I have never been what anyone would necessarily call a slow writer. I’ve had more than one day in the past when I wrote five thousand words. But they have usually come between thousand or two thousand word days when I had time to edit and do other things. I’ve always been a believer in […]
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The full quote below is from the author Ben Macintyre, two of whose books I’ve read: Operation Mincemeat, and The Spy and the Traitor. They’re both excellent reads. I downloaded his Double Cross yesterday and will start reading it today.
The quote is from an interview in the January 2021 issue of Military History magazine. He’s written a new book (Agent Sonya), which I’ve not yet read, about a little-known female WWII and Cold War spy, Ursula Kuczynski. She was a German-born Jew who spied for the Soviet Union against the Nazis, and then for the Soviets against the West during the Cold War. Macintyre’s interview ends with his summary of how we should remember her, because, as he says, she was not an easy person to like in many ways.
“And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans—and all that lives and move upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused—and to save us from our foolishness, from all our sins, He came down to earth and gave us Himself.” – Sigrid Undset
December 26 is Boxing Day. Although it is mainly regarded as the day for after-Christmas sales, traditionally it is the day when gifts were presented by the fortunate to the needy. Today’s quote, especially after yesterday’s exchange of presents, reminds us of the gifts we have received unasked that are of the greatest value. Take a little time today to reflect on our good fortune in being alive to enjoy the gifts of living on our good Earth.
“When I escaped from China and came to Hong Kong, the contrast was that China was like hell and Hong Kong like heaven. Though I was very poor, I smelled the air of freedom and was full of hope for the future. That’s the way I thought heaven is.” — Jimmy Lai
Jimmy is a Hong Kongese Horatio Alger, arriving penniless in 1995, he made his fortune in the garment industry, going from rags to riches. He developed a reputation for straight-talking and defending liberty, which led him to create the Apple Daily. Under the new CCP oppression of the Hong Kongese, Jimmy and his Apple Daily were targeted. In the latest chapter, Jimmy was denied bail on December 3 and is currently being held under charges of cooperating with foreign powers.
“How do you tell a communist? Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin.” – Ronald Wilson Reagan
Communism only works on the household level. The traditional family is run as a communist society: from each according to his abilities and to each according to his needs. In a functional family, it succeeds and succeeds powerfully. Dad and Mom provide the resources and distribute them as needed. The children grow up to be productive adults.
“There are few modest talents so richly rewarded — especially in politics and the media — as the ability to portray parasites as victims, and portray demands for preferential treatment as struggles for equal rights.” – Thomas Sowell
More Sowell food for the brain. This quote seems appropriate today. We can expect four years (or more appropriately four more years) of Democrat operatives (in both politics and media) portraying parasites as victims, and demands for preferential treatment as struggles for equal rights. We saw it all last year with BLM critical race theory and Antifa. Over the next four years we shall see this trend no longer constrained at any level by the Federal government, but rather with the Federal government cheerleading those attempts.
Dedication. To one whom I have found ever ready to aid me by his counsel, and to encourage me by his sympathy—my husband—I would affectionately dedicate this little volume. The Author.–Caroline Mehitable Fisher Sawyer, The Merchant’s Widow and Other Tales A spouse’s encouragement can be very important to a writer, or to anyone else. How […]
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“As for Texas, GTT will have consequences. The state welcomes its new residents as friends, but do many of the new residents know and understand the policy set that has driven them from one state, most likely declining and blue, to the Lone Star State?” — Bryan Preston, PJ Media, 12/8/2020
Thanks to Bryan Preston, I now know the acronym that I should have put on my Christmas card: GTT. And to answer his question, yes, I do know!
“There are really only two types of people: those who want to win in competition, and those who would prefer to shut competition down. The former are the strivers and entrepreneurs; the latter the monopolists and cronies. Philosophically, which are you?” -– Arthur Brooks
This divide defines today’s America. Red-state governors like Noem and de Santis, are in the former category. Blue-state governors, like Newsom and Cuomo, belong in the latter category. If you are the former, you voted for Trump in November. If you are the latter, you voted for Biden.
“There are aspects of my life that I can’t get back. But there are things that I can do now. When we were in Martha’s Vineyard this summer, Michelle and I would ride bikes. And now that we have masks on, we could ride through town and people wouldn’t know who we were. It felt pretty close to what I imagined — that sense of freedom, of being able to go wherever you wanted.” – Barack Obama, People Magazine Interview, Dec. 7, 2020
I confess that I subscribed to “People” magazine as part of a free offer from a bookstore and, despite having canceled the subscription, I keep receiving new issues. I usually don’t read beyond the cover, since the cover conveys pretty much all I need to know about who and what People thinks is interesting and important. The most recent issue features Barack Obama in “His Most Revealing Interview!” I actually read this article because of the cover’s claim that “the White House nearly wrecked his marriage.” I have been thinking a lot lately about the portrayal of marriage in literature and in culture, as well as its importance in my own life. But after reading the whole article, I wanted to focus on “that sense of freedom.”
The quote above closes out the article, which emphasizes the modern celebrity magazine’s motto of “Celebrities: They’re Just Like Us!” We’re left with the poignant reflection that what Barack Obama most wants is to reclaim the freedom that his previous anonymity permitted him and his family. Let’s pretend we don’t notice that Barack Obama has just released his third memoir and has encouraged a friendly and fawning cover story on the impact of politics on his personal life, and just appreciate that Obama has found some measure of elusive freedom via the hottest fashion trend of 2020: face masks.
November 2020 began for me with this from pastor/author Chuck Swindoll. Preview Open
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“I’ve found that if you put quote marks around it, people will find it credible.”—Sir Daniel Brunton, OEP What do you think, Ricochet? Is this credible? Preview Open
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“Them that know don’t need to ask, and them that ask will never know.” — Former Irish TD (Member of Parliament) Jackie Healy-Rae Preview Open
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“Despite the synergine the Count’s eyes were going shocked and vague. He pawed at the little plastic oxygen mask, batted away the medic’s worried attempt to control his hands, and motioned urgently to Mark. He so clearly wanted to say something, it was less traumatic to let him than to try and stop him. Mark slid onto his knees by the Count’s head.
“The Count whispered to Mark in a tone of earnest confidence, ‘All . . . true wealth . . . is biological.'” — Lois McMasters Bujold, Mirror Dance
The Quote of the Day is the easiest way to start a fun conversation on Ricochet. You don’t have to be intelligent, pithy, or eloquent yourself. You can share a written passage that you find interesting, or even something from a favorite movie. You can present the naked quote, or add your thoughts on how […]
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I first read today’s quote in a fourth grade classroom seated next to a girl who claimed descent from George Washington. I suspected the claim at the time because George Washington had no biological children, but President Washington effectively adopted two of Martha Washington’s children, so, maybe. The Civil War was over two years old and the ravaged nation could see no end in sight. The proclamation below managed to acknowledge the ongoing ordeal while placing it in the context of Providence.
Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863
Reach out and touch Somebody’s hand Preview Open
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“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” – J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
We may not be living in times as cataclysmic as those of Frodo and Gandalf, but it has been a trying year. Next year bids fair to be worse. The good of the last four years will be undone and we will likely face more restrictions on our civil liberties and can almost certainly expect higher energy prices as the United States once again becomes an energy importing country.
