The Millions converses with an online book thief:
I do not pretend that uploading or downloading unpurchased electronic books is morally correct, but I do think it is more of a grey area than some of your readers may. . . .
I think that regular people will never feel very guilty “stealing” from a faceless corporation, or to a lesser extent, a multi-millionaire like [Stephen] King. . . .
One thing that will definitely not change anyone’s mind or inspire them to stop are polemics from people like Mark Helprin and Harlan Ellison—attitudes like that ensure that all of their works are available online all of the time.
No matter how many excuses this thief offers, he has none for stealing
I also find it particularly wretched that this thief considers himself the final arbiter of how much money Stephen King should make from writing. What unbelievable arrogance.
The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God is in absolute control of all things, and that includes natural disasters. If God had wanted, He could have prevented the earthquake in Haiti.
No man, however, has the right to claim natural disasters are acts of judgement.
As God said to Job:
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Haitians need compassion, Mr Robertson, not the questionable judgement of a televangelist.
If you want to shock, Mr Robertson, why not preach biblical truth? For instance, why not preach that the biblical tithe should not be the means by which Christian religious organizations obtain their funds to function; that the tithing laws of the Bible are no more valid for Christians today than offering animal sacrifices? Or are some biblical truths unpalatable?
From The Outfit, the wonderful Richard Stark (aka Donald E Westlake) delivers the Truth:
Salsa was a tall, smooth-muscled man of thirty-seven, an illegal immigrant, whose youth had been thrown away on a passionate concern for a brand of politics currently in strong disfavor in the United States. In his middle twenties, he had suddenly awakened to the Truth of Self-interest, which he now realized was a far more important and valid Truth than any Political Truth ever invented. He further realized this was the hidden Truth upon which most of the leaders he had blindly followed based their actions. They had claimed to be struggling selflessly for a better world and Salsa had been young enough to believe them and to try to help them actively. He had actually been struggling selflessly for a better world until he had realized that most of the men he’d been following were struggling mainly for a world which would be better for themselves. From them on, when faced by a man who claimed he was struggling for a better world, Salsa invariably thought, “Better for whom, Brother?”
Happy new year. And let’s make this the year we trust no one who claims to be struggling for a better world.