When I mentioned Grover Cleveland as one of my favorite presidents during the new round of my silly Facebook quote game (still ongoing), someone asked me to explain why I included him. To do this, I found this old Facebook note I wrote way back on February 22, 2007.
When asked to name those presidents who I would consider to be among the greatest to ever serve this country, most of my listeners are not initially surprised by the names that appear on this list: Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, Harry Truman, Woodrow Wilson. But then when the litany of great and familiar monikers finally reaches the name of Grover Cleveland, the subsequent reaction is usually one of either confusion or shock. Grover Cleveland? You mean that obscure Victorian commander-in-chief? The one whose foremost distinction is having been the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms? Yes, Grover Cleveland, I would reply. Requests for an explanation would soon ensue, followed in turn by an analytical discussion on the man who coined the phrase “a public office is a public trust”.
So frequently did this happen that soon the aforementioned lectures transpire that eventually I grew to know them by heart, and determined that at the very least, I should place onto paper that which was already so well-formed in my head. The fruits of that decision are what can be read below.
Grover Cleveland was one of the great pioneers of the modern presidency. It is true that the two Roosevelts and Wilson would subsequently make great contributions of their own to the development of presidential power, but prior to Grover Cleveland, the office of the Chief Executive had been relegated to primarily ceremonial and symbolic status as a result of the increasing concentration of power in the legislative branch. Indeed, with the brief exception of Lincoln's presidency, the entire period of American federal political history from 1850 to 1885 was defined by the central fact of legislative dominance on the federal level (for more information on this subject, read Woodrow Wilson’s classic, “Congressional Government). Even the one president during this period who did tried to centralize power in the White House, Andrew Johnson, found his efforts met with such unbridled hostility that he was eventually impeached on trumped-up charges.
Taking into consideration this factor, Grover Cleveland's primary legacy is thus six-fold:
1) He vetoed more legislation than every other preceding president combined. Many historians today either overlook or deprecate the significance of that achievement, but what they fail to understand is that in those days Congress would waste millions of dollars in pork-barrel bills and other personal projects. By vetoing those bills, Cleveland did more than create a more stable economic infrastructure and help halt then-widespread congressional corruption; he also asserted executive prerogative over the legislative branch, something that was revolutionary in its impact on the nation’s political infrastructure.
2) Cleveland was the first president to use both his and our nation's clout to make America a world power. Prior to the mid-1890s, America had asserted its independence via the Monroe Doctrine, but was also strictly isolationist. Grover Cleveland certainly was not of the inclination to break this precedent, but he still recognized that the thrusting imperialist ambitions of the British Empire might create a situation in which America would need to flex its muscle, to protect both itself and weaker nations; what's more, he further understood that this power - should it be used - would have to be exercised by the president, not an unusually power-hungry legislature. Thus was the situation when, in 1895, Great Britain attempted to annex land that was legitimately the property of the Venezuelan Government and people (which had been in dispute, despite Venezuelan efforts to bring about peaceful resolution, for more than half a century). After numerous diplomatic overtures failed (culminating in Britain openly challenging the legitimacy of the Monroe Doctrine), Cleveland threatened to declare war on the British Empire unless they respected the rights of a weaker state. That single act marked the first time in American history that our increasing military and industrial might was actually used to give us real weight in the geopolitical arena. Great Britain backed down almost immediately, and thus in one fell swoop Cleveland established America as an international power to be reckoned with – and had done so, more significantly, under the auspices of a just cause. A commission was soon established to determine the proper location of the boundary between Venezuela and British Guiana, and by the end of the decade, a matter that had been causing countless headaches since 1841 was at last resolved.
It is also worth noting that Cleveland knew how to flex his foreign policy muscle in a very different way. The case in point this time is Hawaii. By 1893, Sanford B. Dole and the sugar plantation nabobs on the small Polynesian nation had set out to capitalize on the American spirit of exploration and expansion for the advancement of their business interests. A desire to lower tariffs on their own product, as well as a simultaneous frustration with the desire of that nation's Queen Liliuokalani to reassert both her rights and the rights of her people against the tyranny of Dole's economic pressures and self-imposed "Bayonet Constitution", prompted them to overthrow the royal government in the hope of annexing the province into the American system and thereby transform an imported product into an American product. Most of this had occurred while Cleveland wasn't in power, but when the annexation treaty came to him, Cleveland took it upon himself to make sure that justice was done to the Hawaiian people, even going so far as to commission James Henderson Blount, a former congressman from Georgia, to visit Hawaii and investigate the circumstances surrounding the revolution.Upon discovering that his worst fears had been correct, he immediately made the politically unpopular decision of offering Queen Liliuokalani her throne, rejecting the treaty of Hawaiian annexation, and expressing his abject disgust at the entire situation in a special address to Congress. Thus he showed that America was the best type of world power - the kind that knew how to use its strength when either its interests or the causes of liberty and justice were at risk, but was loathe to abuse that same power, no matter how great the profit.
3) Cleveland's third contribution was his strengthening of the presidency in the realm of electoral politics, a matter connected to but not synonymous with the power he gave it in the federal government. He was inaugurated on March 4, 1885, and between that time and December 1887, he had marked himself as one of America's most popular presidents. Had he opted to run for reelection on the sole basis of both his record and that of the Democratic Party, he would have had a substantial chance of winning. However, there was an issue that bothered Cleveland immensely - the issue of tariff reform. He felt that high tariffs imposed in order to stimulate domestic economic production were damaging the overall economy, and was determined to bring the troubles associated with a high tariff to the American people. Thus he made a bold and unusual decision – when he submitted the State of the Union Address to Congress on December 6, 1887, he devoted his entire speech to the single issue of tariff reform. The political shockwaves this sent off were unprecedented; soon it was clear that the presidential election of 1888 would be decided upon that one issue, with Republicans favoring high tariffs and the Democrats advocating for lower rates. Ironically, Cleveland wound up winning the popular vote but losing in the electoral college; in a very real sense, however, this (as well as the fact that Cleveland's low-tariff position was the economically and morally correct one) is of tertiary significance. The real importance is that this was the first presidential election since 1864 to revolve not around the various issues and images chosen by legislative bigwigs and party apparatuses, but rather around the philosophies, policies, and character of the President of the United States. With the exception of Lincoln, every president of the previous generation had been a representative of the wills of the parties they represented, rather than a central figure within them; as such (as mentioned before), they generally followed in lockstep with legislative leaders and political power-brokers, rather than becoming sources of power figures in their own right. By single-handedly defining the presidential election of 1888, Grover Cleveland played an instrumental role in changing all of that.
4) Prior to Cleveland’s administration, American politics was often dominated by the continuance of issues from the Civil War period. Republicans were still smeared with the crimes of Reconstruction; Democrats were accused of being rebels or copperheads. In many presidential elections, the constant reference to the Civil War – not merely in ideology, but in imagery, candidature, and various other accoutrements from that bloody conflict. When Grover Cleveland became president, he almost immediately dispensed with all such discussion of those issues, and focused on the three matters that were of primary importance at the time – purging corruption from the government, redressing the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches, and attempting to further the cause of economic justice (primarily through the lowering of tariffs in his first term, and assertion of the gold standard in his second). Thus he played an integral role in taking America out of the doldrums of Civil War politics.
5) As a man he was incorruptable. For sixteen long years before him, the American government had been ruled by shady characters: Ulysses S. Grant had run what was undoubtedly the most corrupt administration of the nineteenth-century; Rutherford B. Hayes had flagrantly stolen the presidential election of 1876 from his opponent, the sagacious Samuel J. Tilden; the charming James A. Garfield, though not personally corrupt, was assassinated six months into his presidency by a product of the spoils system; Chester A. Arthur, though a reformer in the White House, had so sullied his name with financial improprieties that had occurred prior to his presidency that people's respect for his presidential achievements could not translate into respect for him as a human being. Cleveland, on the other hand, lived a scandal free life; he never took a dime that wasn't his, never lied to the American people (but with one exception), and never behaved in any way except according to the strict dictates of his conscience.
6) Cleveland did tell one lie that might have very well saved the nation. Just before his second term as president began, a massive depression occurred, plunging the whole nation into its worst economic straits up to that point in its history. Thus the great depression of 1893-1897 was blamed on President Cleveland. His plan for getting us out of that calamity may not have been the most effective one – he theorized that by taking America off its recently-established bi-metallic system and place it back on a gold standard, he could stabilize the country’s currency system and stimulate international trade. Regardless of the widespread opposition to this idea, he called a special session of Congress, assuming that the emergency which had recently occurred called for special actions to be undertaken. But before the legislative session had even gotten underway, Cleveland found himself faced with a different and far less anticipated problem – cancer.
