A Sea not Vast Enough

"There was a time when the seas seemed endless and the sky vast enough to swallow any of the mistakes and errors of man. The world used to be big and man could afford to be small. Now the world is small and man must be big."                  

--Elliot Richardson

You would think maybe a minister or philosopher said these words. Instead he was a lawyer and a bureaucrat, a politician and an ambassador. All those occupations we jokingly don't trust.

According to Wikipedia, Elliot Richardson was known as a 'notable administrator.' He served in World War II, clerked for two different judges, went into politics and then into the federal agencies. He served the Nixon administration as an UnderSecretary of State, a Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, a Secretary of Defense, and then as Attorney General. During his tenure as Attorney General, Nixon ordered him to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson had already promised during his confirmation hearings that he would not do so. Rather than break his promise, he resigned.

His other accomplishments include much work on the UN's "Law of the Sea", the international law of maritime affairs, including sea piracy, trade lanes, and the extent of borders for offshore oil drilling.

It's good to think there are 'founding fathers' all along our history--people that believe in principles, and who are wary of making mistakes.  Besides that, I like the quote.