People will never know how hard it is to get information, especially if it's locked up behind official doors where, if politicians had their way, they'd stamp 'top secret' on the color of the walls.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the challenges of accessing information in a secretive or bureaucratic environment.
Helen Thomas emphasizes the difficulty individuals face when trying to obtain information that is often hidden behind official restrictions and secrecy. The metaphor of politicians stamping 'top secret' on mundane things underscores a culture of information control that can hinder transparency and public understanding.
In practice
During a debate about government transparency, one might use this quote to highlight the struggles in accessing important information.
President Bush has asserted the right to wiretap and eavesdrop on any American without a warrant in the name of fighting terrorism. He has asserted presidential power beyond stated constitutional rights, and there is no Republican gutsy enough to call his hand.
Everyone with a cell phone thinks they're a photographer. Everyone with a laptop thinks they're a journalist. But they have no training, and they have no idea of what we keep to in terms of standards, as in what's far out and what's reality. And they have no dedication to truth.
The White House used to belong to the American people. At least that's what I learned from history books and from covering every president starting with John F. Kennedy.
I'm decrepit but I don't want to give up, and I love my work.
I covered two presidents, LBJ and Nixon, who could no longer convince, persuade, or govern, once people had decided they had no credibility, but we seem to be more tolerant now of what I think we should not tolerate.
We don't go into journalism to be popular. It is our job to seek the truth and put constant pressure on our leaders until we get answers.
To some people, not caring is supposed to be cool, commenting is more interesting than doing, and everything is judged and then disposed of in, like, five minutes. I'm not interested in those kinds of people. I like the person who commits and goes all in and takes big swings and then maybe fails or looks stupid; who jumps and falls down, rather than the person who points at the person who fell, and laughs. But I do sometimes laugh when people fall down.
Win through your actions, never through argument.
The sign of vigour, the sign of life, the sign of hope, the sign of health, the sign of everything that is good, is strength. As long as the body lives, there must be strength in the body, strength in the mind, [and strength] in the hand.
The Buddha’s principal message that day was that holding on to anything blocks wisdom. Any conclusion that we draw must be let go. The only way to fully understand the bodhichitta teachings, the only way to practice them fully, is to abide in the unconditional openness of the prajna, patiently cutting through all our tendencies to hang on.
Not all birds can fly. What separates the flyers from the walkers is the ability to take off.
Smart people believe weird things because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons.
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