It's a historical design because the aristocracy has from the beginning walled off ALL the people from the real truth of history and of knowledge to keep the mass in ignorance and poor as dirt. It's been so effective that the brainwashed mass accepts its condition and doesn't even fight to remedy it.

Bacon left out an important fifth reason: the foolish hobgoblin of consistency Emerson so well described. Once most people make a decision their minds become closed to new thoughts or new evidence.

The truth of this statement is why our present government is doing everything it can do to dumb down our population.

I second Mr. Archer.

Another example of the real threat of government---that of becoming fascists and riding herd on the mass of people.

Nofzinger's quotation is grotesque in its ignorance. The threat of govenment is never in the direction of socialism; it is forever being pushed by the rightists, by the doctrine nothing less than fascism. any reading of real history bears this out.

Bullshit. This kind of thinking is what's destroying peace and democracy everywhere. If he had said "loyalty to humankind" and "duty to follow the principles of the golden rule" he would have truly said something.

What an inane quotation. It means nothing.

Where are some quotes re the fact that IRS has been gutted by the powerful so that only the average working person's taxes get audited? I don't think there's a damn bit of fear in these people. And what about the fact that income tax is the fairest tax of all, or it was when it was graduated fairly?

Take out the word "qualified" and substitute the word "God" with "humankind" and you'll have a decent quotation.

Anon has it right again.

These three quotations strictly pander to the Neanderthal. I don't think quotes like these add to any enlightenment or provocative thinking.

Thanks again to Reston and Occidental.

Reston, Victoria, and Occidental know the truth. Thank you three for expressing it so well.

It should be informative that all these quotations for the right of unlimited gun use come from the 18th century when we had little or no army. All you gun nuts should ask yourself this question: why are there many, many more murders in this country than in those that control guns?

Substitute "the oligarchy of the country" for the name of Greenspan and nothing could be more true.

The Bushes' world order is the same as Mussolini's and Hitler's. Corporate government and a third world for the people of all countries including the U.S.

Plutocrat that he was, it is no wonder he considers anyone who works for justice and a better world a subversive.

Nonsense. A paper can be accurate in everything it prints, but be slanted acutely by what it omits.

A radical doesn't always speak the truth but the truth, unfortunately, is spoken by those who are considered radical.

How true! How very true! And when will the "people" ever learn this?

Mr. Berg's comment is quite on the mark. He might have added Bush's name to bring the point even closer to home.

A knowledge politicians, especially the fascist kind, have known and used to their advantage for centuries....and especially now in the U.S.

And the facade, as obviously ignominious as it is, continues to fool the majority.

A statement obvious to any but the die-hard swallowers of the lies of the ignorant right.