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- The great lie of civilization: that Western institutions have moral authority.
- The value of individual professional success is a fireless alternative to collective action.
- The next generation of potential American wars — Syria, Iran, North Korea—if they happen, will be totally unreal, infinitely more unreal than the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were at their peak: the tools that distort reality are exponentially greater than they were a generation ago.
- Having to choose between faith and politics, I would choose faith, but I would like to be able to choose both: for a faith in the good to be an authentic part of political discourse.
- If a missile campaign against Syria spilled over into a ground war — would anyone really protest? That is — would industry really shut down? Would the system of consumption really shut down? I doubt it.
- Indeed, if civil liberties and traditions were gradually stripped from the fabric of civilization — notice the political campaign to impeach the judges in Pennsylvania who voted to end gerrymandering — would anyone really stop? Go on strike? Media strike? Food strike? Work strike? Would we stop running the machine until it paid attention to us? I doubt it.