Less than four months into his second term – and shortly before Congress would meet at the very session he had called - doctors discovered a malignant growth on his upper jaw. Upon realizing the serious metastasization of the cancer, they determined that it needed to be removed immediately. Cleveland deferred to their better medical judgment, but he likewise knew that if the public found out about his condition, it could make economic matters worse. So it was that, on July 1, 1893, he snuck onto a yacht in New York harbor, and for several hours allowed doctors perform extensive mandibular surgery on him with nothing but sleeping gas to anesthetize him (he recognized that maintaining his lucidity hours after the surgery would be crucial to concealing what had happened from the press). The surgery went well, and people remained unaware of what had happened until one of the surgeons wrote about it more than a decade after Cleveland’s death.
I would not be truly objective here, however, if I didn't mention the major faults that can be attributed to Grover Cleveland:
1) He brutally oppressed the Pullman labor strike in 1894. His argument was that, by striking, the underpaid and mistreated railcar workers were impairing necessary government functions by impeding the delivery of United States mail, but rather than attempt to arbitrate the strike and thus come to an equitable resolution for all parties, he used the military to force the cars to move, thus siding with the Pullman company over their workers. When the dust had settled, lives were taken and the policies of a brutal corporation enforced for the ostensible purpose of delivering the mail. While President Cleveland's need to resolve the crisis might have been understandable, his lack of sympathy for labor rights was not.
2) After his presidency, he became a vocal opponent of women's suffrage, even going so far as to say that "Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote. The relative positions to be assumed by men and women in the working out of our civilization were assigned long ago by a higher intelligence."
3) He married a woman who was twenty-six years younger than him, one whom he had chosen to be his bride on the day she was born. While such an action does not necessarily impair one’s legacy as a president, it certainly does interfere with even the most objective historian’s ability to hold his lunch.
Despite these major flaws - two of them ideological and one character-based - I nevertheless assert that Grover Cleveland's name belongs in the litany of our nation's greatest presidents. This is unfortunate, for the values embodied in the life and accomplishments of Grover Cleveland are ones that are desperately needed in our own times, and by our own political figures.
"But the best results in the operation of a government wherein every citizen has a share largely depend upon a proper limitation of purely partisan zeal and effort and a correct appreciation of the time when the heat of the partisan should be merged in the patriotism of the citizen."
- From his First Inaugural (March 4, 1885)
"It will not do to neglect this situation because its dangers are not now palpably imminent and apparent. They exist none the less certainly, and await the unforeseen and unexpected occasion when suddenly they will be precipitated upon us...Our progress toward a wise conclusion will not be improved by... bandying epithets...It is a condition which confronts us, not a theory."
- From his State of the Union address on lowering tariffs (December 6, 1887)
"My little man, I am making a strange wish for you. It is that you may never be President of the United States."
- From a private conversation with a five-year old boy named Franklin Delano Roosevelt (December 1887)
"While every American citizen must contemplate with the utmost pride and enthusiasm the growth and expansion of our country, the sufficiency of our institutions to stand against the rudest shocks of violence, the wonderful thrift and enterprise of our people, and the demonstrated superiority of our free government, it behooves us to constantly watch for every symptom of insidious infirmity that threatens our national vigor."
- From his Second Inaugural (March 4, 1893)
"If national honesty is to be disregarded and a desire for territorial extension, or dissatisfaction with a form of government not our own, ought to regulate our conduct, I have entirely misapprehended the mission and character of our Government and the behavior which the conscience of our people demands of their public servants."
- From his special message to Congress on rejecting the treaty of Hawaiian annexation, and condemning Sanford Dole and the sugar plantation interests (December 18, 1893)
"There is no calamity which a great nation can invite which equals that which follows a supine submission to wrong and injustice and the consequent loss of national self-respect and honor, beneath which are shielded and defended a people's safety and greatness."
- From his special message to Congress on defending the nation of Venezuela from the imperialist ambitions of the British Empire (December 17, 1895)
"There is no better illustration of the truth that nations and individuals are affected in the same manner by like causes than is often furnished by the beginning, progress, and results of a national boundary dispute. We all know that among individuals, when neighbors have entered upon a quarrel concerning their division-line or location of a line fence, they will litigate until all account of cost and all regard for the merits of the contention give place to a ruthless and all-dominating determination, by fair means or foul, to win; and if fisticuffs and forcible possession are resorted to, the big, strong neighbor rejoices in his strength as he mauls and disfigures his small and weak antagonist.It will be found that nations behave in like fashion. One or the other of two national neighbors claims that their dividing-line should be defined or rectified in a certain manner. If this is questioned, a season of diplomatic untruthfulness and finesse sometimes intervenes for the sake of appearances. Developments soon follow, however, that expose a grim determination behind fine phrases of diplomacy; and in the end the weaker nation frequently awakens to the fact that it must either accede to an ultimatum dictated by its stronger adversary, or look in the face of war and a spoliation of its territory..."
- From his memoirs, when reflecting on the lessons he learned from the Venezuelan boundary crisis (1904)
"I have tried so hard to do right."
- His final words (June 24, 1908)
For further reading on Grover Cleveland and his era:
“Presidential Problems” by Grover Cleveland (his presidential memoirs)
"The Writings and Speeches of Grover Cleveland" by Grover Cleveland
"The Cleveland Era" by Henry Ford (not the industrial entrepreneur)
“Grover Cleveland: A Study in Friendship” by Richard Watson Gilder (the personal reminiscences of one of President Cleveland’s closest friends)
“Grover Cleveland” by Henry Graff (a concise primer into Cleveland’s biography, as written by a Columbia University professor in a series on the American Presidents)
“Grover Cleveland: A Study in Courage” by Allan Nevins (a Pulitzer-Prize winning biography by one of America’s greatest twentieth-century historians)
"Letters of Grover Cleveland: 1850-1908" by Allan Nevins
"Recollections of Grover Cleveland" by George F. Parker“Grover Cleveland” by Rexford G. Tugwell (a fascinating exploration of life and times as written by one of the key members of Franklin Roosevelt’s acclaimed Brains Trust)
“Mr. Cleveland as President” by Woodrow Wilson (a great article in the Atlantic Monthly, written by the future president sixteen years before his own inauguration, that helps modern readers understand the impact of Cleveland’s legacy, as observed by one of his own more perceptive contemporaries)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Slow News Day
Last week, I saw this news blurb in the "Police Blotter" section of my local newspaper:
A man attempted to rob an Allentown pizza shop Monday night, according to police radio reports.
The man entered Little Caesar's at 1439 Allen St. at 7 p.m. and made the robbery attempt before fleeing west through the parking lot, police said.
No one was hurt, police said. The robber did not show a weapon, but said he had one. Police did not give any further details.
Let me get this straight. According to "The Morning Call" - the newspaper of record for the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, where I was raised - the kind of story that constitutes a major crime is one in which the headline can be reduced to:
"Unarmed Man Doesn't Rob Pizza Place!"
Let it never be said that nothing happens in the Lehigh Valley.
The original story can be found at:
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/police/all-5pizza.7159214jan29,0,1699417.story
A man attempted to rob an Allentown pizza shop Monday night, according to police radio reports.
The man entered Little Caesar's at 1439 Allen St. at 7 p.m. and made the robbery attempt before fleeing west through the parking lot, police said.
No one was hurt, police said. The robber did not show a weapon, but said he had one. Police did not give any further details.
Let me get this straight. According to "The Morning Call" - the newspaper of record for the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania, where I was raised - the kind of story that constitutes a major crime is one in which the headline can be reduced to:
"Unarmed Man Doesn't Rob Pizza Place!"
Let it never be said that nothing happens in the Lehigh Valley.
The original story can be found at:
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/police/all-5pizza.7159214jan29,0,1699417.story
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
What Palin Says About Tea Partiers
I am not going to use this piece to attack Sarah Palin; while doing so would certainly be fun, it is doubtful that I would be adding anything to the canon of anti-Palin criticism that others have not already contributed. What's more, lambasting Palin has usually had the opposite effect of the one intended by her opponents, since the people who love Palin embrace the idea of their champion being an innocent martyr at the hands of savage liberal foes. The more we pillory her, the more her followers see fit to wrap her in a zealous embrace. As such, I will refrain from discussing the woman's personal qualities here.
