“I am enormously proud to be an American. I would say that the things that our corporate-controlled government has done at best are shameful and at worst genocidal-but there's an incredible and a permanent culture of resistance in this country that I'm very proud to be a part of. It's not the tradition of slave-owningfounding fathers, it's the tradition of the Frederick Douglasses, the Underground Railroads, the Chief Josephs, the Joe Hills, and the Huey P. Newtons. There's so much to be proud of when you're American that's hidden from you. The incredible courage and bravery of the union organizers in the late 1800's and early 1900's-that's amazing. People of get tricked into going overseas and fighting Uncle Sam's Wall Street wars, but these are people who knew what they were fighting for here at home. I think that that's so much more courageous and brave.”

“Airman’s CreedI am an American Airman.I am a Warrior.I have answered my Nation's call.I am an American Airman.My mission is to fly, fight, and win.I am faithful to a proud heritage, A tradition of honor, And a legacy of valor.I am an American Airman.Guardian of freedom and justice, My nation's sword and shield,Its sentry and avenger,I defend my country with my life.I am and American Airman.Wingman, Leader, Warrior.I will never leave an Airman behind,I will never falter,And I will not fail.”

“Paul's face grew serious. 'I think whenever a people has enormous resources, it is easy for them to call themselves democratic. I think of myself more as a physician than an American. We belong to the nation of those who care for the sick. Americans are lazy democrats, and it is my belief, as someone who shares the same nationality as [a Russian doctor], I think the rich can always call themselves democratic, but the sick people are not among the rich [...] I'm very proud to be an American. I have many opportunities because I'm American. I can travel freely through the world, I can start projects, but that's called privilege, not democracy.”

“for Jared Lyman(March 28, 1975-February 3, 2012)A man who knew how to love people. For his son's twenty-fifth birthday (sixteen years from now) he wrote:No UnlessesI love you and I'm proud of youYou might be watching this from prisonIf so - I love you and I'm proud of youIf you're watching this from backstage at Carnegie Hall - I love you and I'm proud of you.It doesn't really matter where you are or what you're doing...I will always be proud of you and I will always love you.I think that's what I'd say.I almost said “Unless...”But I couldn't think of an “Unless”NopeNo “unlesses”

“I love you so much, so incredibly much," he went on, "and I forget when you're close to me, I forget who you are. I forget that you're Jem's. I'd have to be the worst sort of person to think what I'm thinking right now. But I am thinking it.”

“But you're the hardest thing I've ever done, and you're also the best. So... I think that's the moral of the story here. Anything worth having is worth fighting for.”