Quotes

"Fascism and communism both promise "social welfare," "social justice," and "fairness" to justify authoritarian means and extensive arbitrary and discretionary governmental powers." - F. A. Hayek"

"Life is a Bungling process and in no way educational." in James M. Cain

Jean Giraudoux who first said, “Only the mediocre are always at their best.”

If you have ten thousand regulations, you destroy all respect for the law. Sir Winston Churchill

"summum ius summa iniuria" ("More laws, more injustice.") Cicero

As Christopher Hitchens once put it, “The essence of tyranny is not iron law; it is capricious law.”

"Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." Ronald Reagan

"Law is where you buy it." Raymond Chandler

"Why did God make so many damn fools and Democrats?" Clarence Day

"If I feel like feeding squirrels to the nuts, this is the place for it." - Cluny Brown

"Oh, pshaw! When yu' can't have what you choose, yu' just choose what you have." Owen Wister "The Virginian"

Oscar Wilde said about the death scene in Little Nell, you would have to have a heart of stone not to laugh.

Thomas More's definition of government as "a conspiracy of rich men procuring their own commodities under the name and title of a commonwealth.” ~ Winston S. Churchill, A History of the English Speaking Peoples

“Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through.” ~ Jonathon Swift

Monday, February 21, 2011

HBO's Reagan, the diminishing of the President

I watched this slanted documentary made for Reagan's centenary with growing frustration on Washington's Birthday. HBO was happy to exaggerate real and imagined flaws in Reagan. These were negatively accented by his unfortunately fallacious and perennial adolescent son, Ron.
HBO, the pay TV channel of chronic 'Real Time' with Bill Maher, followed their intentional docu-downer of "Reagan" with the ever perpetual hagiographic mythology of "President to Remember John F. Kennedy." [mr]
HBO's Reagan - National Review Online
By Shannen Coffin
Posted on February 08, 2011 3:16 PM
Excerpts-

I watched most of HBO’s documentary on Reagan yesterday, and came away wondering why everyone cares so much about him. The chief aim of the piece, by its own characterization, was to demystify the former president. After watching it, I take that as documentarian-eze for “take down a notch or two.”

... So rather than demystifying President Reagan, the film comes off as a trite, myopic presentation of his presidency. If viewed by someone who knew nothing independently of Reagan, it would raise the question of why anyone would care. Various mainstream reviews I have read suggest that only the most ardent Reaganites would fail to see the film’s balanced presentation. I guess that makes me an ardent Reaganite.

I would be curious to know whether others watched and whether I’m simply being too hypersensitive about it all.

[Read the full post at the above link.]

If anything, Shannen Coffin, you are being much too kind to HBO.

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