Instead what I want to focus on is the article she wrote (or had ghostwritten for her), as published in the most recent issue of USA Today. In it, the former governor and former vice presidential candidate explains her decision to speak at a convention of Tea Party protesters. She does this in prose that, platitudinous though it may be, is certainly passable in quality when compared to the fare offered by other politicians these days. Yet amidst the morass of verbiage that she devotes to her subject, she leaves out one extremely important detail: Namely, what exactly the Tea Party protests are all about. Apart from vaguely lauding the Tea Party cause as a "grassroots" movement of "everyday Americans" who "share a commitment to limited government, common sense and personal responsibility" and "are fighting for responsible, limited government — and our Constitution", Palin offers no explanation.
Defenders of the Tea Party movements that I personally know will claim that they oppose President Obama's expansion of the power of the federal government; but why do they object to Obama's economic stimulus package and health care reform initiatives, while having remained strangely silent during the far more dangerous expansions of government power that took place during the Bush years (the Patriot Act, the dishonest war in Iraq, the wiretappings, the politicized firings of federal judges, the retributive outing of undercover intelligence officers)?
Then I will hear that Tea Party protesters are concerned about the growth of the budget deficit. But if that is the case, then why do they gloss over the fact that the deficit grew 89% during the administration of George W. Bush (to say nothing of 189% during the reign of right-wing beau ideal Ronald Reagan)?
This is not the first time that I have found myself frustrated by the faulty logic of the grassroots Tea Party movement. Here is an excerpt from a conversation that I had with Kevin Brettell a few months ago:
Take, for instance, the "Tea Party" protesters who claim that they are "true conservatives" who never liked George W. Bush but now object to the taxation policies of Barack Obama. If that is really the case, then where were they when Bush spent trillions of dollars on an unnecessary war in Iraq? Where were they when millions of dollars meant to help New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina were used on - well, we still don't know what? Why didn't they get up in arms against Bush when he squandered Clinton's budget surplus early in his presidency on a tax cut that primarily benefited the rich? The fact of the matter is that the so-called real conservatives didn't have a slight problem with George W. Bush when he flouted the principles on which they stood (or if they did, they were surprisingly silent about it), and only began distancing themselves from Dubya when his political stock began to plummet during his second term (although they couldn't get enough of him during his first term, convenient revisionism aside). Obama, on the other hand, they began to oppose almost from the first day he took office.
Whatever else you may say about the radical liberals who protested during the days of George W. Bush, at the very least they openly denounced specific policies of his (the Iraq war, the Patriot Act, the appointment of anti-abortion judges) within an ideological framework that they laid out in clear, unmistakable terms. The very evasiveness of the Tea Party movement is what makes them so troubling, and so distinct from their left-wing predecessors when they opposed the previous administration. If there is one thing that I have learned from multiple conversations with people who have transparently erroneous explanations for their actions, it is that generally speaking, they are concealing deeper motives that they know would look bad if they came to light.
And what do I believe those motives to be? Let me put it this way: The Tea Party movement did not come into existence until the day Barack Obama became president. With a rhetorical violence that occasionally threatened to spill over into the physical, they have vehemently opposed everything supported by this president, often while displaying a shockingly poor - and even outright misinformed - grasp of what exactly he stands for (such as the shrill claims about "death panels" in his health care bill or encroaching "socialism"). Considering that their objections to Obama are clearly not based in his policies, the only conclusion that can remain is that they hate Barack Obama for the simple act of being Barack Obama, with what he stands for being mutated in their own eyes to fit with their preconceived notion of who he is.
The act of being Barack Obama may be a sin in their eyes for the worst of all possible reasons (because he is black). It may be a sin in their eyes for reason that, though still despicable, are not quite as bad (because he is a Democrat). Either way, those who have such strong emotions not based on rational thought - and anyone who hates a politician for being the man or woman he/she is, and not based on what he/she stands for, is inherently irrational - should not be taken seriously in public discourse.
And that, to me, is what Sarah Palin's article says about the tea partiers.
Instead what I want to focus on is the article she wrote (or had ghostwritten for her), as published in the most recent issue of USA Today. In it, the former governor and former vice presidential candidate explains her decision to speak at a convention of Tea Party protesters. She does this in prose that, platitudinous though it may be, is certainly passable in quality when compared to the fare offered by other politicians these days. Yet amidst the morass of verbiage that she devotes to her subject, she leaves out one extremely important detail: Namely, what exactly the Tea Party protests are all about. Apart from vaguely lauding the Tea Party cause as a "grassroots" movement of "everyday Americans" who "share a commitment to limited government, common sense and personal responsibility" and "are fighting for responsible, limited government — and our Constitution", Palin offers no explanation.
Defenders of the Tea Party movements that I personally know will claim that they oppose President Obama's expansion of the power of the federal government; but why do they object to Obama's economic stimulus package and health care reform initiatives, while having remained strangely silent during the far more dangerous expansions of government power that took place during the Bush years (the Patriot Act, the dishonest war in Iraq, the wiretappings, the politicized firings of federal judges, the retributive outing of undercover intelligence officers)?
Then I will hear that Tea Party protesters are concerned about the growth of the budget deficit. But if that is the case, then why do they gloss over the fact that the deficit grew 89% during the administration of George W. Bush (to say nothing of 189% during the reign of right-wing beau ideal Ronald Reagan)?
This is not the first time that I have found myself frustrated by the faulty logic of the grassroots Tea Party movement. Here is an excerpt from a conversation that I had with Kevin Brettell a few months ago:
Take, for instance, the "Tea Party" protesters who claim that they are "true conservatives" who never liked George W. Bush but now object to the taxation policies of Barack Obama. If that is really the case, then where were they when Bush spent trillions of dollars on an unnecessary war in Iraq? Where were they when millions of dollars meant to help New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina were used on - well, we still don't know what? Why didn't they get up in arms against Bush when he squandered Clinton's budget surplus early in his presidency on a tax cut that primarily benefited the rich? The fact of the matter is that the so-called real conservatives didn't have a slight problem with George W. Bush when he flouted the principles on which they stood (or if they did, they were surprisingly silent about it), and only began distancing themselves from Dubya when his political stock began to plummet during his second term (although they couldn't get enough of him during his first term, convenient revisionism aside). Obama, on the other hand, they began to oppose almost from the first day he took office.
Whatever else you may say about the radical liberals who protested during the days of George W. Bush, at the very least they openly denounced specific policies of his (the Iraq war, the Patriot Act, the appointment of anti-abortion judges) within an ideological framework that they laid out in clear, unmistakable terms. The very evasiveness of the Tea Party movement is what makes them so troubling, and so distinct from their left-wing predecessors when they opposed the previous administration. If there is one thing that I have learned from multiple conversations with people who have transparently erroneous explanations for their actions, it is that generally speaking, they are concealing deeper motives that they know would look bad if they came to light.
And what do I believe those motives to be? Let me put it this way: The Tea Party movement did not come into existence until the day Barack Obama became president. With a rhetorical violence that occasionally threatened to spill over into the physical, they have vehemently opposed everything supported by this president, often while displaying a shockingly poor - and even outright misinformed - grasp of what exactly he stands for (such as the shrill claims about "death panels" in his health care bill or encroaching "socialism"). Considering that their objections to Obama are clearly not based in his policies, the only conclusion that can remain is that they hate Barack Obama for the simple act of being Barack Obama, with what he stands for being mutated in their own eyes to fit with their preconceived notion of who he is.
The act of being Barack Obama may be a sin in their eyes for the worst of all possible reasons (because he is black). It may be a sin in their eyes for reason that, though still despicable, are not quite as bad (because he is a Democrat). Either way, those who have such strong emotions not based on rational thought - and anyone who hates a politician for being the man or woman he/she is, and not based on what he/she stands for, is inherently irrational - should not be taken seriously in public discourse.
And that, to me, is what Sarah Palin's article says about the tea partiers.
The Silly Facebook Quote Game - Part 4 of 4
Read this story from the beginning by clicking on this link:
http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-1-of-4.html
SIXTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Once again, for fifty points:
"I decline to accept the end of man... He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance."
17 hours ago ·
Kevin Brettell
William Faulkner
10 hours ago ·
SEVENTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For my second-to-last quote, I shall dip into my Pennsylvania heritage. Thirty-nine points goes to the person who identifies the individual who remarked that my home state is "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with Alabama in between."
