Sunday, January 29, 2006
"Samuel Johnson's saying that patriotism is the last refuge of
scoundrels has some truth in it,
but not nearly enough. Patriotism, in truth, is the great nursery of
scoundrels, and its annual
output is probably greater than that of even religion. Its chief
glories are the demagogue, the
military bully, and the spreaders of libels and false history. Its
philosophy rests firmly on the
doctrine that the end justifies the means - that any blow, whether
above or below the belt, is
fair against dissenters from its wholesale denial of plain facts."
~H.L. Mencken
scoundrels has some truth in it,
but not nearly enough. Patriotism, in truth, is the great nursery of
scoundrels, and its annual
output is probably greater than that of even religion. Its chief
glories are the demagogue, the
military bully, and the spreaders of libels and false history. Its
philosophy rests firmly on the
doctrine that the end justifies the means - that any blow, whether
above or below the belt, is
fair against dissenters from its wholesale denial of plain facts."
~H.L. Mencken
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