Freedom

To be listened to is, generally speaking, a nearly unique experience for most people. It is enormously stimulating. It is small wonder that people who have been demanding all their lives to be heard so often fall speechless when confronted with one who gravely agrees to lend an ear. Man clamors for the freedom to express himself and for knowing that he counts. But once offered these conditions, he becomes frightened.
Robert C. Murphy

The reason for the popularity of blogging in one quote--as well as the reason for the vacuity of some--including my own.

Freedom of the press is limited to those who own one.
A. J. Liebling (1904-1963)

Now, with blogging, everyone owns a press.

The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish.
Robert Jackson

There again, an accurate discription of the blogosphere--nothing's perfect.

People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.
Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

See, even in the last century intellectuals complained about the stupidity of the common man.

Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained
James A. Garfield (1831-1881), July 12, 1880

Education, then, is the remedy for the stupidity of the common man.

Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955), 'Out of My Later Years,' 1950

Thought police are counterproductive to greatness and creativity--a lesson that the Middle East has yet to learn.

I believe that freedom is the deepest need of every human soul.
George W. Bush (1946- ), Press Conference, White House, April 13, 2004

I agree.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our chldren and our children's children what it was once like the United States where men were free.
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004)

The enemies of freedom conspire against us every day, hoping that we will forget this. Among those who are convinced that 9-11 was a self-inflicted government act and every terrorist plot foiled is a fiction--a political ploy to maintain power, this truth has already been lost.