Significant American Citizens and their Comments
America's state religion, [is] patriotism,
a phenomenon which has convinced
many of the citizenry that "treason" is
morally worse than murder or rape.
~William Blum – author
"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file
has already earned my contempt.
He has been given a large brain by mistake,
since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice.
This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once.
Heroism at command, senseless brutality,
deplorable love-of-country stance,
how violently I hate all this,
how despicable and ignoble war is;
I would rather be torn to shreds
than be a part of so base an action!
~ Albert Einstein
Even if the U.S. was responsible for
2 percent of the violence in the world
instead of the majority of it,
it would be that 2 percent
I would be primarily responsible for.
And that is a simple ethical judgment.
That is, the ethical value of one's actions
depends on their anticipated
and predictable consequences.
It is very easy to denounce
the atrocities of someone else.
That has about as much ethical value
as denouncing atrocities that took place
in the 18th century.
~ Noam Chomsky
Few of us can easily surrender our belief
that society must somehow make sense.
The thought that The State has lost its mind
and is punishing so many innocent people is intolerable.
And so the evidence
has to be internally denied.
~ Arthur Miller
a phenomenon which has convinced
many of the citizenry that "treason" is
morally worse than murder or rape.
~William Blum – author
"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file
has already earned my contempt.
He has been given a large brain by mistake,
since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice.
This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once.
Heroism at command, senseless brutality,
deplorable love-of-country stance,
how violently I hate all this,
how despicable and ignoble war is;
I would rather be torn to shreds
than be a part of so base an action!
~ Albert Einstein
Even if the U.S. was responsible for
2 percent of the violence in the world
instead of the majority of it,
it would be that 2 percent
I would be primarily responsible for.
And that is a simple ethical judgment.
That is, the ethical value of one's actions
depends on their anticipated
and predictable consequences.
It is very easy to denounce
the atrocities of someone else.
That has about as much ethical value
as denouncing atrocities that took place
in the 18th century.
~ Noam Chomsky
Few of us can easily surrender our belief
that society must somehow make sense.
The thought that The State has lost its mind
and is punishing so many innocent people is intolerable.
And so the evidence
has to be internally denied.
~ Arthur Miller