Top Comments- 4/8/08 Quotations Edition

Welcome to Top Comments, where we recognize comments made in the past 24 hours that for whatever reason are just too good to let fall by the wayside.

If you find a notable comment during the day click the date/time stamp to get a direct link, copy it then send to topcomments at gmail dot com by 9:30PM Eastern! Don't forget to include your screen name so we can credit you! Anyone can submit comments- if you didn't do so today, please give it a try tomorrow!

You can mine for comments when you are sleep-deprived or when you are having a McBushesque enraged moment. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today!! Send those comments in!

The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley. In other words, where did the day go?? I had plans of spending all day writing this, but... well, let's get inside and see what the Muse provided...

A penny saved is a penny earned. A place for everything, everything in its place. A lie cannot live. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

We all have them, the little sayings that get us through our days. The nuggets of collective wisdom that lurk deep in our grey matter, waiting to emerge and make us sound just like our parents :-). Some come from literature, others from music, still others from the pop culture all around us. I could probably carry on an entire day's worth of conversation speaking entirely in quotes, as long as I had my trusty Google with me. (I could do the same thing with song titles and lyrics, but that's another diary... :-)). Thought I'd share a couple of the ones that are resonating most dear tonite:

If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice  -- Neil Peart

The line comes from the Rush song Freewill and has been a favorite of mine since high school. I know that when I say "I don't care" when asked what I want for dinner , I've chosen to let Mr. Brillig have what he wants. Piping up during the meal that I really wanted burgers instead of pizza  is too late.  Same goes for voting, or choosing to sit an election out. You lose the right to complain when you could have participated in the decision-making process but chose not to. Pairs nicely with another favorite (and longterm signature of mine here):

Silence is the voice of complicity.

When opinions remain unvoiced; when another Administration f-ckup goes by without complaint; when a racist or homophobic joke is told and we stare silently at the floor; we bear some of the blame. This is a major reason I am here at DailyKos- we are not silent. Dear god, we are not silent :-).

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. -- Friedrich Nietzsche

I'm not sure I believe this in a literal sense, but I do in fact utter this statement at least once a day. The adversity we face shapes our character and molds who we become. I will not die from a broken heart, but I learn from the experience of a bitter ending how better to have a relationship with someone else. The past 7+ years have strengthened my resolve to get the White House back into the hands of people with the vision to turn the country around, and keep it there. "There is no difference?" Tell that to the people for whom a Republican-controlled government has led to their deaths.

We affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. -- First UU Principle

This one goes to the very heart of my being. I've been a Unitarian Universalist (nontheist or atheist depending on the day, if you must know the particulars of my religious leanings :-)) for fourteen years now. There are seven Principles we covenant to affirm and promote; for me the First Principle sums up the others. Doesn't mean I condone bad behavior, but it does mean I need to treat the perpetrator with respect. I don't hate the 'thugs, but I do pity them and hold them accountable for their despicable actions.



That's a small sampling of the snippets in my head. I'm not sure Mom would have uttered any of them, but she wouldn't have disagreed, either. What quotes of note are coursing through your cortex at the moment? Share them below, and perhaps it will be your voice I hear coming out of my mouth tomorrow!


On to Top Comments! First up, the contents of the TC mailbox:
From Isara:

pointman shares what one of the Democratic candidates must certainly be thinking about YouTube. (Diarist's note: Yes, it's from yesterday evening, but didn't get sent in until after the deadline. Yes, I could have left it out. No, I didn't, since Isara took the time to send it in. She wasn't silent... :-))

From arielle:

In EmergingMajority's diary Are Kossacks old?  Did Obama bypass the netroots?, this comment from Bindle had me ROFL!

From Magnifico:

In last nights' Open Thread for Night Owls & Early Birds, groggy sums up the Iraq occupation: "The 18 year olds were 13 when we invaded".

From Carnacki:

gabriella on a diary that should have made the recommended list

This comment from Devilstower from the same excellent diary by Patriot News Clearinghouse is also informative.

