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****************************************** Orwell Quotes Describe Creeping Fascism in the US
"I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, Albert Einstein
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One night, probably in 1880, John Swinton, then the pre-eminent New York journalist, was the guest of honour at a banquet given him by the leaders of his craft. Someone who knew neither the press nor Swinton offered a toast to the independent press. Swinton outraged his colleagues by replying: (Source: Labor's Untold Story , by Richard O. Boyer and Herbert M. Morais,
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"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly
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"They tell us that we live in a great free republic; that our institutions are democratic; Eugene Victor Debs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just." Thomas Jefferson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Under the influence of politicians, masses of people tend to ascribe the responsibility for wars to those who wield power at any given time. In World War I it was the munitions industrialists; in World War II it was the psychopathic generals who were said to be guilty. This is passing the buck. Wilhelm Reich, The Mass Psychology of Fascism ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to the point where it becomes stronger than the democratic state itself. That in its essence is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group or any controlling private power. " President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
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George Washington
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Abraham Lincoln
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"It is part of the general pattern of misguided policy that our country is now geared to an arms economy which was bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and nurtured upon an incessant propaganda of fear." General Douglas MacArthur, Speech, May 15, 1951
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What makes it so plausible to assume that hypocrisy is the vice of vices is that integrity Hannah Arendt - Political philosopher, was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1906 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thomas Paine"The Age of Reason" 1793 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. Alexander Solzhenitsyn
(1918- ) Russian writer, Soviet dissident, imprisoned for 8 years for critizing Stalin in a personal letter,
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"We cannot afford to differ on the question of honesty if we expect our republic permanently to endure. Theodore Roosevelt - (1858-1919) 26th US President
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"The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, Aalbert Campus: The Plague, Modern Library Edition, p. 120 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
War creates peace like hate creates love. David L. Wilson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable Howard Thurman
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Patriotism in its simplest, clearest and most indubitable signification is nothing else but a means of obtaining for the rulers their ambitions and covetous desires, and for the ruled the abdication of human dignity, reason, conscience, and a slavish enthralment to those in power. Leo Tolstoy - Demanding the Impossible: a History of Anarchism by Peter Marshall (Fontana press 1992) p374 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I went down on my knees and prayed to Almighty God for light and guidance ...
President William McKinley
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Our men.... have killed to exterminate men, women, children, prisoners and captives, active insurgents and suspected people from lads of 10 up... Our soldiers have pumped salt water into men to "make them talk," and have taken prisoners people who held up their hands and peacefully surrendered, and an hour later.... stood them on a bridge and shot them down one by one, to drop into the water below and float down, as examples to those who found their bullet-loaded corpses." Philadelphia Ledger newspaper in 1901, from its Manila [Philippines]
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American strategists have calculated the proportion of civilians killed in this century's major wars. In the First World War 5 per cent of those killed were civilians, in the Second World War 48 per cent, while in a Third World War 90-95 per cent would be civilians Colin Ward , Anarchy in Action
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"The vested interests - if we explain the situation by their influence - Sir Norman Angell 1872 - 1967 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Iniquity, committed in this world, produces not fruit immediately, but, like the earth, in due season, and advancing by little and little, it eradicates the man who committed it. ...justice, being destroyed, will destroy; Manu 1200 bc
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Liberty can not be preserved without general knowledge among people. John Adams - August 1765
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"When a cause comes along and you know in your bones that it is just, Mumia Abu-Jamal
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"But I know now that there is not a chance in hell of America becoming humane and reasonable. Because power corrupts us, and absolute power corrupts us absolutely. Human beings are chimpanzees who get crazy drunk on power. By saying that our leaders are power-drunk chimpanzees, am I in danger of wrecking the morale of our soldiers fighting and dying in the Middle East? Their morale, like so many lifeless bodies, is already shot to pieces. They are being treated, as I never was, like toys a rich kid got for Christmas." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Author
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"If the citizens neglect their Duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the Laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizen will be violated or disregarded.": Noah Webster - (1758-1843)
American patriot and scholar,
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As so often before, liberty has been wounded in the house of its friends. Otto Hermann Kahn - Speech at the University of Wisconsin
