Torture is such a slippery slope as soon as you allow a society or any legal system to do that, almost instantly you get a situation where people are being tortured for very trivial reasons. – Iain Banks
I think a lot of people are frightened of technology and frightened of change, and the way to deal with something youre frightened of is to make fun of it. Thats why science fiction fans are dismissed as geeks and nerds. – Iain Banks
Technology determines the possibilities of society. It doesnt matter whether you start out from a fascist state or a communist state or a free-market state. – Iain Banks
Science fiction is trying to find alternative ways of looking at realities. – Iain Banks
We should not blur the lines between legal and illegal immigrants. Millions of people around the world have gone through the process to come here legally and they followed the rules that required them to pay a fee, learn English, and learn about American history and government. – Ken Calvert
There is too much sour grapes for my taste in the present American attitude. The time to denounce the bankers was when we were all feeding off their gold plate; not now! At present they have not only my sympathy but my preference. They are the last representatives of our native industries. – Edith Wharton