“War becomes perpetual when used as a rationale for peace.” — Norman Solomon …

“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” — Sun Tzu …

“Debt, n. An ingenious substitute for the chain and whip of the slavedriver.” — Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary, 1911 …

“Men never do evil completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.” — Blaise Pascal …

“I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen the dead in the mud. I have seen cities destroyed. I have seen children starving. I have seen the agony of mothers and wives. I hate war.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt …

“You can choose not to go to McDonald’s, you can choose not to eat badly and a lot of people do, but it’s impossible not to use credit in this country. Even if you’re the Unabomber and you’re completely off the grid, you’re still on the hook for the national debt, and your state debt, and your city debt. So debt affects everything in this culture.” — James Scurlock, director of “Maxed Out” …

“Songs won’t save the planet, but neither will books or speeches. Songs are sneaky things; they can slip across borders.” — Pete Seeger …

“Patriotism, in my view, does not mean unquestioning acceptance of whatever the government does. To go along with whatever the government does is not a characteristic of democracy… If you live in a democratic state, it means you have the right to criticize your government’s policies.” — Howard Zinn, A Young People’s History of the United States …

“Democracy is an objective. Democratization is a process. Democratization serves the cause of peace because it offers the possibility of justice and of progressive change without force.” — Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former United Nations Secretary General. …

“Conflicts are inevitable, but why resort to fists and fights when you can take your frustrations out on me? Come on, America: I’m your piñata… I welcome any and all questions. Shake me enough, and I’ll give you the goods on my glorious race. But be careful: this piñata hits back.” — Gustavo Arellano, ¡Ask a Mexican! …