“The moment of resumed clarity was, for the detectives, not unlike that time when Wormtongue pitched the Palantir off the tower of Orthanc.”
Oleaginous Puddles
“The two policemen had thought Lester was smooth when they were talking with him in his office earlier that day. But now—his voice was mellifluous and constant. Whenever he paused, always at just the right moment, sincerity oozed out of the silences and puddled on the floor.”
When the Wall of Sound Falls Over On You
“The assembled congregation began to sing, or so the two men guessed from the fact that words were on the screen, and people’s mouths were moving, but the amplified music from up front had all of them buried. Bradford had been one or two concerts like this in his life before, but Rourke felt like he was under an acoustical rock pile. There was no break between songs, each one moving aside when its time was done, and allowing another to merge flawlessly to take its place. The whole thing was like a superbly engineered six-lane highway with two lanes merging from the right. But after four songs, the screens suddenly changed, and the band fell suddenly silent.”
News Babe
“Every high profile case, there [News Babe] was with the truck, getting underfoot like a toddler on a rainy day . . . She walked briskly up to them, her blouse bouncing provocatively, as much as to say in stereo that we dare you to do anything but look at our forehead. She had a small microphone and tape recorder in a bag over her shoulder”
You’ve Seen Them Like That
“The sunset was beautifully understated, and spread out over the western sky like the pale, pastel inside of an oyster shell. But it had been quite a day, and the oyster was a little annoyed.”
And Hence Rancid
“So-called urban music, in particular, has become little more than a cult of social deviance”
Nation of Rebels, p. 322.
An Incongruity Barely Visible
“Man, this guy was good. But Rourke had been on the force for many years, and he was just as good. Rourke tightened the muscles in his jaw. That man across the table is telling the truth for now, just this moment. But he is a liar telling the truth, and it almost suits him”
Whooda Thunk?
“The whole idea that virtuous self-restraint on the part of corporations, or energy conservation on the part of consumers, must be a part of any solution to the problems of pollution is based on a fundamental confusion. The fact that we are always being urged to conserve energy is simply a sign that the price is too low. After all, the government doesn’t have to remind us to conserve coffee beans or molybdenum or wiper fluid or any of the other goods that we consume every day. Why not? Because when we consume these goods, the price that we pay reflects pretty much the entire cost that our consumption imposes upon society. In other words, when the price level is right, there is no need to encourage conservation.”
Nation of Rebels, p. 316
Different Approaches to Parental Authority
“‘That’ll take some getting used to on my part. In my church back home, if I had ever called Pastor Hill Bruce, my mother would have found the dullest butter knife in her drawer and skinned me with it. Then she would have had the knife mounted as a trophy. No remorse on her part at all’”.
There Are People Who Hide Their Privilege Instead of Checking It
“The proper name for a technology that is available only to the few is not ‘appropriate,’ but ‘privileged.’”
Nation of Rebels, p. 298