April 25, 2014

Good Morning!

Today is the birthday of Edward R. Murrow (1908 – 1965) who said:

“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.”

and

“We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.”

and

“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.”

and

“To be persuasive, We must be believable,

To be believable, We must be credible,

To be credible, We must be truthful.”

It is also the birthday of Ella Fitzgerald (1917 – 1996) who said:

“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”

Happy Birthday to Al Pacino (1940 - ) who said:

“I don’t understand the hatred and fear of gays and bisexuals and lesbians…

it’s a concept I honestly cannot grasp. To me, it’s not who you love…

a man, a woman, what have you…

it’s the fact that you love. That is all that truly matters.”

and

“You'll never be alone if you’ve got a book.”

Today is the birthday of James Fenton (1949 - ) who wrote this poem:

The Mistake

"With the mistake your life goes in reverse.

Now you can see exactly what you did

Wrong yesterday and wrong the day before

And each mistake leads back to something worse

And every nuance of your hypocrisy

Towards yourself, and every excuse

Stands solidly on the perspective lines

And there is perfect visibility.

What an enlightenment. The colonnade

Rolls past on either side. You needn't move.

The statues of your errors brush your sleeve.

You watch the tale turn back — and you're dismayed.

And this dismay at this, this big mistake

Is made worse by the sight of all those who

Knew all along where these mistakes would lead —

Those frozen friends who watched the crisis break.

Why didn't they say? Oh, but they did indeed —

Said with a murmur when the time was wrong

Or by a mild refusal to assent

Or told you plainly but you would not heed.

Yes, you can hear them now. It hurts. It's worse

Than any sneer from any enemy.

Take this dismay. Lay claim to this mistake.

Look straight along the lines of this reverse.”