The Body Politic ...
“Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know?
For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar.”
--Julius Caesar“How can extreme forms of nationalism survive when men have seen the earth in its true perspective—as a single small globe against the stars?”
–Arthur Clarke"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is
that you end up being governed by your inferiors."
--Plato“They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
--Benjamin Franklin“History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.”
–Abba Eban