Sweet Talk
“In still other words, what if we chose to accept the fact that every few years, despite all reasonable precautions, some hundreds or thousands of us may die in the sort of ghastly terrorist attack that a democratic republic cannot 100-percent protect itself from without subverting the very principles that make it worth protecting?” — Just Asking, David Foster Wallace
Birth Control
“We need to take sensationalism out of this topic so that it can no longer be used by militants who have no real knowledge of the voluntary nature of the program but, rather, are using it as a political stepping stone. If family planning is anything, it is a public health matter.” - George H.W. Bush, 1970 (source)
Evolution
“Of course, like every other man of intelligence and education I do believe in organic evolution. It surprises me that at this late date such questions should be raised.” - Woodrow Wilson, 1922
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The following are my personal opinions relating to the Pro-Mormon ad campaign I have been seeing ads for. I do not believe that anyone should be limited in their religious belief, but I do believe that they should be able to soundly defend their beliefs and that no belief system is above question.
I have a problem with propaganda. The billboards and advertisements proclaiming that “I am a Mormon” offend me. To base the credibility on an entire religion on the fact that it also has some very nice and normal people as members is loathsome. At its heart Mormonism, like all religions, is a missional organization. They desire converts to accept their beliefs. Beliefs that are outrageous and have proven malleable with time. If you desire to convince someone to accept your beliefs then do so with your scripture and with your arguments, but not with a syrupy campaign about what nice people also happen to think the same way as you.
“It doesn’t matter how obscure or arcane or esoteric your place of publication may be: some sweet law ensures that the person who should be scrutinizing your work eventually does so.”
Hitch 22, Christopher Hitchens
I’m not entirely sure he had the Internet and its myriad forms of expression and record keeping in mind when he wrote this, but it is a romantic idea all the same. Why limit such a thought to “respectable” publication?