10 hours ago ·
Kevin Brettell
James Carville
10 hours ago ·
EIGHTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For forty points, identify the man who famously declared that Nazi soldiers "were victims, just as surely as the victims in the concentration camps". By the way, I do need to end this and get on with my life. This is the last of three final quotes.
3 hours ago ·
Abigail Brown
uhh...the president of the time?
3 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
Not sure, I concede this one. Going to look it up now though.
3 hours ago ·
Charlie D Brill
Henry Ford?
2 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
I was going to say Churchill, but it seems too obvious and fairly out of character.
2 hours ago ·
Charlie D Brill
Bad Guess, it came to me afterward, I won't spoil it though.
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Come on, someone has to be able to get this. Regina, Liskula, Megan, Katie, Jim... someone with a pattern of figuring these things out, save me!
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
OK, I'll give everyone a hint, since this is a toughie: The person who uttered this quote was President of the United States at the time.
2 hours ago ·
Morgan Kanter
Harry Truman?
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Nope.
2 hours ago ·
Jon Gorga
Harry Truman.
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
I just said it wasn't Harry Truman! The man was president during V-E Day, so why would he say that?
2 hours ago ·
Christina Cruz
Lol I want to say Reagon just cuz...
2 hours ago ·
Wilson Bessinger
President Ronald Reagan
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Christina gets the points! It was Ronald Reagan!
2 hours ago ·
Wilson Bessinger
that's my final answer
2 hours ago ·
Christina Cruz
AHHHHHHH sweet victory.
2 hours ago ·
Wilson Bessinger
damn, split second late
2 hours ago ·
Jon Gorga
Wait. What? Then Woodrow Wilson? Roosevelt died before the end of the war. I always get Wilson and Truman confused because they both followed Roosevelts!
2 hours ago ·
Jon Gorga
How the devil are you following this in real time down to the second??? I have to reload the page to see new posts...
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Ronald Reagan visited Bitburg Cemetery on May 5, 1985, and delivered an infamous address (composed by speechwriter Pat Buchanan) in which he declared that those grounds, in which hundreds of Nazis (including SS men) were buried, deserved respect, for the reason in the above-mentioned quote.
2 hours ago ·
Wilson Bessinger
I appeal for points based on incorrect spelling =P
2 hours ago ·
Jon Gorga
Low, man. Low.
2 hours ago ·
Wilson Bessinger
i know, but it's the american way
2 hours ago ·
Christina Cruz
Lol whatever, I had to type fast, thats why I beat ya!
2 hours ago ·
Jon Gorga
Well a thank you to Matt for further awesome factoids about the American presidency. Very cool.
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Addenda:
1) Christina gets the points. Period.
2) William Taft succeeded the first Roosevelt, not Wilson.
3) Woodrow Wilson died in 1924, so needless to say, it would have been a little eerie had he discussed Nazis and concentration camps.
NINETEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
My second-to-last quote (for real this time)...
For forty-seven points:
"Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."
2 hours ago ·
Christina Cruz
Lincoln
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Impressive!
2 hours ago ·
Christina Cruz
I used to be an orator.
2 hours ago ·
John Hagan
Also Matt, youve used this quote before. =)
29 minutes ago ·
Christina Cruz
If he did I didnt know, but I had to give this speech at an oratorical contest in elementary school, plus it's one of many of Lincoln's little gems.
TWENTIETH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For sixty points, and the last quote of this admittedly ridiculous game...
"Jesus H. Tap-dancing Christ... I have seen the light!"
2 hours ago ·
Rachel Ana Brown
Ha! I know this one! Freaking Blues Brothers. Love that movie. My daddio plays the blues.
about an hour ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Congrats!
21 minutes ago ·
And the final score is...
1. Regina Teltser - 106.2
2. Kevin Brettell - 89
3. Christina Cruz - 87
4. Liskula Cohen - 86
5. Kirk Harlan - 77
6. Charlie Brill - 65.3
7. Rachel Brown - 60
8. Ilya Feldsherov - 40.7
9. Jacqueline Moss - 32.7
10. Jomar Giner - 27
11. Ashley Robinson - 20
12. Katie Gerard - 18
13. Jim Chambers & Megan Humphreys - 10
Quick Review of the Correct Answers:
1. Futurama (Ashley Robinson)
2. Grizzly Man (Regina Teltser)
3. Pippin (Regina Teltser)
4. Red Sanders (Ilya Feldsherov)
5. Richard Nixon (Charlie Brill)
6. Rene Descartes (Katie Gerard)
7. They Live (Jomar Giner)
8. The Irish (Charlie Brill)
9. Leona Helmsley (Jacqueline Moss)
10. Daniel Webster (Liskula Cohen)
11. Sarah Silverman (Liskula Cohen)
12. Young Frankenstein (Regina Teltser)
13. John Kennedy (Kirk Harlan)
14. Saw VI (Regina Teltser)
15. The Twilight Zone (Kirk Harlan)
16. William Faulkner (Kevin Brettell)
17. James Carville (Kevin Brettell)
18. Ronald Reagan (Christina Cruz)
19. Abraham Lincoln (Christina Cruz)
20. The Blues Brothers (Rachel Brown)
http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-1-of-4.html
SIXTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Once again, for fifty points:
"I decline to accept the end of man... He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance."
17 hours ago ·
Kevin Brettell
William Faulkner
10 hours ago ·
SEVENTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For my second-to-last quote, I shall dip into my Pennsylvania heritage. Thirty-nine points goes to the person who identifies the individual who remarked that my home state is "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with Alabama in between."
10 hours ago ·
Kevin Brettell
James Carville
10 hours ago ·
EIGHTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For forty points, identify the man who famously declared that Nazi soldiers "were victims, just as surely as the victims in the concentration camps". By the way, I do need to end this and get on with my life. This is the last of three final quotes.
3 hours ago ·
Abigail Brown
uhh...the president of the time?
3 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
Not sure, I concede this one. Going to look it up now though.
3 hours ago ·
Charlie D Brill
Henry Ford?
2 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
I was going to say Churchill, but it seems too obvious and fairly out of character.
2 hours ago ·
Charlie D Brill
Bad Guess, it came to me afterward, I won't spoil it though.
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Come on, someone has to be able to get this. Regina, Liskula, Megan, Katie, Jim... someone with a pattern of figuring these things out, save me!
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
OK, I'll give everyone a hint, since this is a toughie: The person who uttered this quote was President of the United States at the time.
2 hours ago ·
Morgan Kanter
Harry Truman?
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Nope.
2 hours ago ·
Jon Gorga
Harry Truman.
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
I just said it wasn't Harry Truman! The man was president during V-E Day, so why would he say that?
2 hours ago ·
Christina Cruz
Lol I want to say Reagon just cuz...
2 hours ago ·
Wilson Bessinger
President Ronald Reagan
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Christina gets the points! It was Ronald Reagan!
2 hours ago ·
Wilson Bessinger
that's my final answer
2 hours ago ·
Christina Cruz
AHHHHHHH sweet victory.
2 hours ago ·
Wilson Bessinger
damn, split second late
2 hours ago ·
Jon Gorga
Wait. What? Then Woodrow Wilson? Roosevelt died before the end of the war. I always get Wilson and Truman confused because they both followed Roosevelts!
2 hours ago ·
Jon Gorga
How the devil are you following this in real time down to the second??? I have to reload the page to see new posts...
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Ronald Reagan visited Bitburg Cemetery on May 5, 1985, and delivered an infamous address (composed by speechwriter Pat Buchanan) in which he declared that those grounds, in which hundreds of Nazis (including SS men) were buried, deserved respect, for the reason in the above-mentioned quote.
2 hours ago ·
Wilson Bessinger
I appeal for points based on incorrect spelling =P
2 hours ago ·
Jon Gorga
Low, man. Low.
2 hours ago ·
Wilson Bessinger
i know, but it's the american way
2 hours ago ·
Christina Cruz
Lol whatever, I had to type fast, thats why I beat ya!
2 hours ago ·
Jon Gorga
Well a thank you to Matt for further awesome factoids about the American presidency. Very cool.
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Addenda:
1) Christina gets the points. Period.
2) William Taft succeeded the first Roosevelt, not Wilson.
3) Woodrow Wilson died in 1924, so needless to say, it would have been a little eerie had he discussed Nazis and concentration camps.
NINETEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
My second-to-last quote (for real this time)...
