There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
Noam ChomskyRead
Governments are supposed to lie to their citizens.
Interpretation
Governments often deceive the public as part of their operations.
Noam Chomsky's quote suggests that deceit is a fundamental aspect of governance, implying that governmental institutions frequently manipulate or mislead the citizens they represent. This assertion challenges the ideal that governments should operate transparently, raising questions about the nature of power, control, and the relationship between the state and its people.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about political transparency during a debate or public forum.
There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.
The 'free-floating intellectual' may occupy himself with problems because of their inherent interest and importance, perhaps to little effect.
If you're teaching today what you were teaching five years ago, either the field is dead or you are.
There are very few people who are going to look into the mirror and say, 'That person I see is a savage monster;' instead, they make up some construction that justifies what they do.
The Republican Party has become overwhelmingly so extreme that it's hardly a traditional political party anymore.
There is still much debate about whether torture has been effective in eliciting information - the assumption being, apparently, that if it is effective, then it may be justified.
Tonight, with a new Iraqi government in place, and following consultations with allies abroad and Congress at home, I can announce that America will lead a broad coalition to roll back this terrorist threat.
The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy.
The essence of government is control, or the attempt to control.
England has not wholly escaped the curse which must ever befall a free government which holds extensive provinces in subjection; for, although she has not lost her liberty or fallen into anarchy, yet we behold the population of England crushed to the earth by the superincumbent weight of debt and taxation, which may one day terminate in revolution.
All new states are invested, more or less, by a class of noisy, second-rate men who are always in favor of rash and extreme measures, but Texas was absolutely overrun by such men.
Excessive taxation . . . will carry reason & reflection to every man's door, and particularly in the hour of election.
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