's always room for improvement.  How can we make it better?

-- Actor Bryan Cranston, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 October 2017

Troubling

Frankly, I find it troubling that a governor would turn to Congress and Donald Trump to try to invalidate his own state’s constitution.

-- Illinois State Senate President John Cullerton, on an effort by Governor Bruce Rauner to get Congress to authorize changes to the Illinois public pension system that violate the pension protection clause of the state constitution, Sauk Valley News, 23 October 2017

A Calm And Humble Life

A calm and humble life will bring more happiness than the pursuit of success and the constant restlessness that comes with it.

-- Albert Einstein, in a signed note he offered as a tip to a bellboy, November, 1922. Einstein advised the bellboy to keep the note, as its value would someday exceed that of a normal tip. On 24 October 2017, the bellboy's nephew sold the note at auction for $1.3 million.


http://in.reuters.com/article/us-israel-einstein-auction/note-with-einsteins-theory-on-life-auctioned-for-1-3-million-idINKBN1CT2JN

True To Duty

Give us more senators who are true to duty as the needle to the pole.  Give us more legislators who are not afraid to call sin by its right name.  Lord, provide us with more patriots who will stand for right, regardless of the consequences.

-- Senate Chaplain and retired Rear Admiral Barry Black, in his morning invocation, 25 October 2017

We Must Stop Pretending

We must stop pretending that the degradation of our politics and the conduct of some in our executive branch are normal.  They are not normal.  Reckless, outrageous, and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as "telling it like it is," when it is actually just reckless, outrageous, and undignified. ...

When such behavior emanates from the top of our government, it is something else: It is dangerous to a democracy.  Such behavior does not project strength -- because our strength comes from our values.  It instead projects a corruption of the spirit, and weakness. ...

The notion that one should stay silent as the norms and values that keep America strong are undermined and as the alliances and agreements that ensure the stability of the entire world are routinely threatened by the level of thought that goes into 140 characters -- the notion that one should say and do nothing in the face of such mercurial behavior is ahistoric and, I believe, profoundly misguided.

-- Senator Jeffry Lane Flake (R-AZ), in a speech on the Senate floor announcing he will not run for re-election, 24 October 2017

Risks

Risks, I like to say, always pay off.  You learn what to do, or what not to do.

-- Jonas Salk (1914 - 1995), medical researcher and author, inventor of the Salk vaccine against Polio, founder of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, Academy of Achievement interview (1991)

We Become The Heirs

Our identity as a nation -- unlike many other nations -- is not determined by geography or ethnicity, by soil or blood.  Being an American involves the embrace of high ideals and civic responsibility.  We become the heirs of Thomas Jefferson by accepting the ideal of human dignity found in the Declaration of Independence.  We become the heirs of James Madison by understanding the genius and values of the U.S. Constitution.  We become the heirs of Martin Luther King, Jr., by recognizing one another not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

This means that people of every race, religion, and ethnicity can be fully and equally American. It means that bigotry or white supremacy in any form is blasphemy against the American creed. ...

[O]ur young people need positive role models.  Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry, and compromises the moral education of children.  The only way to pass along civic values is to first live up to them.

-- Former president George W. Bush in a speech at the George W. Bush Institute, 19 October 2017

Pandora With Commercials

No.  I'm not doing that.  I'm not turning on data roaming.  I'm not buying no apps.  I still got Pandora with commercials.

-- NBA star LeBron James on Dwayne Wade calling him the cheapest guy in the NBA, CBS Sports, 16 October 2017

It's Gone

ObamaCare is finished.  It's dead.  It's gone.  You shouldn't even mention it, it's gone.  There is no such thing as ObamaCare anymore.

-- President Donald Trump, during a Cabinet meeting, in regards to last week's executive order and decision to cease Cost-Sharing Reduction payments to insurance companies, The Hill, 16 October 2017


http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/355658-trump-there-is-no-such-thing-as-obamacare-anymore

Experienced Patriots

If ever the Time should come, when vain & aspiring Men shall possess the highest Seats in Government, our Country will stand in Need of its experienced Patriots to prevent its Ruin.

-- Samuel Adams (1722 - 1803), American revolutionary and organizer of the Boston Tea Party, governor of Massachusetts from 1793 to 1797, Letter to James Warren (24 October 1780)

As Irrationally As Possible

This is quite a funny question.  I will try to spend it as irrationally as possible.

-- Richard H. Thaler, who won the 2017 Nobel in Economic Science for his work showing that people are predictably irrational, on how he would spend the $1.1 million prize money, New York Times, 10 October 2017

Still Ticking

If you've followed Trvth over the years, you've probably seen me write about my 1999 Saturn SC-2.  I bought the car in February 2001 with 28,000 miles on it.  I drove it until March 2015 when I handed it down to my youngest daughter with 366,000 miles on it.  During the time I had it, it averaged better than 30 MPG, year-in and year-out. 

I'm happy to say that this car continues to serve my daughter well.  On 29 September 2017 she sent me a text message with an image of the odometer showing 400,000 miles.

ICAN

The belief of some governments that nuclear weapons are a legitimate and essential source of security is not only misguided, but also dangerous, for it incites proliferation and undermines disarmament.  All nations should reject these weapons completely -- before they are ever used again.

This is a time of great global tension, when fiery rhetoric could all too easily lead us, inexorably, to unspeakable horror.  The specter of nuclear conflict looms large once more.  If ever there were a moment for nations to declare their unequivocal opposition to nuclear weapons, that moment is now.

-- International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Official statement after winning the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, 6 October 2017

Greatest Threat

I think the greatest threat to our nation is us.  The way we handle our finances, we as a nation are the greatest threat to our nation.  It's not ISIS.  It's not North Korea.  It's not ascendant China.  It's not Russia.  We are the greatest threat.

-- Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, questioning the effects of proposed tax cuts, New York Times, 29 September 2017

RIP Tom Petty

An act like ours wouldn't even be around today if someone hadn't brought us along and let us make mistakes and grow at our own pace.  Today it seems that if you don't have a hit -- or even if you do -- they have no use for you the next time.

-- Tom Petty (20 October 1950 - 2 October 2017), American singer-songwriter, Rolling Stone interview (2002)

Viva Las Vegas

I have seen this headline three times in my life; Virginia Tech, Orlando, and now Las Vegas.

I am only 22 years-old.

-- T. J. Clark‏, @theTeedge on Twitter, re-tweeting an AP headline declaring the 1 October 2017 Las Vegas shooting the most deadly in recent US history