For forty-seven points:
"Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."
2 hours ago ·
Christina Cruz
Lincoln
2 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Impressive!
2 hours ago ·
Christina Cruz
I used to be an orator.
2 hours ago ·
John Hagan
Also Matt, youve used this quote before. =)
29 minutes ago ·
Christina Cruz
If he did I didnt know, but I had to give this speech at an oratorical contest in elementary school, plus it's one of many of Lincoln's little gems.
TWENTIETH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For sixty points, and the last quote of this admittedly ridiculous game...
"Jesus H. Tap-dancing Christ... I have seen the light!"
2 hours ago ·
Rachel Ana Brown
Ha! I know this one! Freaking Blues Brothers. Love that movie. My daddio plays the blues.
about an hour ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Congrats!
21 minutes ago ·
And the final score is...
1. Regina Teltser - 106.2
2. Kevin Brettell - 89
3. Christina Cruz - 87
4. Liskula Cohen - 86
5. Kirk Harlan - 77
6. Charlie Brill - 65.3
7. Rachel Brown - 60
8. Ilya Feldsherov - 40.7
9. Jacqueline Moss - 32.7
10. Jomar Giner - 27
11. Ashley Robinson - 20
12. Katie Gerard - 18
13. Jim Chambers & Megan Humphreys - 10
Quick Review of the Correct Answers:
1. Futurama (Ashley Robinson)
2. Grizzly Man (Regina Teltser)
3. Pippin (Regina Teltser)
4. Red Sanders (Ilya Feldsherov)
5. Richard Nixon (Charlie Brill)
6. Rene Descartes (Katie Gerard)
7. They Live (Jomar Giner)
8. The Irish (Charlie Brill)
9. Leona Helmsley (Jacqueline Moss)
10. Daniel Webster (Liskula Cohen)
11. Sarah Silverman (Liskula Cohen)
12. Young Frankenstein (Regina Teltser)
13. John Kennedy (Kirk Harlan)
14. Saw VI (Regina Teltser)
15. The Twilight Zone (Kirk Harlan)
16. William Faulkner (Kevin Brettell)
17. James Carville (Kevin Brettell)
18. Ronald Reagan (Christina Cruz)
19. Abraham Lincoln (Christina Cruz)
20. The Blues Brothers (Rachel Brown)
The Silly Facebook Quote Game - Part 3 of 4
For Part One:
http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-1-of-4.html
For Part Two:
http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-2-of-4.html
ELEVENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For thirty-nine points (and if I ever run for office, posting this is bound to get me in trouble):
“I was going to get an abortion the other day. I totally wanted an abortion. And it turns out I was just thirsty.”
Yesterday at 9:19pm ·
Liskula Cohen
she is one of my favs...Miss Silverman...what about chelsea handler..."I think we can all agree that sleeping around is a great way to meet people."
Yesterday at 9:29pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
It goes to Liskula!
Yesterday at 11:31pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
And yes, sleeping around IS a great way to meet people (although not necessarily the most advisable).
TWELFTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
I'm going to do five more of these quotes, and then I'll determine the winner. Next up, for thirty-six points...
"Sedagive?!?!"
Yesterday at 11:34pm ·
Regina Teltser
Dude... "Young Frankenstein"
Yesterday at 11:45pm ·
THIRTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
That last one was too tough, so I deleted it. This one is worth twenty-seven points... This man, right before being shot in the head, said "No, you certainly can't" when someone remarked to him that "You certainly can’t say that the people ofhaven’t given you a nice welcome."
19 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
Kennedy, that was an easy one.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Confident, aren't we?
18 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
I am equally full of myself and beer in most instances.
18 hours ago ·
FOURTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For twenty-two-and-two-thirds of a point:
"Look at me! When you're killing me you look at me!"
18 hours ago ·
Regina Teltser
I don't remember which number, but it's from the latest "Saw" movie.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
A) It's "Saw VI".
B) I am clearly NOT making these quotes challenging enough.
18 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
That explains it, I haven't seen anything past Saw II. I don't feel it to be a great loss.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Actually, "Saw VI" has some surprisingly astute social commentary on the modern health care crisis (I shit you not). I elaborate on this in one of my blog posts: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2009/09/future.html
18 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
I might check it out. I was skeptical after they started releasing a new movie every damned year.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
The problem with the new movies is that it's hard to understand the plot without having seen each of its predecessors. My advice, if you want to appreciate the social commentary, is to ignore the parts you can't understand and focus:
A) On the fact that, unlike the previous film, here is a movie that understands the value of quality acting, intelligent storytelling, and using intrinsic narrative tension and clever pacing to build up suspense;
B) On the sometimes exquisite dialogue (see the previous quote);
C) On the surprisingly insightful analysis of and criticism regarding our health care system.
18 hours ago ·
FIFTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
I've decided to include three more quotes after this one. Now, for FIFTY points: "That's not fair. That's not fair at all. There was time now. There was all the time I needed! It's not fair!"
18 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
TWILIGHT ZONE! Episode Time Enough At Last.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
... furiously sputters streak of indecipherable profanity...
18 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
I think I've seen every Twilight Zone New Years' day marathon since I was born.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Dude, this is my favorite TV show. I own all five seasons on DVD, rewatch my favorite episodes whenever I am bored, and have read Marc Scott Zicree's "Twilight Zone Companion: Second Edition" from cover-to-cover.
18 hours ago ·
Kevin Brettell
Just a quick side note, this was also stolen by The Simpsons. Homer's last brain cell utters this just after dropping and breaking its glasses.
11 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Actually, you are thinking of an episode of "Family Guy". I don't remember the title, but it's the one where Peter realizes that he is a virtuoso piano player when inebriated.
10 hours ago ·
Kevin Brettell
You're right; I had it wrong. The alcohol had just killed all but his last brain cell.
10 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
Though it wouldn't surprise me if this also appeared in the Simpsons in some fashion or another.
3 hours ago ·
For Part Four:
http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-4-of-4.html
http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-1-of-4.html
For Part Two:
http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-2-of-4.html
ELEVENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For thirty-nine points (and if I ever run for office, posting this is bound to get me in trouble):
“I was going to get an abortion the other day. I totally wanted an abortion. And it turns out I was just thirsty.”
Yesterday at 9:19pm ·
Liskula Cohen
she is one of my favs...Miss Silverman...what about chelsea handler..."I think we can all agree that sleeping around is a great way to meet people."
Yesterday at 9:29pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
It goes to Liskula!
Yesterday at 11:31pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
And yes, sleeping around IS a great way to meet people (although not necessarily the most advisable).
TWELFTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
I'm going to do five more of these quotes, and then I'll determine the winner. Next up, for thirty-six points...
"Sedagive?!?!"
Yesterday at 11:34pm ·
Regina Teltser
Dude... "Young Frankenstein"
Yesterday at 11:45pm ·
THIRTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
That last one was too tough, so I deleted it. This one is worth twenty-seven points... This man, right before being shot in the head, said "No, you certainly can't" when someone remarked to him that "You certainly can’t say that the people of
Kirk Harlan
Kennedy, that was an easy one.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Confident, aren't we?
18 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
I am equally full of myself and beer in most instances.
18 hours ago ·
FOURTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For twenty-two-and-two-thirds of a point:
"Look at me! When you're killing me you look at me!"
18 hours ago ·
Regina Teltser
I don't remember which number, but it's from the latest "Saw" movie.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
A) It's "Saw VI".
B) I am clearly NOT making these quotes challenging enough.
18 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
That explains it, I haven't seen anything past Saw II. I don't feel it to be a great loss.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Actually, "Saw VI" has some surprisingly astute social commentary on the modern health care crisis (I shit you not). I elaborate on this in one of my blog posts: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2009/09/future.html
18 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
I might check it out. I was skeptical after they started releasing a new movie every damned year.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
The problem with the new movies is that it's hard to understand the plot without having seen each of its predecessors. My advice, if you want to appreciate the social commentary, is to ignore the parts you can't understand and focus:
A) On the fact that, unlike the previous film, here is a movie that understands the value of quality acting, intelligent storytelling, and using intrinsic narrative tension and clever pacing to build up suspense;
B) On the sometimes exquisite dialogue (see the previous quote);
C) On the surprisingly insightful analysis of and criticism regarding our health care system.
18 hours ago ·
FIFTEENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
I've decided to include three more quotes after this one. Now, for FIFTY points: "That's not fair. That's not fair at all. There was time now. There was all the time I needed! It's not fair!"
