Briefly

Much will have been said about commemorating 11 September this week, so rather than add to the chaos, here is an apt quote from NPR correspondent and Talk of the Nation guest Mark Shields:

Quite frankly, patriotism has been redefined in the current environment: it’s no longer the willingness to sacrifice for the common good — to put your life at risk for the safety and well-being of your country — as much as it is the uncritical enthusiastic endorsement of the invasion of a third-world country [...] as long as there’s no personal stake in mind. “I’m for escalation without personal participation” becomes the slogan.

On a happier note, I’d like to quote Kathy Griffin’s acceptance speech at the Emmy award ceremony:

A lot of people come up here and thank Jesus for this award. I want you to know that no one had less to do with this award than Jesus. Suck it, Jesus. This award is my god now.

I don’t even like Kathy Griffin, but I have to thank her for ruffling some religious feathers.