Top 10 Quotes of the Year

Its getting near the end of the year. That means Christmas, Hanukkah, and Top 10 lists.

I love top 10 lists. Probably part of the reason I’m still on Team Letterman and not Team Leno.

Here’s the first one I’ve seen so far: The Top 10 Quotes of the Year. Fred Shapiro, associate librarian of Yale University, has released his list of top quotables for the past year, which he has been doing since 2006.

So without further adieu, here is the list. My favourite is #9 since it’s the one that made me want to bang my head against the wall the hardest.

#10. “They should never have put me with that woman. … She was just a sort of bigoted woman who said she used to be Labour.” Gordon Brown, comments about a voter he met while campaigning for British general election, Apr. 28.

#9. “You’re telling me that the separation of church and state is found in the First Amendment?” Christine O’Donnell, Delaware senatorial debate, Oct. 19. (The Associated Press reported the quote: “So you’re telling me that the separation of church and state, the phrase ‘separation of church and state,’ is in the First Amendment?”)

#8. “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach.” LeBron James, television broadcast, July 8.

#7. “We have to pass the (health care) bill so you can find out what is in it.” Nancy Pelosi, speech to National Association of Counties, March 9.

#6. “I hope that’s not where we’re going, but you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies. They’re saying: My goodness, what can we do to turn this country around?” Sharron Angle, radio interview in January.

#5. “Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le! Los mineros de Chile!” Chant at Chilean mine rescue, Oct. 13.

#4. “Don’t retreat. Instead — reload!” Sarah Palin, Tweet, March 23.

#3. “If you touch my junk, I’m gonna have you arrested.” airline passenger John Tyner, remark to Transportation Security Administration worker at San Diego airport, Nov. 13, 2010

#1. (TIE) “I’d like my life back.” Tony Hayward, comment to reporters, May 30.

#1. (TIE) “I’m not a witch.” Christine O’Donnell, television advertisement, Oct. 4.

Oh Sarah Palin, What Will You Say Next?

Yes, she is like the Howard Stern of the political world. And there is a possibility that she will be the next president of the United States (Happy Thanksgiving 2012 *snicker*).

What has she done now? Well I’m not too concerned about her little gaffe calling North Korea our “allies”. Thats a mistake that could happen to anyone. Well, ok, maybe not anyone, but it’s not a huge deal.

No what I’m more concerned about are her views on childhood obesity. She made comments recently regarding Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” project.

From the Lets Move! website,

The Let’s Move! campaign, started by First Lady Michelle Obama, has an ambitious national goal of solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight.

Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese. One third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives; many others will face chronic obesity-related health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma.

The site provides information on nutrition and suggestions for fun physical activities and steps to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Sounds pretty good right?

But what does Sarah Palin have to say about Michelle Obama’s campaign? In a radio interview on Wednesday she said:

Take her anti-obesity thing that she is on. She is on this kick, right. What she is telling us is she cannot trust parents to make decisions for their own children, for their own families in what we should eat.

And I know I’m going to be again criticized for bringing this up, but instead of a government thinking that they need to take over and make decisions for us according to some politician or politician’s wife priorities, just leave us alone, get off our back and allow us as individuals to exercise our own God-given rights to make our own decisions and then our country gets back on the right track.

It’s hard to know where to even start! She talks about giving parents good information about food as if it is some kind of fascist plot for the government to control its people.

I wonder, what is her stance on regulation of the nation’s water supply? Does the government have the right to tell us what we can and can’t drink? Hell, if I want to drink contaminated sewage, nay, make my child drink contaminated sewage that’s mybusiness!

Roland Martin says something similar in his opinion piece on CNN:

Libertarians and far right conservative Republicans are always talking about government intrusion into our lives, but when we look at clean water, air quality and food supply, thank God for governmental standards.

So Sarah, I know you are trying to make a name for yourself so you can make a bid at the White House in 2012, but targeting a program designed to keep kids healthy by eating proper food?

Now that’s in poor taste.