"Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of the colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. Each time a person stands up for an idea, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, (s)he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." -- Robert F. Kennedy


I've used the analogy of the Roman Empire to describe the United States, and truly that analogy becomes more and more prescient with each passing week.

Bush is now Nero, on the weekend his chief consul, Dick Cheney accidentally shot a hunting companion in the face, spraying him with shotgun pellets. Noone bothered to tell the Imperial President until nearly 24 hours later.

It's been said that the worst thing about evil is it's banality, it's easy to sneak up on you. We can all spot the villain with the twirling moustache and sinister laugh, it's harder to spot the villain who comes to us with good intentions.