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"War is the health of the State. It automatically sets in motion throughout society these irresistible forces for uniformity, for passionate cooperation with the government in coercing into obedience the minority groups and individuals which lack the larger herd sense.": Randolph Bourne (1886 -1918) Source: in War and the Intellectuals, 1964 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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"I cannot convince a single person of the necessity of something unless I
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"Through clever and constant application of propaganda, people can be made to see paradise as hell, Adolph Hitler - German Chancellor, leader of the Nazi party ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"America is a quarter of a billion people totally misinformed and disinformed by their government. Gore Vidal
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"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, George W. Bush - 43rd US President ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Laws just or unjust may govern men's actions. Tyrannies may restrain or regulate their words. Sir Winston Churchill
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We must make clear to the Germans that the wrong for which their fallen leaders U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole. Nuremburg War Tribunal regarding wars of aggression
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"A Society that is in its higher circles and middle levels widely believed to be a network of smart rackets does not produce men with an inner moral sense; a society that is merely expedient does not produce men of conscience. A society that narrows the meaning of "success" to the big money and in its terms condemns failure as the chief vice, raising money to the plane of absolute value, will produce the sharp operator and the shady deal. Blessed are the cynical, for only they have what it takes to succeed." The Power Elite by C. Wright Mills
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of the colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. Each time a person stands up for an idea, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, (s)he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." Robert F. Kennedy, 1966 speech - US Democratic politician (1925 - 1968)
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"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." Thomas Jefferson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Of all the enemies to public liberty, war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes. And armies, and debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few. "In war, too, the discretionary power of the Executive is extended. Its influence in dealing out offices, honors, and emoluments is multiplied; and all the means of seducing the minds, are added to those of subduing the force of the people. "The same malignant aspect in republicanism may be traced in the inequality of fortunes, and the opportunities of fraud, growing out of a state of war. and in the degeneracy of manners and morals, engendered by both. No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare." James Madison, April 20, 1795
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“It is difficult to suggest by what means diplomacy can mitigate the
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“The other day there was put into my hand a circular issued from the war
office
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"If we do go to war, psychological operations are going to be absolutely a critical, General H. Norman Schwarzkopf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State." Joseph Goebbels was born in 1897 and died in 1945. Goebbels was Hitler's Minister of Propaganda ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. Abraham Lincoln
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“The war to make the world safe for democracy,
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Today as never before in their history Americans are enthralled with military power. Andrew Bacevich in The New American Militarism ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The revulsion against war ... will be an almost insuperable obstacle for us to overcome. Charles E. Wilson (1886-1972) President of General Electric (1940-42, 1945-50), ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"American strategic [nuclear] forces do not exist solely for the purpose Colin Gray U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The principal beneficiary of America's foreign assistance programs has always been the United States." US Agency for International Development
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"We [the U.S.] must account sufficiently for the interests of the advanced industrial nations to discourage them from challenging our leadership or seeking to overturn the established political and economic order . . . we must maintain the mechanisms for deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role. " U.S. Department of Defense Planning Guide for 1994-1999 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"There are contingency plans in the NATO doctrine to fire a nuclear weapon for demonstrative purposes, to demonstrate to the other side that they are exceeding the limits of toleration in the conventional area." Alexander Haig - Secretary of State for President Ronald Reagan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Only a large-scale popular movement toward decentralization and self-help can arrest the present tendency toward statism... A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude. To make them love it is the task assigned, in present-day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda, newspaper editors and schoolteachers." Aldous Huxley - (1894-1963) Author - Source: Forward to 'Brave New World', 1932
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“I wash my hands of habeas corpus!”
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"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, Albert Einstein (1879-1955)Physicist and Professor, Nobel Prize 1921 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"....if by a liberal they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people- their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, their civil liberties.. if that is what they mean by a "liberal" then I am proud to be a liberal. " John F. Kennedy
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"All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) French historian - Source: Democracy in America, 1835 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If we were to judge the US by its penal policies, we would perceive a strange beast: George Monbiot
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"He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man... Samuel Adams (1722-1803), was known as the "Father of the American Revolution."
