Hill Roberts: My own quotable (?) quotes

[hill roberts]

"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity." - Edgar Allan Poe

Sometimes, the things around us, while they overwhelm us, can make a sane person insane, under the best of circumstances. Why? Too much of everything spoils what's left of the simple things.

[hill roberts]

"All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination and poetry." - Edgar Allan Poe

Each person has a right to pray and be a part of a religion since religion will never go away. It forms part of mankind and that's the way it's going to be--whether we like it or not. On the other hand, I firmly believe that fanaticism to a particular religion is utterly wrong. No one religion is better than the other; no one religion is superior than the other; no one religion should insult another. It is fanaticism that breeds hatred, and I have no wish to be a part of it.

[hill roberts]

This is still in response to Edgar Allan Poe's quote:

Religion--any religion--is good for most people. It is when a handful of people begin to distort it when they think it can be used improperly as a tool to get their way, or  when they think that religion is a weapon to destroy another--this is where religion becomes its sorry self. Fanaticism to religious beliefs is distasteful and plain wrong. And who are destroying their particular religion? Those who profess to love it.

[hill roberts]

On Emotion:

When it comes to emotion, no one can solve it but yourself. People may be able to help, give their personal take on the matter, but only you can clear up the clutter in your mind.

[hill roberts]

"Democracy is based upon conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people." - Harry Emerson Fosdick

There is so much untapped talent in every country of the world. Somehow, those seemingly "ordinary people" are overlooked for the simple reason  that they are the silent majority. This oversight stems from the usual attitude of governments, which, while concerned with their citizens' plight, forget they  also need to dig deeper in what's available in their respective constituencies that they can take advantage of: home grown talent. Those "extraordinary possibilities"  are either ignored or forgotten because they lack some of the most basic form of human observation.

[hill roberts]

The Pope's forthcoming State Visit to the UK

One cannot set aside his own importance, as leader of the whole Catholic kingdom. He is still going to be the pope for as long as he lives. He is and will still be revered by all Catholics and those from other religions, despite the recent bad publicity that has put the Vatican and himself in a shameful embrace with unresolved embarrassments.

[hill roberts]

Nurture can be a torture when that person is only forced to do it. 

(From, Part 3, Quotable (?) Quotes. Parts 1 & 2 can be read at http://iftruthbetold.posterous.com

[hill roberts]

Rights, privileges and democracy.

Privileges come with influence-peddling. There are different ways of doing it but privileges abound when these are handed to them by their elected friends in government. While the government does the business of running the administration, friends and relations are waiting in the wings to take advantage of what they can have--especially when availability finds its way to accessibility. Such a mixture of course destroys whatever is left of democracy as we know it. Who knows? Perhaps, that's what democracy is about after all.

[hill roberts]

The most effective comeback to an insult is silence. - Anonymous

But sometimes, can we really hold our tongue?

[hill roberts]

"Truth will do well enough if left to shift for herself. She has no need to procure entrance in the minds of men." Thomas Jefferson

When truth is sullied with half-lies, then truth  itself is nothing but additional idle tripe. For democracy to work, respect for truth and the way it is conveyed must be done openly to ensure the public good is preserved.

From, Democracy is a sham in the 21st century--true or false? http://fb.me/DCcWGNs4

[hill roberts]

On the UK Criminal Justice System

In reply to the BBC Radio 4 The Today Programme today--

I think that justice has also become a dirty word. Somehow, it begrudges us of our own well-being, let alone our sense of delight to see someone justifiably sent to jail for wrong-doing. If, for some reason that justice is truly served, I'd like to try climbing the Everest and telling all the judges to quit. Now, that would really be justice.

[hill roberts]

Democracy means every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under. - H L Mencken

From, Democracy is a sham in the 21st century--true or false? http://fb.me/DCcWGNs4

This is  exactly how we feel, those living in so-called democratic countries. What is there to be proud of when many governments are either complacent, indifferent, don't care, and of course, the usual business of greed and power-grabbing. Heck, that is a shameful recourse to have. On the other hand, decent people should not allow rogue politicians to lord over a country whose main agenda is to take advantage of resources that will only go to  a few, or for that matter, only a small section of society.

[hill roberts]

A brief reply to one of the commenters defending the new president on his trip to the US:

Hmm. Defending the indefensible is something too desperate to even reply to this. I guess we all just have to pretend that this new prez is truly smart and wise that he can be up there, with the rest of the smart arses, anytime, anywhere, including eating raw hotdog.

[hill roberts]

In reply to a link, Miracle of Life, Democracy is a sham in the 21st century--true or false? http://fb.me/DCcWGNs4

Symbols make a strong persuasion to control people. Impartiality is thrown out of the window when it comes to dominance over human beings . There must be another way to stop this kind of emotional survival--even promotional  upheaval--for that matter. Symbols are electrifying ways to convince them to be non-thinkers.

[hill roberts]

"A perfect democracy is therefore the most shameless thing  in the world. - Edmund Burke

We do not want a perfect democracy. We want a working democracy that repairs, heals, creates, manages well, speaks for the citizens, cares for them, and allows them to enjoy their self-worth and well-being.

( Admin/Moderator's Reply>>Democracy is a sham in the 21st century--true or false? http://fb.me/DCcWGNs4)