People of Interest · The Two Minutes Hate
PJ O'Rourke
The late American satirist on politics, politicians, the press, and the peculiar pleasure of being furious about absolutely everything.
Patrick Jake O'Rourke (1947–2022) was a journalist, political satirist, and contributing editor to The Atlantic, whose books — at their best — applied the formal disciplines of the long magazine essay to the ancient project of making politicians look ridiculous. He died in February 2022, which did not prevent him being right about most things afterwards.
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. — PJ O'Rourke, Parliament of Whores (1991)
The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it. — PJ O'Rourke
There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences. — PJ O'Rourke, Age and Guile Beat Youth, Innocence, and a Bad Haircut (1995)
The mystery of government is not how Washington works but how to make it stop. — PJ O'Rourke, Parliament of Whores (1991)
A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them. — PJ O'Rourke
Every government is a parliament of whores. The trouble is, in a democracy, the whores are us. — PJ O'Rourke, Parliament of Whores (1991)
No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power. — PJ O'Rourke