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Liberty has never come from the government. Woodrow Wilson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Aldous Huxley - English novelist and critic, 1894-1963 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each of the Iraqi children killed by the United States was our child. Each of the prisoners tortured in Abu Ghraib was our comrade. Each of their screams was ours. When they were humiliated, we were humiliated. The U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq - mostly volunteers in a poverty draft from small towns and poor urban neighborhoods - are victims just as much as the Iraqis of the same horrendous process, which asks them to die for a victory that will never be theirs:
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The fetters imposed on liberty at home have ever been forged out of the weapons provided for defense against real, pretended, or imaginary dangers from abroad. James Madison - One of the Founding Fathers of America
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Don't be taken in when they paternally pat you on the shoulder and say that there's no inequality worth speaking of and no more reason to fight because if you believe them they will be completely in charge in their marble homes and granite banks from which they rob the people of the world under the pretence of bringing them culture. Watch out, for as soon as it pleases them they'll send you out to protect their gold in wars whose weapons, rapidly developed by servile scientists, will become more and more deadly until they can with a flick of the finger tear a million of you to pieces. Jean-Paul Marat (May 24, 1743 - July 13, 1793), was a Swiss-born scientist and physician
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"If a country develops an economic system that is based on how to pay for the war, and if the amounts of fixed capital investment that are apparent are tied up in armaments, and if that country is a major exporter of arms, and its industrial fabric is dependent on them, then it would be in that country's interests to ensure that it always had a market. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is clearly in the interests of the world's leading arms exporters to make sure that there is always a war going on somewhere." Marilyn Waring - Source: Documentary 'Who's Counting', based on her book 'Counting for Nothing'.
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Evil when we are in its power is not felt as evil but as a necessity, or even a duty. Simone Weil
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Anyone who has proclaimed violence his method, inexorably must choose lying as his principle. Alexander Solzhenitsyn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Our only political party has two right wings, one called Republican, the other Democratic. But Henry Adams figured all that out back in the 1890s. 'We have a single system,' he wrote, and 'in that system the only question is the price at which the proletariat is to be bought and sold, the bread and circuses.'" Gore Vidal - The Decline and Fall of the American Empire
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"Few of us can easily surrender our belief that society must somehow make sense. Arthur Miller playwright ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, George Bernard Shaw
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"It is never right to do wrong or to requite wrong with wrong, or when we suffer evil to defend ourselves by doing evil in return." Socrates 469 - 399 BC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crime Against Peace: A basic provision of the Charter is that to plan, prepare, initiate or wage a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements, and assurances, or to conspire or participate in a common plan to do so is a crime. Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm often amazed at the way politicians, who spend hours poring over opinion poll results in a desperate attempt to discover what the public thinks, are certain they know precisely what God's views are on everything." Simon Hoggart ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Going to church no more makes you a Christian than sleeping in your garage makes you a car." Garrison Keiler
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The Second Treatise of Civil Government 1690 "That the aggressor, who puts himself into the state of war with another, and unjustly invades another man's right, can, by such an unjust war, never come to have a right over the conquered, will be easily agreed by all men, who will not think that robbers and pirates have a right of empire over whomsoever they have force enough to master, or that men are bound by promises which unlawful force extorts from them. John Locke - 1632-1704
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"No one has ever succeeded in keeping nations at war except by lies." Salvador de Madariaga - (1886-1978 ), ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"...free enterprise, [is] a term that refers, in practice, to a system of public subsidy and private profit, Noam Chomsky
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Opponents of Iraq war rally around Lt. Watada: U.S. Army First Lt. Ehren Watada
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"War paralyzes your courage and deadens the spirit of true manhood. It degrades and stupefies with the sense that you are not responsible, that 'tis not yours to think and reason why, but to do and die,' like the hundred thousand others doomed like yourself. War means blind obedience, unthinking stupidity, brutish callousness, wanton destruction, and irresponsible murder." Alexander Berkman ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We first fought the heathens in the name of religion, then Communism, and now in the name of drugs and terrorism. Our excuses for global domination always change. Serj Tankian ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No one man can terrorize a whole nation unless we are all his accomplices." - Edward R. Murrow
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William Blum
