“I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.”- Lincoln, Nov 21, 1864

“War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small ‘inside’ group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.” – Smedley Butler, “War Is a Racket” (1935)

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. Dwight Eisenhower

“The high office of the President has been used to foment a plot to destroy the American people’s freedom, and before I leave office, I must inform the citizens of this plight.” JFK, Nov 12, 1963

“The name for our profits is democracy” – Phil Ochs, Cops of the World

Yeah, I agree with that Lex and a lot more deficiencies—at the end of the day I found it lacking but thought it worth sharing anyway.

Not to mention the characterization of the Roman Republic & the Magna Carta as “democratic”... just how far up your posterior do you have to shove your head in order to produce that particular intellectual jump? I’ve seen more sophisticated work out of junior high students.