Old Fogey's Quotes for Thursday

"I think the people who've been planning the recovery process never wanted poor people to return to the city in the first place."
Lance Hill, the director of the Southern Institute for Education and Research at Tulane University, regarding the destruction of low income housing in New Orleans (in NYT)
5,000 Public Housing Units in New Orleans Are to Be Razed

"Real patriotism cannot be coerced. Our freedom to speak was attacked -- not our flag. The former, not the latter, needs the protection of our Constitution and our laws."
Bob Kerrey, former Democratic senator from Nebraska, regarding the possible flag-burning amendment in WaPo
Our Flag and Our Freedom

"Let's see: the President flies in the dead of night, with no lights on the plane, sneaking in and out of the heavily-fortified green zone area, to meet with the newly elected Prime Minister of Iraq -- who is neither trusted enough nor is his staff trusted enough to be informed more than a few minutes prior to meeting with Bush that the President is even on the ground in Iraq . . . um, hello."
Christy Hardin Smith at Firedoglake

"Just in May, just in Baghdad, sectarian violence killed 1,400 -- and that figure does not include victims of car bombs."
George Will, conservative columnist for the WaPo
Iraq's Atomization

"I know people in Omaha, I just returned from Omaha, . . . . I didn't see any terrorists roaming the streets, planning their attack. There's nothing there to attack."
Alexandria Vice Mayor Redella S. "Del" Pepper (D), a fourth-generation Nebraskan, regarding cuts in Homeland Security funding for DC and more for Omaha (in Christian Science Monitor)
Officials Assail Funding Cuts: Local Leaders Suspect Politics Played a Role in Decision

"It's like the marquee on an old movie house that always reads: 'Coming soon'."
Sen. Ron Wyden (D) of Oregon, a member of the Intelligence committee, regarding a report on whether the prewar intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was politically manipulated.
Congress struggles to ramp up oversight

"When many of us are asked to regret, apologize or repent or be cautious, we believe we're being asked to turn our back on the Holy Spirit."
The Rev. Bradley Wirth, a delegate from Montana to a national meeting of the Episcopal Church, denying the need to apolgize for the consecration of gay bishop New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson to keep peace within the denomination (in USA Today online)
Gay bishops debated

"But inquiring minds want to know -- if it’s so hard to replace a slain leader, how come the Israelis need to prove this lesson so many times? Over so many years? Over and over again for decades?"
Matthew Yglesias , regarding the death of Iraqi terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (in American Prospect Online)
Déjà Vu in Iraq