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"It seems that 'we have never gone to war for conquest, for exploitation, nor for territory'; we have the word of a president [McKinley] for that. Observe, now, how Providence overrules the intentions of the truly good for their advantage. We went to war with Mexico for peace, humanity and honor, yet emerged from the contest with an extension of territory beyond the dreams of political avarice. We went to war with Spain for relief of an oppressed people [the Cubans], and at the close found ourselves in possession of vast and rich insular dependencies [primarily the Philippines] and with a pretty tight grasp upon the country for relief of whose oppressed people we took up arms. We could hardly have profited more had 'territorial aggrandizement' been the spirit of our purpose and heart of our hope. The slightest acquaintance with history shows that powerful republics are the most warlike and unscrupulous of nations." Ambrose Bierce, Warlike America ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"COWARDICE, n. A charge often levelled by all-American types against those who stand up for their beliefs by refusing to fight in wars they find unconscionable, and who willingly go to prison or into exile in order to avoid violating their own consciences. These 'cowards' are to be contrasted with red-blooded, 'patriotic' youths who literally bend over, grab their ankles, submit to the government, fight in wars they do not understand (or disapprove of), and blindly obey orders to maim and to kill simply because they are ordered to do so-all to the howling approval of the all-American mob. This type of behavior is commonly termed 'courageous.'" Chaz Bufe
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Herein lies a riddle: How can a people so gifted by God become so seduced by naked power, Philip Berrigan - Source: Hell, Healing and Resistance Veterans Speak
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"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy: John Kenneth Galbraith ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The strongest passions and most dangerous weaknesses of the human breast; ambition, avarice, vanity, James Madison ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The enemy aggressor is always pursuing a course of larceny, murder, rapine and barbarism. John Flynn, 1944 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We're not a democracy. It's a terrible misunderstanding and a slander to the idea of democracy to call us that. Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Of all forms of tyranny the least attractive and the most vulgar is the tyranny of mere wealth, John Pierpont Morgan ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Men in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous. Henry Steele Commager - (1902-1998) Historian and author
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Eugene V. Debs
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War Is A Racket : I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all members of the military profession I never had an original thought until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of the higher- ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service. Major General Smedley Butler, USMC.
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"As I write, highly civilized human beings are flying overhead trying to kill me. They do not feel any enmity against me as an individual, nor I against them. They are only doing their duty, as the saying goes. Most of them, I have no doubt, are kind-hearted law-abiding men who would never dream of committing murder in private life. On the other hand, if one of them succeeds in blowing me to pieces with a well-placed bomb, he George Orwell London. UK. 1941
Another nation is made out to be utterly depraved and fiendish, Eric Fromm (famous US psychologist, academic and authour)
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In the struggle of Good against Evil, it's always the people who get killed. Eduardo Galeano ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor." Bishop Desmond Tutu -(1931- ) Nobel Prize for Peace 1984
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Ralph Chaplin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "In reviewing the history of the English Government, its wars and its taxes, a bystander, not blinded by prejudice nor warped by interest, would declare that taxes were not raised to carry on wars, but that wars were raised to carry on taxes." Thomas Paine
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"People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster." James Baldwin Biography - Fiction Writer, Essayist, Social Critic, 1924-1987 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The greatest bulwark of capitalism is militarism. Emma Goldman Biography - Anarchist, Feminist, Labor Advocate, 1869-1940 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It's amazing how people can get so excited about a rocket to the moon and not give a damn about smog, Cesar Estrada Chavez Biography - Farm Workers' Union Founder, Human Rights Activist, 1927-1993 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The greatest of fault, I should say, is to be conscious of none. Robert Carlyle (1795 - 1881)
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"If you assume that there's no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, there are opportunities to change things, there's a chance for you to contribute to making a better world. That's your choice." Noam Chomsky, The Chronicles of Dissent
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"Americans cannot escape a certain responsibility for what is done in our name around the world. In a democracy, even one as corrupted as ours, ultimate authority rests with the people. We empower the government with our votes, finance it with our taxes, bolster it with our silent acquiescence. If we are passive in the face of America's official actions overseas, we in effect endorse them." Mark Hertzgaard
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"Hypocrisy is not the hobgoblin of enslavable minds so much as it is the hallmark of their would-be slavemasters." Rick Gaber
Ayn Rand in "The Nature of Government" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert LeFevre, in his essay, Aggression is Wrong
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"One of the
great attractions to patriotism, it fulfills our worst wishes. Aldous Huxley ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A nation is a society united by a delusion about its ancestry and a common fear of its neighbors." W. R. Inge
