Only a distant memory

It used to be that history taught us to speak softly and carry a big stick. I think Theo Roosevelt encouraged that philosophy. It seemed to work well. Now, the theory is that one should speak loudly with forceful rhetoric but carry a little stick. You wouldn't really want to hurt anybody, even if they hurt you first. Something changed. What was it? I signed on to tweeter and naively asked permission to follow Sarah Palin not knowing that she puts out about a million tweets a day. Now I shall have to politely disengage after a respectful time has elapsed. That's not Sarah on the left - I have no idea who that is but she does not make me nervous.