No memory is ever alone; it's at the end of a trail of memories, a dozen trails that each have their own associations.

Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content.

A great book begins with an idea; a great life, with a determination.

I don't travel and tell stories, because that's not the way these days. But I write my books to be read aloud, and I think of myself in that oral tradition.

Now the proposal is yet again another $150 billion before we start to think about a freeze. But $150 billion spent on more government programs; monies being created to direct and what kind of jobs that Washington thinks ought to be created. Come on. I mean there is a government that can help, and the government can also hurt.

Our system of government works best when there are checks and balances led by independent entities that are empowered to conduct fair and rigorous oversight. These are the same principles enshrined in the founding document of our country - our Constitution.

In about a year's time, Elvis went from being very poor and living with his family in government housing in Memphis to all of a sudden being the biggest star in the world. Once fame hit, there was a lot of temptation and also a lot of stress.

Maher Arar's case stands as a sad example of how we have been too willing to sacrifice our core principles to overarching government power in the name of security, when doing so only undermines the principles we stand for and makes us less safe.