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"Patriotism
is fierce as a fever, pitiless as the grave, Ambrose Bierce
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Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education. Probably, no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. We must make our choice; we cannot have both. Abraham Flexner ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Henry David Thoreau, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience
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"The right to revolt has sources deep in our history." William O. Douglas - (1898-1980), U. S. Supreme Court Justice Source: An Almanac of Liberty, 1954 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels -- men and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, we may never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion." Dwight D. Eisenhower - (1890-1969), 34th US President, WWII General Source: Speech, Columbia University, 1954
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"Revolution is not something fixed in ideology, nor is it something fashioned to a particular decade. Abbie Hoffman (1936-1989) Activist
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"It is better to die standing than to live on your knees." Ernesto "Che" Guevara
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Over grown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, George Washington
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War grows out of the desire of the individual to gain advantage at the expense of his fellow man Napoleon Hill
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It is foolish in the extreme not only to resort to force before necessity compels, Benjamin Tucker, Liberty, May 22, 1886 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edward Abbey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Howard Zinn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The feeling of patriotism - It is an immoral feeling because, instead of confessing himself a son of God . . . or even a free man guided by his own reason, each man under the influence of patriotism confesses himself the son of his fatherland and the slave of his government, and commits actions contrary to his reason and conscience." Leo Tolstoy, Patriotism and Government
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"Patriotism is a religion, the egg from which wars are hatched." Guy de Maupassant
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"Patriotism is a menace to liberty." Emma Goldman
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"I know of no civilized country, indeed, in which liberty is less esteemed than it is in the United States: certainly there is none in which more persistent efforts are made to limit it and put it down. Liberty is not for these slaves; I do not advocate inflicting it against their conscience. On the contrary, I am strongly in favor of letting them crawl and grovel all they please before whatever fraud or combination of frauds they choose to venerate...Our whole practical government is grounded in mob psychology and.. the Boobus Americanus will follow any command that promises to make him safer." H. L. Menchen - 1956.
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William Hazlitt
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He who dares not offend cannot be honest. Thomas Paine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Michael Parenti
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"Politically speaking, tribal nationalism [patriotism] always insists that its own people are surrounded by 'a world of enemies' - 'one against all' - and that a fundamental difference exists between this people and all others. It claims its people to be unique, individual, incompatible with all others, and denies theoretically the very possibility of a common mankind long before it is used to destroy the humanity of man." Hannah Arendt, The Origins Of Totalitarianism p.227
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"Seas of blood have been shed for the sake of patriotism. One would expect the harm and irrationality of patriotism to be self-evident to everyone. But the surprising fact is that cultured and learned people not only do not notice the harm and stupidity of patriotism, they resist every unveiling of it with the greatest obstinacy and passion (with no rational grounds), and continue to praise it as beneficent and elevating." Leo Tolstoy
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William H. Boyer
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Emma Goldman
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Patriots always talk of dying for their country and never of killing for their country Bertrand Russell, attributed
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George McGovern
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Clarence Darrow, Resist Not Evil
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"Nationalism is a silly cock crowing on his own dunghill." R. Aldington
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"Patriotism is the belief your country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." George Bernard Shaw
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"To me, it seems a dreadful indignity to have a soul controlled by geography." George Santayana
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Edward Zehr
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"Let no man think we can deny civil liberty to others and retain it for ourselves. When zealous agents of the Government arrest suspected "radicals" without warrant, hold them without prompt trial, deny them access to counsel and admission of bail....we have shorn the Bill of Rights of its sanctity..." Robert M. Lafollette, Sr. (1855-1925) U.S. Senator - Source: The Progressive, March 1920 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Whenever justice is uncertain and police spying and terror are at work, Carl Gustav Jung - (1875-1961) Source: The Undiscovered Self, 1957 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Why nationalize industry when you can nationalize the people?": Adolf Hitler - (1889-1945) Source: quoted in Robert N. Proctor, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic form of idiocy." George Bernard Shaw
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Patriotism is a superstition, one far more injurious, brutal and inhumane than religion." Gustave Herve