18 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
TWILIGHT ZONE! Episode Time Enough At Last.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
18 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
I think I've seen every Twilight Zone New Years' day marathon since I was born.
18 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Dude, this is my favorite TV show. I own all five seasons on DVD, rewatch my favorite episodes whenever I am bored, and have read Marc Scott Zicree's "Twilight Zone Companion: Second Edition" from cover-to-cover.
18 hours ago ·
Kevin Brettell
Just a quick side note, this was also stolen by The Simpsons. Homer's last brain cell utters this just after dropping and breaking its glasses.
11 hours ago ·
Matthew Rozsa
Actually, you are thinking of an episode of "Family Guy". I don't remember the title, but it's the one where Peter realizes that he is a virtuoso piano player when inebriated.
10 hours ago ·
Kevin Brettell
You're right; I had it wrong. The alcohol had just killed all but his last brain cell.
10 hours ago ·
Kirk Harlan
Though it wouldn't surprise me if this also appeared in the Simpsons in some fashion or another.
3 hours ago ·
For Part Four:
http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-4-of-4.html
The Silly Facebook Quote Game - Part 2 of 4
For Part One: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-1-of-4.html
SIXTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Eighteen points to whoever can identify the source of this quote: Cogito, ergo sum.
By the way, the current score is:
Regina Teltser - 47.5
Ilya Feldsherov - 40.7
Charlie Brill - 29
Ashley Robinson - 20
Yesterday at 3:53pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Really? No one gets this quote?
Yesterday at 4:19pm ·
Katie Gerard
Descartes.
Yesterday at 4:21pm ·
Megan Humphreys
Descarte: Meditations.
Yesterday at 4:21pm ·
Megan Humphreys
Descartes, even.
Yesterday at 4:22pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Sorry Megan, but Katie beat you by eighteen seconds.
Yesterday at 4:22pm ·
Megan Humphreys
curses, foiled again.
Yesterday at 4:23pm ·
Jim Chambers
Not Meditations. The principle is proposed identically in Meditations, but the actual phrasing, "cogito ergo sum" is from Principles of Philosophy. The quote is oft attributed to Meditations in error.
Yesterday at 7:35pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Jim gets ten points for his impressive knowledge of Cartesian texts.
Yesterday at 8:52pm ·
Jim Chambers
IT's not that impressive-I just covered meditation last semester, and it was addressed that C.E.S. was nowhere present.
Yesterday at 8:53pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
OK, Jim, I know that we live in the Age of Shorthand, but really, isn't "Cogito ergo sum" concise enough? Do we really need to turn a three-word axiom on the nature of sentience into an acronym?
Yesterday at 9:03pm ·
Jim Chambers
yeah well
Yesterday at 9:03pm ·
SEVENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
This quote comes from a movie. For twenty-seven points... which one? "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."
Yesterday at 4:24pm ·
Jomar Giner
I don't have to cheat 'cause that's easy. My second favorite movie of all time: They Live. I can never get enough of that film.
Yesterday at 5:11pm ·
EIGHTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Here's a new twist on this game... Instead of guessing the author of the following quote, your job is to figure out which ethnic group he was disparaging (each person only has one shot at this). For thirty-four-and-a-fourth points... to whom was Sigmund Freud referring when he said: "This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever."
Yesterday at 7:15pm ·
Megan Humphreys
The cast of "Jersey Shore."
Yesterday at 7:17pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
By the way, I do NOT agree with the sentiments expressed by Freud. Just want to make that very clear.
Yesterday at 8:16pm ·
Castro Adelyn
At first I thought Caucasian (which initially identified as American) but now I am shooting for Jewish.
Yesterday at 8:25pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Nope.
Yesterday at 8:25pm ·
Janine Pauser
Actually, I think it's women he is talking about.
Yesterday at 8:29pm ·
Janine Pauser
But I definetly have to agree with Megan. LoL
Yesterday at 8:29pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Saying this about women would be characteristic of Freud (misogynistic bastard), but no, that is not the answer.
Yesterday at 8:31pm ·
Anonymous
pirates.
Yesterday at 8:31pm ·
Anonymous
oh and hermaphrodites.
Yesterday at 8:32pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
What is it with you and hermaphrodites?
Yesterday at 8:32pm ·
Janine Pauser
I just cheated and googled it so I know the answer. But I won't ruin your fun. :)
Yesterday at 8:32pm ·
Janine Pauser
I guess everyone has a fantasy. :) hehe jk
Yesterday at 8:33pm ·
Anonymous
pirate hermaphrodites. TAKE THAT BUDDY
Yesterday at 8:33pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
You're only allowed one guess... and I'm not your buddy, pal.
Yesterday at 8:34pm ·
Janine Pauser
The rules of this game are quite confining. Only one guess. Meh.
Yesterday at 8:34pm ·
Anonymous
vikings it is
Yesterday at 8:35pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED ONE GUESS!!!!!!!!
Yesterday at 8:35pm ·
Janine Pauser
Regina guessed more than once. I want another guess!!!! :(
Yesterday at 8:37pm ·
Anonymous
right except you never asked "is this your final answer" so i can keep going with this all night long CHARLIE
Yesterday at 8:38pm ·
Anonymous
my next guess is fairies
Yesterday at 8:38pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Regina isn't supposed to have guessed more than once, and the only reason I am keeping her posts on the discussion board is... well, I guess because I find her amusing. Besides, you already confessed to having looked up the answer on Google, so your next guess is invalid anyway.
Yesterday at 8:39pm ·
Janine Pauser
dammit.
Yesterday at 8:40pm ·
Charlie D Brill
The Irish
Yesterday at 8:40pm ·
Janine Pauser
UGGGGGHHHHHH
Yesterday at 8:41pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
You win it, Mr. Brill.
Yesterday at 8:41pm ·
Anonymous
do i get honorable mention?
Yesterday at 8:42pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
There is nothing honorable to mention about you.
Yesterday at 8:43pm ·
Charlie D Brill
I think most people, especially in this country, have no idea how badly the Irish have been treated historically.
Yesterday at 8:47pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
I am actually quite familiar with that ignoble history. One need only look at how the anti-Catholic, anti-Irish Know-Nothing party performed in the 1856 presidential election, in which their ticket (consisting of a former president, Millard Fillmore, and the nephew of a former president, Andrew Jackson Donelson), picked up nearly 22% of the popular vote, as well as the electoral votes of Maryland (ironic, since that colony was founded as a safe haven for Catholics).
Yesterday at 8:50pm ·
Charlie D Brill
You always amaze me with your encyclopedic knowledge of American Presidential Elections. Of course, I didn't mean you when I said most people.
Yesterday at 8:53pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Mr. Brill gets five points for knowing the most basic strategic principle for winning any game... buttering up the guy who makes the rules.
Yesterday at 8:54pm ·
Charlie D Brill
Haha!
Yesterday at 8:55pm ·
Megan Humphreys
Freud: not as much of a misogynistic bastard as people usually assume him to be, actually. He did a lot of groundbreaking work on childhood sexual abuse (which he later largely recanted in the face of intense scrutiny, but you can't unring a bell.) Also one of the first people to propose the idea that mental illness is a result of negative events rather than just being weak/loony.
Yesterday at 8:55pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Megan gets ten points for making a persuasive defense of Freud's character.
Yesterday at 9:11pm ·
Megan Humphreys
:D
Yesterday at 9:27pm ·
NINTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For thirty-two-and-two-thirds of a point, tell me who said:
"We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes."
Yesterday at 8:44pm ·
Charlie D Brill
You got me on that one, I don't have a clue
Yesterday at 8:49pm ·
Jacqueline Moss
Leona Helmsley. Greedy bitch.
Yesterday at 8:53pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Good job Jackie!
Yesterday at 8:53pm ·
TENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Here is a quote that I am certain you will not be able to discover on Google. Don't worry, though; if you have been paying any attention to my recent reading material (which I have openly discussed on Facebook), you may be able to win the next forty-seven points:
"I am, gentlemen, a little hard to coax, but as to being DRIVEN, that is out of the question."
Yesterday at 8:58pm ·
Charlie D Brill
Henry Cabot Lodge
Yesterday at 8:59pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Close, but no cigar.
Yesterday at 8:59pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
You've also used up your guess, Mr. Brill (I say this because you have probably now figured out the originator of that quote, but I don't want you spoiling it for everyone else).