As Confucius once said, Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself. Ergo, here's a few from me:

In Kos' story Lieberman's Democratic Party is (thankfully) long gone, terry2wa sayswhat I think most of us are thinking Reid better do come 2009.

From he same story comes Meteor Blades naming Lieberman's words for
what they are.

In TomP's diary ACLU: Patenting Abstract Ideas Violates The Constitution, I discovered that I owe Malacandra royalties for unauthorized use of the letter E. My bad.

Finally, wanted to make sure that you all know what tomorrow(UPDATE: Not tomorrow. THURSDAY. Thursday April 10. My bad.) is. Don't forget to wear something festive :-).

Lastly, here's your Top Mojo!

Top 30 comments excluding C&J and Tip Jars:

 1) Imagine if you found a bunch by PBJ Diddy — 232
 2) I refuse to play that game. by Bob Johnson — 218
 3) Rep. Davis endorsed Obama by csquared — 217
 4) seriously by Adam B — 150
 5) I support Obama. by csquared — 144
 6) Actually by MarkC — 141
 7) this whole thing has drawn on for so long by kid oakland — 141
 8) to be clear by InsultComicDog — 138
 9) 99 percent of all Illinois Dems endorsed Obama by modemocrat — 136
10) i wonder if she feels the same way about by soros — 92
11) And Memphis has the better record by dannyinla — 92
12) 50 state strategy in full effect by GoogleBonhoeffer — 88
13) It's about time... by BetterTogether — 71
14) One problem by Nailbanger — 71
15) Atheist want Rep;. Monique Davis out by teacherken — 68
16) Screw her. The founders were dubious too. by woodstock007 — 67
17) Funny thing is by Dont Just Stand There — 66
18) ok now repeat after me: by louisev — 66
19) I'm in Union County by benthos — 65
20) That is the LAME argument people make by LoLoLaLa — 65
21) Also ... by Adam B — 64
22) Unfortunately, crayon isn't oil-based by jbeach — 64
23) Sorry - but it IS oil-based... by dchill — 62
24) This primary season has allowed the Democrats by smash artist — 61
25) And Memphis won more superbaskets by smash artist — 60
26) and free throws are insignificant by djs — 60
27) Texas Tuesday! by khereva — 59
28) They MUST change the rules by middleagedhousewife — 59
29) Biden by Hobbitfoot — 59
30) I'd rather not, Barry. by Pager — 58

Top 30 comments with no exclusions:

 1) tip jar? by csquared — 884
 2) That's the ballgame by dday — 501
 3) tip or rec jar here by slinkerwink — 490
 4) Tips for Strategy by Muzikal203 — 397
 5) Tips for VoteVets.org by jhutson — 348
 6) tips & recs by DrSteveB — 334
 7) Imagine if you found a bunch by PBJ Diddy — 232
 8) Tips for Withdrawl... by Billary Redux — 230
 9) I refuse to play that game. by Bob Johnson — 218
10) Rep. Davis endorsed Obama by csquared — 217
11) tips by TeamsterPower — 210
12) Tips for the ACLU by TomP — 204
13) tips by TeamsterPower — 198
14) The tipping point for Obama will be Indiana! by mr Z — 192
15) Tip Jar!! by mr Z — 166
16) seriously by Adam B — 150
17) I support Obama. by csquared — 144
18) Actually by MarkC — 141
19) this whole thing has drawn on for so long by kid oakland — 141
20) to be clear by InsultComicDog — 138
21) 99 percent of all Illinois Dems endorsed Obama by modemocrat — 136
22) My county in Central PA by benthos — 132
23) tips flames for my broken heart by catchaz — 115
24) Please join me in honoring the life of by blue jersey mom — 115
25) LOLZ!!! by DJShay — 100
26) Wow! by newdem1960 — 97
27) A toe tapping hoot! by ThinkingCap — 94
28) And Memphis has the better record by dannyinla — 92
29) i wonder if she feels the same way about by soros — 92
30) 50 state strategy in full effect by GoogleBonhoeffer — 88