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"Patriotism - the virtue ofthe vicious." Oscar Wilde
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mark Twain
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Felix Morley
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"Those who have the privilege to know, have the duty to act." Albert Einstein
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"It should be no surprise that when rich men take control of the government,
they pass laws that are favorable to themselves. The surprise is that those who are not rich vote for such people, even though they should know from bitter experience that the rich will continue to rip off the rest of us. Andrew Greeley (Chicago Sun-Times, February 18, 2001): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A State divided into a small number of rich and a large number of poor will always develop a government manipulated by the rich to protect the amenities represented by their property." Harold Laski, (1930): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, Thomas Jefferson (in his last letter, 1826): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics." Plutarch - Mestrius Plutarchus (c. 46 AD- 127 AD) was a Greek historian, biographer, and essayist. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I would rather lose in a cause that will some day win, than win in a cause that will some day lose." Woodrow Wilson
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"If once [the people] become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, Thomas Jefferson to Edward Carrington, 1787 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"...There is no nation on earth powerful enough to accomplish our overthrow. ... Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing." Daniel Webster, June 1, 1837 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Find out just what people will submit to, and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. Frederick Douglass
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"I believe that if we had and would keep our dirty, bloody, dollar-soaked fingers out of the business of these nations so full of depressed, exploited people, they will arrive at a solution of their own -- and if unfortunately their revolution must be of the violent type because the "haves" refuse to share with the "have-nots" by any peaceful method, at least what they get will be their own, and not the American style, which they don't want and above all don't want crammed down their throats by Americans. " General David M. Shoup - Commandant of the Marine Corps 1960-63, ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Landholders ought to have a share in the government to support these invaluable interests and check the other many. They ought to be so constituted as to protect the minority of the opulent against the majority." James Madison (1751-1836), Father of the Constitution for the USA, 4th US President ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Only a large-scale popular movement toward decentralization and self-help can arrest the present tendency toward statism... A really efficient totalitarian state would be one in which the all-powerful executive of political bosses and their army of managers control a population of slaves who do not have to be coerced, because they love their servitude. To make them love it is the task assigned, in present-day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda, newspaper editors and schoolteachers." Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) Author - Source: Forward to 'Brave New World', 1932 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Chief among the spoils of victory is the privilege of writing the history." Mark Alexander Editor/Publisher of Patriot Post -
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Edward Everett Hale
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A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming. Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Religion is the most dangerous energy source known to humankind. The moment a person (or government or religion or organization) is convinced that God is either ordering or sanctioning a cause or project, anything goes. The history, worldwide, of religion-fueled hate, killing, and oppression is staggering. Eugene Peterson (from the introduction to the book of Amos in the Bible paraphrase The Message)
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"I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world - no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men. " Woodrow Wilson - President of America 1913-21 And it has only become more so. Democracy died a long time ago.
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Thomas Jefferson - (1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration
of Independence,
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Count Richard
von Coudenhove-Kalergi, "Pan-european" publicist and political
figure,
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Rod Donald Dies - November 5th, 2005 Prime Minister Helen Clark said she was shocked to hear of the news and deeply saddened by it. "My thoughts are with Rod's partner, Nicola, his family, friends and Green Party colleagues, who have suffered a tremendous loss. "I have known Rod Donald since he entered Parliament in 1996, and worked with him for the past six years during which Green Party support and goodwill has been indispensable for our government. "In all that time Rod has been a very honourable person to deal with. He always impressed me with both the strength of his convictions and his ability to work within the parliamentary system to resolve issues. "Rod Donald was unfailingly pleasant, likeable, and always looking for a constructive way forward. "Rod committed his life to environmental and community causes, becoming active in many issues from his teenage years. His interests spanned decent housing, urban recycling, fair trade, and electoral reform. "Rod gained a national profile from his work on the electoral referenda in the early 1990s. He was a strong advocate for MMP, and entered Parliament as a Green Party member within the Alliance in 1996. "Rod Donald had remarkable energy and great zest for life. It is a cruel fate indeed which strikes down someone with so much to give in the prime of his life. He will be greatly missed," Helen Clark said.
