Years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free."
Euguene V. Debs as he was being sentenced for violating the Espionage Act of 1917 for speaking out against US involvement in World War I by saying things like this:
Wars throughout history have been waged for conquest and plunder...And that is war in a nutshell. The master class has always declared wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
UPDATE: I'd just like to add that if you visit the wiki article linked above at Mr. Debs' name, you'll find that his conviction for exercising his so-called right to free speech was upheld by the Supreme Court. Just goes to show that this country has a long history of NOT walking our talk.
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