Yesterday at 8:59pm ·
Charlie D Brill
Cigar, funny, since we were just discussing Freud.
Yesterday at 9:00pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
tsk tsk, Mr. Brill. Try to keep this PG-rated.
Yesterday at 9:01pm ·
Charlie D Brill
Yes, but I'll keep to the rules
Yesterday at 9:02pm ·
Liskula Cohen
daniel webster?
Yesterday at 9:16pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Correct, Liskula!
Yesterday at 9:17pm ·
Jacqueline Moss
I believe the wonderful Daniel Webster is the answer?
Yesterday at 9:18pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Sorry, Jackie, but Liskula beat you to the punch by about two minutes.
Yesterday at 9:20pm ·
Liskula Cohen
so what are the points good for? can I use them on airlines...lol...
Yesterday at 9:31pm ·
For Part Three: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-3-of-4.html
For Part Four: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-4-of-4.html
SIXTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Eighteen points to whoever can identify the source of this quote: Cogito, ergo sum.
By the way, the current score is:
Regina Teltser - 47.5
Ilya Feldsherov - 40.7
Charlie Brill - 29
Ashley Robinson - 20
Yesterday at 3:53pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Really? No one gets this quote?
Yesterday at 4:19pm ·
Katie Gerard
Descartes.
Yesterday at 4:21pm ·
Megan Humphreys
Descarte: Meditations.
Yesterday at 4:21pm ·
Megan Humphreys
Descartes, even.
Yesterday at 4:22pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Sorry Megan, but Katie beat you by eighteen seconds.
Yesterday at 4:22pm ·
Megan Humphreys
curses, foiled again.
Yesterday at 4:23pm ·
Jim Chambers
Not Meditations. The principle is proposed identically in Meditations, but the actual phrasing, "cogito ergo sum" is from Principles of Philosophy. The quote is oft attributed to Meditations in error.
Yesterday at 7:35pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Jim gets ten points for his impressive knowledge of Cartesian texts.
Yesterday at 8:52pm ·
Jim Chambers
IT's not that impressive-I just covered meditation last semester, and it was addressed that C.E.S. was nowhere present.
Yesterday at 8:53pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
OK, Jim, I know that we live in the Age of Shorthand, but really, isn't "Cogito ergo sum" concise enough? Do we really need to turn a three-word axiom on the nature of sentience into an acronym?
Yesterday at 9:03pm ·
Jim Chambers
yeah well
Yesterday at 9:03pm ·
SEVENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
This quote comes from a movie. For twenty-seven points... which one? "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass... and I'm all out of bubblegum."
Yesterday at 4:24pm ·
Jomar Giner
I don't have to cheat 'cause that's easy. My second favorite movie of all time: They Live. I can never get enough of that film.
Yesterday at 5:11pm ·
EIGHTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Here's a new twist on this game... Instead of guessing the author of the following quote, your job is to figure out which ethnic group he was disparaging (each person only has one shot at this). For thirty-four-and-a-fourth points... to whom was Sigmund Freud referring when he said: "This is one race of people for whom psychoanalysis is of no use whatsoever."
Yesterday at 7:15pm ·
Megan Humphreys
The cast of "Jersey Shore."
Yesterday at 7:17pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
By the way, I do NOT agree with the sentiments expressed by Freud. Just want to make that very clear.
Yesterday at 8:16pm ·
Castro Adelyn
At first I thought Caucasian (which initially identified as American) but now I am shooting for Jewish.
Yesterday at 8:25pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Nope.
Yesterday at 8:25pm ·
Janine Pauser
Actually, I think it's women he is talking about.
Yesterday at 8:29pm ·
Janine Pauser
But I definetly have to agree with Megan. LoL
Yesterday at 8:29pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Saying this about women would be characteristic of Freud (misogynistic bastard), but no, that is not the answer.
Yesterday at 8:31pm ·
Anonymous
pirates.
Yesterday at 8:31pm ·
Anonymous
oh and hermaphrodites.
Yesterday at 8:32pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
What is it with you and hermaphrodites?
Yesterday at 8:32pm ·
Janine Pauser
I just cheated and googled it so I know the answer. But I won't ruin your fun. :)
Yesterday at 8:32pm ·
Janine Pauser
I guess everyone has a fantasy. :) hehe jk
Yesterday at 8:33pm ·
Anonymous
pirate hermaphrodites. TAKE THAT BUDDY
Yesterday at 8:33pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
You're only allowed one guess... and I'm not your buddy, pal.
Yesterday at 8:34pm ·
Janine Pauser
The rules of this game are quite confining. Only one guess. Meh.
Yesterday at 8:34pm ·
Anonymous
vikings it is
Yesterday at 8:35pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED ONE GUESS!!!!!!!!
Yesterday at 8:35pm ·
Janine Pauser
Regina guessed more than once. I want another guess!!!! :(
Yesterday at 8:37pm ·
Anonymous
right except you never asked "is this your final answer" so i can keep going with this all night long CHARLIE
Yesterday at 8:38pm ·
Anonymous
my next guess is fairies
Yesterday at 8:38pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Regina isn't supposed to have guessed more than once, and the only reason I am keeping her posts on the discussion board is... well, I guess because I find her amusing. Besides, you already confessed to having looked up the answer on Google, so your next guess is invalid anyway.
Yesterday at 8:39pm ·
Janine Pauser
dammit.
Yesterday at 8:40pm ·
Charlie D Brill
The Irish
Yesterday at 8:40pm ·
Janine Pauser
UGGGGGHHHHHH
Yesterday at 8:41pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
You win it, Mr. Brill.
Yesterday at 8:41pm ·
Anonymous
do i get honorable mention?
Yesterday at 8:42pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
There is nothing honorable to mention about you.
Yesterday at 8:43pm ·
Charlie D Brill
I think most people, especially in this country, have no idea how badly the Irish have been treated historically.
Yesterday at 8:47pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
I am actually quite familiar with that ignoble history. One need only look at how the anti-Catholic, anti-Irish Know-Nothing party performed in the 1856 presidential election, in which their ticket (consisting of a former president, Millard Fillmore, and the nephew of a former president, Andrew Jackson Donelson), picked up nearly 22% of the popular vote, as well as the electoral votes of Maryland (ironic, since that colony was founded as a safe haven for Catholics).
Yesterday at 8:50pm ·
Charlie D Brill
You always amaze me with your encyclopedic knowledge of American Presidential Elections. Of course, I didn't mean you when I said most people.
Yesterday at 8:53pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Mr. Brill gets five points for knowing the most basic strategic principle for winning any game... buttering up the guy who makes the rules.
Yesterday at 8:54pm ·
Charlie D Brill
Haha!
Yesterday at 8:55pm ·
Megan Humphreys
Freud: not as much of a misogynistic bastard as people usually assume him to be, actually. He did a lot of groundbreaking work on childhood sexual abuse (which he later largely recanted in the face of intense scrutiny, but you can't unring a bell.) Also one of the first people to propose the idea that mental illness is a result of negative events rather than just being weak/loony.
Yesterday at 8:55pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Megan gets ten points for making a persuasive defense of Freud's character.
Yesterday at 9:11pm ·
Megan Humphreys
:D
Yesterday at 9:27pm ·
NINTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
For thirty-two-and-two-thirds of a point, tell me who said:
"We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes."
Yesterday at 8:44pm ·
Charlie D Brill
You got me on that one, I don't have a clue
Yesterday at 8:49pm ·
Jacqueline Moss
Leona Helmsley. Greedy bitch.
Yesterday at 8:53pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Good job Jackie!
Yesterday at 8:53pm ·
TENTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Here is a quote that I am certain you will not be able to discover on Google. Don't worry, though; if you have been paying any attention to my recent reading material (which I have openly discussed on Facebook), you may be able to win the next forty-seven points:
"I am, gentlemen, a little hard to coax, but as to being DRIVEN, that is out of the question."
Yesterday at 8:58pm ·
Charlie D Brill
Henry Cabot Lodge
Yesterday at 8:59pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Close, but no cigar.
Yesterday at 8:59pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
You've also used up your guess, Mr. Brill (I say this because you have probably now figured out the originator of that quote, but I don't want you spoiling it for everyone else).
Yesterday at 8:59pm ·
Charlie D Brill
Cigar, funny, since we were just discussing Freud.
Yesterday at 9:00pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
tsk tsk, Mr. Brill. Try to keep this PG-rated.