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Comment by Larry Ross, November 24, 2005
Justice Louis D. Brandeis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
John Adams
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"If they do it, it's terrorism, if we do it, it's fighting for freedom." Anthony Quainton, U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua, 1984: Anthony Quainton - Source: Off the record response of the Ambassador to a group of concerned U.S. citizens when asked to explain the difference between U.S. government actions in Nicaragua and the violence it condemns as terrorism elsewhere in the world.
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Bertrand Russell
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Arthur Schlesinger
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"Information is the currency of Democracy." Thomas Jefferson
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"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that numbers of people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of the leaders of their government and have gone to war, and millions have been killed because of this obedience. . . Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem." Howard Zinn
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"People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into a monster." James Baldwin
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"I would rather have free a press and no government, than a government and no free press." Thomas Jefferson ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The most consistent and ultimately damaging failure of political journalism in America (is that it) has its roots in the clubby/cocktail personal relationships that inevitably develop between politicians and journalists." From "Fear and Loathing On the Campaign Trail '72" by Hunter S. Thompson
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The voice of protest, of warning, of appeal is never more needed than when the clamor of fife and drum, echoed by the press and too often by the pulpit, is bidding all men fall in and keep step and obey in silence the tyrannous word of command. Then, more than ever, it is the duty of the good citizen not to be silent. Charles Eliot Norton
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Thomas Jefferson
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Sir Alex Fraser Tyler: (1742-1813) Scottish jurist and historian
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"Our safety, our liberty, depends upon preserving the Constitution of the United States as our Fathers made it inviolate. The people of the United States are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." Abraham Lincoln
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"No people
will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can any be easily subdued, Samuel Adams (letter to James Warren, 4 November 1775)
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John Adams
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Helen Keller
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"The vested interests - if we explain the situation by their influence - can only get the public to act as they wish by manipulating public opinion, by playing either upon the public's indifference, confusions, prejudices, pugnacities or fears. And the only way in which the power of the interests can be undermined and their maneuvers defeated is by bringing home to the public the danger of its indifference, the absurdity of its prejudices, or the hollowness of its fears; by showing that it is indifferent to danger where real danger exists; frightened by dangers which are nonexistent." Sir Norman Angell 1872 - 1967
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"The ideal setup by the Party was something huge, terrible, and glittering - a world of steel and concrete, of monstrous machines and terrifying weapons - a nation of warriors and fanatics, marching forward in perfect unity, all thinking the same thoughts and shouting the same slogans, perpetually working, fighting, triumphing, persecuting - three hundred million people all with the same face." George Orwell,
from the book 1984 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Patriotism in its
simplest, clearest and most indubitable signification is nothing else
but a means of obtaining for the rulers their ambitions and covetous
desires, and for the ruled the abdication of human dignity, reason,
conscience, and a slavish enthralment to those in power.
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A centralised democracy may be as tyrannical as an absolute monarch; and if the vigour of the nation is to continue unimpaired, each individual, each family, each district, must preserve as far as possible its independence, its self-completeness, its powers and its privilege to manage its own affairs and think its own thoughts." James Anthony Froude (1818-1894) Author and historian Source: Short Studies on Great Subjects ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
William Penn in 1681, America, Character Counts
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"Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner." James Bovard - 1994 Source: Lost Rights. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The press is so powerful in its image-making role, it can make a criminal look like he's the victim and make the victim look like he's the criminal. This is the press, an irresponsible press." . . . . "At the Audubon, December 13, 1964." In Malcolm X Speaks:
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"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, Plato (427-347 B.C.)
