There never yet has been a great system sustained by force under which all the best faculties of men have not slowly withered. Deny human rights, and however little you may wish to do so, you will find yourself abjectly kneeling at the feet of that old-world god, Force -- That grimmest and ugliest of gods that men have ever erected for themselves out of the lusts of their hearts. You will find yourself hating and dreading all other men who differ from you; you will find yourself obliged by the law of conflict into which you have plunged, to use every means in your power to crush them before they are able to crush you; you will find yourself day by day growing more unscrupulous and intolerant, more and more compelled by the fear of those opposed to you, to commit harsh and violent actions.
-- Auberon Herbert - (British journalist - 1893)

Stupidity Awards

Just in case you were wondering how stupid and tasteless some Australians governments can be. The Australian Government's $15 million fridge magnet campaign to educate Australians about terrorism has scooped an international award as one of the most stupid security measures introduced since September 11.
The competition, run by Privacy International, which is best known for its annual Big Brother awards for intrusive practices, received almost 5000 nominations from 35 countries.
The Government took out the Most Egregiously Stupid Award for the kit which urged Australians to report anything suspicious while asking them to be alert but not alarmed.
· Big Brother [SMH]

If liberty means anything at all, George Orwell wrote, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.