Yesterday at 9:01pm ·
Charlie D Brill
Yes, but I'll keep to the rules
Yesterday at 9:02pm ·
Liskula Cohen
daniel webster?
Yesterday at 9:16pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Correct, Liskula!
Yesterday at 9:17pm ·
Jacqueline Moss
I believe the wonderful Daniel Webster is the answer?
Yesterday at 9:18pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Sorry, Jackie, but Liskula beat you to the punch by about two minutes.
Yesterday at 9:20pm ·
Liskula Cohen
so what are the points good for? can I use them on airlines...lol...
Yesterday at 9:31pm ·
For Part Three: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-3-of-4.html
For Part Four: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-4-of-4.html
The Silly Facebook Quote Game - Part 1 of 4
I was bored, so what did I do? I spontaneously created a game wherein I would post quotes on my Facebook status and challenge my friends to identify their sources. Surprisingly entertaining conversations resulted from this experiment, and I have posted the unabridged results on this blog.
FIRST QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
"This concept of 'wuv' confuses and infuriates us!" Twenty points goes to the first person who can post a status update with the origin of that quote (I'm going to be playing this arbitrary game for a while).
Yesterday at 12:54am ·
Ashley Robinson
FUTURAMA. You win so many cool points for quoting that show. :)
Yesterday at 12:54am ·
Matthew Rozsa
Wow. That took exactly 26 seconds.
Yesterday at 12:55am ·
Ashley Robinson
It does help that I have been watching that far too much in the past three days. I think I watched that exact episode maybe yesterday? I love the Omicronians. :D
Yesterday at 12:56am ·
Rachel Ana Brown
I love this new game!
Yesterday at 7:37am ·
SECOND QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Thirty-one-and-a-half points will be given to the first person who can identify the origin of this exchange: "I want rain. I want, if there's a God, to kick some ass down here. Let's have some water! Jesus boy! Let's have some water! Christ man or Allah or Hindu floaty thing! Let's have some fucking water for these animals!"
Yesterday at 12:59am ·
Regina Teltser
It's from Grizzly Man.
Yesterday at 1:04am ·
Matthew Rozsa
Apparently the first two quotes weren't challenging enough. Let's see how you McSmarterbergs handle my next entry...
Yesterday at 1:05am ·
Rachel Ana Brown
I've never seen that movie--but now I want to.
Yesterday at 7:36am ·
THIRD QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
"Every so often a man has a day
He truly can call his.
Well, here I am to seize my day
If someone could just tell me where the hell it is."
Yesterday at 1:10am ·
Matthew Rozsa
For sixteen points.
Yesterday at 1:10am ·
Regina Teltser
oh please! Pippin.
Yesterday at 1:11am ·
Regina Teltser
the song was written by Stephen Schwartz and it's called "Extraordinary."
Yesterday at 1:12am ·
FOURTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Twenty-and-one-third of a point to the person who figures out the man who spoke these words: "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
Yesterday at 1:17am ·
Megan Humphreys
A League Of Their Own?
Yesterday at 1:49am ·
Ilya Feldsherov
Red Sanders, UCLA football coach in the '50s
Yesterday at 1:52am ·
Ilya Feldsherov
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Yesterday at 1:52am ·
Tiguhs OndaBayou
well, it's often attributed to Lombardi, right? but i think the origin is somewhat questionable, heard the UCLA coach might have said it as well...
Yesterday at 10:42am ·
Tiguhs OndaBayou
whoa, it comes from a little girl in a John Wayne/Donna Reed movie? lolhttp://www.enotalone.com/article/11027.html
Yesterday at 10:44am ·
Ilya Feldsherov
Vince Lombardi DID actually say it, whether he misspoke or not--he is on record having said it, more than once--and he probably HEARD it from Red Sanders, who said it before him. Thanks for playing.
Yesterday at 3:07pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Having researched this question, I have come to the conclusion that - regardless of whether the quote initially came from an old John Wayne movie - its distinctly athletic context requires that its originator be considered a sports professional. While I was under the misconception that Vince Lombardi was the first man to speak these words, apparently UCLA Coach Red Sanders uttered them before him. As such, I award Ilya TWICE the original point allocation - not merely for getting this question right, but for besting me.
Yesterday at 3:26pm ·
Ilya Feldsherov
Thank you (x2).
Yesterday at 3:34pm ·
FIFTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Twenty-nine points will be bestowed upon the individual who can identify the speaker of this line:
"The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker."
Yesterday at 2:14pm ·
Charlie D Brill
Richard Nixon
Yesterday at 2:50pm ·
For Part Two: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-2-of-4.html
For Part Three: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-3-of-4.html
For Part Four: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-4-of-4.html
FIRST QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
"This concept of 'wuv' confuses and infuriates us!" Twenty points goes to the first person who can post a status update with the origin of that quote (I'm going to be playing this arbitrary game for a while).
Yesterday at 12:54am ·
Ashley Robinson
FUTURAMA. You win so many cool points for quoting that show. :)
Yesterday at 12:54am ·
Matthew Rozsa
Wow. That took exactly 26 seconds.
Yesterday at 12:55am ·
Ashley Robinson
It does help that I have been watching that far too much in the past three days. I think I watched that exact episode maybe yesterday? I love the Omicronians. :D
Yesterday at 12:56am ·
Rachel Ana Brown
I love this new game!
Yesterday at 7:37am ·
SECOND QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Thirty-one-and-a-half points will be given to the first person who can identify the origin of this exchange: "I want rain. I want, if there's a God, to kick some ass down here. Let's have some water! Jesus boy! Let's have some water! Christ man or Allah or Hindu floaty thing! Let's have some fucking water for these animals!"
Yesterday at 12:59am ·
Regina Teltser
It's from Grizzly Man.
Yesterday at 1:04am ·
Matthew Rozsa
Apparently the first two quotes weren't challenging enough. Let's see how you McSmarterbergs handle my next entry...
Yesterday at 1:05am ·
Rachel Ana Brown
I've never seen that movie--but now I want to.
Yesterday at 7:36am ·
THIRD QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
"Every so often a man has a day
He truly can call his.
Well, here I am to seize my day
If someone could just tell me where the hell it is."
Yesterday at 1:10am ·
Matthew Rozsa
For sixteen points.
Yesterday at 1:10am ·
Regina Teltser
oh please! Pippin.
Yesterday at 1:11am ·
Regina Teltser
the song was written by Stephen Schwartz and it's called "Extraordinary."
Yesterday at 1:12am ·
FOURTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Twenty-and-one-third of a point to the person who figures out the man who spoke these words: "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
Yesterday at 1:17am ·
Megan Humphreys
A League Of Their Own?
Yesterday at 1:49am ·
Ilya Feldsherov
Red Sanders, UCLA football coach in the '50s
Yesterday at 1:52am ·
Ilya Feldsherov
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Yesterday at 1:52am ·
Tiguhs OndaBayou
well, it's often attributed to Lombardi, right? but i think the origin is somewhat questionable, heard the UCLA coach might have said it as well...
Yesterday at 10:42am ·
Tiguhs OndaBayou
whoa, it comes from a little girl in a John Wayne/Donna Reed movie? lolhttp://www.enotalone.com/article/11027.html
Yesterday at 10:44am ·
Ilya Feldsherov
Vince Lombardi DID actually say it, whether he misspoke or not--he is on record having said it, more than once--and he probably HEARD it from Red Sanders, who said it before him. Thanks for playing.
Yesterday at 3:07pm ·
Matthew Rozsa
Having researched this question, I have come to the conclusion that - regardless of whether the quote initially came from an old John Wayne movie - its distinctly athletic context requires that its originator be considered a sports professional. While I was under the misconception that Vince Lombardi was the first man to speak these words, apparently UCLA Coach Red Sanders uttered them before him. As such, I award Ilya TWICE the original point allocation - not merely for getting this question right, but for besting me.
Yesterday at 3:26pm ·
Ilya Feldsherov
Thank you (x2).
Yesterday at 3:34pm ·
FIFTH QUOTE:
Matthew Rozsa
Twenty-nine points will be bestowed upon the individual who can identify the speaker of this line:
"The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker."
Yesterday at 2:14pm ·
Charlie D Brill
Richard Nixon
Yesterday at 2:50pm ·
For Part Two: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-2-of-4.html
For Part Three: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-3-of-4.html
For Part Four: http://riskinghemlock.blogspot.com/2010/02/silly-facebook-quote-game-part-4-of-4.html
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