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"Given that the nineteenth century was the century of Socialism, of Liberalism, and of Democracy, it does not necessarily follow that the twentieth century must also be a century of Socialism, Liberalism and Democracy: political doctrines pass, but humanity remains, and it may rather be expected that this will be a century of authority ... a century of Fascism. For if the nineteenth century was a century of individualism it may be expected that this will be the century of collectivism and hence the century of the State." Benito Mussolini - (1883-1945)
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Bertrand Russell: English logician and philosopher 1872-1970
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Ralph Waldo Emerson : American lecturer, poet, and essayist, 1803-1882
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Voltaire : French writers and philosophers, 1694-1778
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Jonathan Swift : Irish author, 1667-1745
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"These are the days when men of all social disciplines and all political faiths seek the comfortable and the accepted; when the man of controversy is looked upon as a disturbing influence; when originality is taken to be a mark of instability; and when, in minor modification of the original parable, the bland lead the bland." John Kenneth Galbraith
- (1908- ) Canadian-born economist, Harvard professor.
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Ronald Wintrobe
- Source: The Political Economy of Dictatorship
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"So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men" Voltaire.
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Erasmus c.1469 - 1536
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Albert Einstein
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Do not... regard
the critics as questionable patriots. Adlai Stevenson
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"I suppose if I had lost the war, I would have been tried as a war criminal. US General Curtis LeMay, commander of the 1945 Tokyo fire bombing operation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We Americans have no commission from God to police the world: Benjamin Harrison, address to Congress, 1888 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It's not a matter of what is true that counts but a matter of what is perceived to be true." Henry Kissinger
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Freedom... refer[s] to a social relationship among people -- namely, the absence of force as a prospective instrument of decision making. Freedom is reduced whenever a decision is made under threat of force, whether or not force actually materializes or is evident in retrospect." Thomas Sowell - (1930- ) Writer and economist
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"You can't hold a man down without staying down with him." Booker T. Washington - (1856-1915)
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"We are reluctant to admit that we owe our liberties to men of a type that today we hate and fear -- unruly men, disturbers of the peace, men who resent and denounce what Whitman called 'the insolence of elected persons' -- in a word, free men." Gerald W. Johnson - (1890-1980) Source: American Freedom and the Press, 1958
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Wars throughout history have been waged for conquest and plunder. In the Middle Ages when the feudal lords who inhabited the castles whose towers may still be seen along the Rhine concluded to enlarge their domains, to increase their power, their prestige and their wealth they declared war upon one another. But they themselves did not go to war any more than the modern feudal lords, the barons of Wall Street go to war. The feudal barons of the Middle Ages, the economic predecessors of the capitalists of our day, declared all wars. And their miserable serfs fought all the battles. The poor, ignorant serfs had been taught to revere their masters; to believe that when their masters declared war upon one another, it was their patriotic duty to fall upon one another and to cut one another's throats for the profit and glory of the lords and barons who held them in contempt. And that is war in a nutshell. The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and all to lose-especially their lives. Eugene Debs : 16 June 1918: The speech was given to about 1,200 people and was later used against Debs to make the case that he had violated the espionage Act. The judge sentenced Debs to ten years in prison.
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Henry David Thoreau, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience
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"Under the influence of politicians, masses of people tend to ascribe the responsibility for wars to those who wield power at any given time. In World War I it was the munitions industrialists; in World War II it was the psychopathic generals who were said to be guilty. This is passing the buck. The responsibility for wars falls solely upon the shoulders of these same masses of people, for they have all the necessary means to avert war in their own hands. In part by their apathy, in part by their passivity, and in part actively, these same masses of people make possible the catastrophes under which they themselves suffer more than anyone else. To stress this guilt on the part of the masses of people, to hold them solely responsible, means to take them seriously. On the other hand, to commiserate masses of people as victims, means to treat them as small, helpless children. The former is the attitude held by genuine freedom fighters; the latter that attitude held by power-thirsty politicians." Wilhelm Reich, The Mass Psychology of Fascism
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"It is part of the general pattern of misguided policy that our country is now geared to an arms economy which was bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and nurtured upon an incessant propaganda of fear." General Douglas MacArthur, Speech, May 15, 1951
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dress it as we may, feather it, daub it with gold, huzza it, and sing swaggering songs about it, what is war, nine times out of ten, but murder in uniform? Douglas Jerrold
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Herein lies
a riddle: How can a people so gifted by God become so seduced by naked
power, Philip Berrigan - Source: Hell, Healing and Resistance Veterans Speak
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