Apparently Mr. Piper was miffed that Kennedy didn't nuke the Soviets over the Cuba dustup instead of negotiating. His philosophical descendents are still in Congress in the likes of McCain, Graham, et al.

We've been sticking our nose into other peoples' business since 1812, not to the benefit of the majority of citizens. Washington could have written this today with the Middle East in mind. We never learn.

Perhaps Calvino wrote this to see if his reader was awake. Of course, it is exactly the opposite. The Soviet Union had a nice written constitution, but the State ignored it. The U.S. has an even better written constitution. It is ignored by the "men in black" who "beat the system" by ignoring the written word.

Best Lincoln quote I've ever read. Brilliant use of language.

Too few citizens realize that the government & the country are not the same.