A Medley for Election Day 2018

“Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.” ―Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th president.

  

“American youth attributes much more importance to arriving at driver's license age than at voting age.”

―Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980), media scholar. 

“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” ―Winston S. Churchill (1874-1965), British politician.

“They say the crazies come out at night. I say the crazies come out during election year: Elections have the power to turn once seemingly normal people into certified loonies.” ―Criss Jami, author, “Healology,” 2016.

“Pay attention to what the people who represent you are doing and saying in your name and on your behalf... If their policies are at odds with your core beliefs, then you have a responsibility to send them packing.” —Oprah Winfrey, media mogul, University of Southern California commencement speech, May 2018

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” —Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), writer and biochemist.

“During a recent panel on the numerous failures of American journalism, I proposed that almost all stories about government should begin: ‘Look out! They’re about to smack you around again!”” —Molly Ivins (1944-2007), journalist.

“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” ―H.L. Mencken (1880-1956), journalist and author, “On Politics: A Carnival of Buncombe,1956.

“If you are bored and disgusted by politics and don't bother to vote, you are in effect voting for the entrenched Establishments of the two major parties, who please rest assured are not dumb, and who are keenly aware that it is in their interests to keep you disgusted and bored and cynical and to give you every possible reason to stay at home doing one-hitters and watching MTV on primary day. By all means stay home if you want, but don’t bullshit yourself that you're not voting. In reality, there is no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some Diehard’s vote.” ―David Foster Wallace (1962-2008), author, “Up, Simba!” 2000.

• Editorial Comment: What? You’ve got something better to do today?

PeezPix

It was exhausting.

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Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting Stuff, Trinidad, California. (Be)Friend The WORD

“I don’t think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard