John

“Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little.”
― Gore Vidal

“American socialism had lost momentum even before the war. (Socialist leader Norman Thomas received 885,000 votes in his 1932 run for the presidency, but only 187,500 in 1936.)”
― Benjamin Balint, Running Commentary

“with few apparent connections to Afghanistan as such, but there were no calls to bomb Riyadh (imagine if the hijackers had been Iraqi). Rather, Saudi Arabia is a favoured ally in the 'war against terrorism'. It is obvious that at stake here are US geopolitical interests (discussed further below), more than concerns to prevent future terrorism.”
― Mark Curtis

“of seatbelts as an opportunity to take up drunk-driving.”
― John Lanchester, Whoops! Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay