Mankind by their industry, and by the influence of good laws, have rendered the earth more proper for their abode.
--
Book XVIII, Chapter 7Charles de Montesquieu
» Charles de Montesquieu - all quotes »
Reason and Ignorance, the opposites of each other, influence the great bulk of mankind. If either of these can be rendered sufficiently extensive in a country, the machinery of Government goes easily on. Reason obeys itself; and Ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it.
Thomas Paine
The more a government strives to curtail freedom of speech, the more obstinately is it resisted; not indeed by the avaricious, ... but by those whom good education, sound morality, and virtue have rendered more free. Men in general are so constituted that there is nothing they will endure with so little patience as that views which they believe to be true should be counted crimes against the laws. ... Under such circumstances they do not think it disgraceful, but most honorable, to hold the laws in abhorrence, and to refrain from no action against the government.
Baruch Spinoza
The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental and spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest.
John Stuart Mill
That cult would never die till the stars came right again, and the secret priests would take great Cthulhu from His tomb to revive His subjects and resume His rule of earth. The time would be easy to know, for then mankind would have become as the Great Old Ones; free and wild and beyond good and evil, with laws and morals thrown aside and all men shouting and killing and revelling in joy. Then the liberated Old Ones would teach them new ways to shout and kill and revel and enjoy themselves, and all the earth would flame with a holocaust of ecstasy and freedom. Meanwhile the cult, by appropriate rites, must keep alive the memory of those ancient ways and shadow forth the prophecy of their return.
H. P. Lovecraft
Doug Lowenstein Is Lying Again
Actually, Doug, a universal rating system does NOT require the "support of many other industries." All it requires is 50% + 1 of the legislators in the New York Assembly and Senate, respectively. Duh.
Further, Doug, and I know it is hard for you to pay attention, with your traveling make-up artist asking you to close your eyes intermittently, but here you go. Maybe she can read this to you as you're being powdered: The laws that have been struck down have not used the proper approach. The courts have identified the problems. Those of us out here crafting better laws can actually read. We haven't had our frontal lobes fried by games, you know. You're about to see the proper approach in Delaware, Louisiana, and North Carolina.
For Bo, short for Boring, please note: We are all very aware of what your lying retailer organizations are doing. You're covering up the fact that the Federal Trade Commission has recently found that 42% of the time, kids of any age can buy Mature-rated games. That means, any underage kid who goes to two stores has a 63% chance of buying a Mature-rated game. Thus, the rating system is utterly flawed and ineffectual.
What we are out to do, with Governor Spitzer's help, is stop the video game industry from marketing and selling Mature-rated games to minors. Pretty simple stuff, really, and the industry is in a total panic realizing that that day is approaching. Glad to help explain it all to you guys.
Oh, and Doug, why don't you go threaten CBS again.
Jack ThompsonJack Thompson
Montesquieu, Charles de
Montessori, Maria
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