All Things Human

The Net of Memory
by Adela Florence Nicolson Cory (1865-1904)
I cast the Net of Memory,
Man’s torment and delight,
Over the level Sands of Youth
That lay serenely bright,
Their tranquil gold at times submerged
In the Spring Tides of Love’s Delight.
The Net brought up, in silver gleams,
Forgotten truth and fancies fair:
Like opal shells, small happy facts
Within the Net entangled were
With [...]

Choose
by Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)
The single clenched fist lifted and ready,
Or the open asking hand held out and waiting.
Choose:
For we meet by one or the other.

Yesterday, I came across this (via SmirkingChimp). It’s all about the Christian Reconstruction movement and it recounts their usual tirades against evolution, public education, etc. Given their current position in society (and in the current administration) this is all pretty scary. But here’s the sentence that really scared me: “All academic programs (except, he said, [...]

No Platonic Love
by William Cartwright (1611-1643)
Tell me no more of minds embracing minds,
And hearts exchang’d for hearts;
That spirits spirits meet, as winds do winds,
And mix their subt’lest parts;
That two unbodied essences may kiss,
And then like Angels, twist and feel one Bliss.
I was that silly thing that once was wrought
[...]

It comes from James K. Galbraith writing for the Guardian: “The supply of amateur loudmouths is infinitely elastic.”
If true (and I suspect it is), it means that the current administration (and future ones) will always have a terrorist plot to foil whenever needed and that the War on Terrorism will last forever.