A few years ago, the New York Times Book Review section used to have some fantastic, occasional, non-review features. I remember one that was famous opening lines:
• It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....
for example, and the reader's job was to match them with the book. Same for closing lines:
• …tomorrow is another day.
• That's all there is, there isn't any more.
But my favorite was a page where they had fantastic modern quotes and you had to match them up with their authors.
• A healthy adult male bore consumes one and a half times his weight each year in other people's patience.
• A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.
• Once the toothpaste is out of the tube, it's hard to get it back in.
If you want some fun, just try guessing where each of these came from before you hit the links.
For some subset of Americans, two quotes have been prominent since the election of 2008 and the carnage at Newtown.
• They who would give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
• The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
I think the NRA needs a new, catchy slogan that better represents their leadership position concisely; that Second Amendment Firsters can stand up for; and that the Senators who vote against background checks and other gun control measures can wear as lapel pins, on the other side of the jackets from their American flag pins.
• The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of children.