
Three excerpts from "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau:

			- * -

  A common and natural result of an undue respect for the law is, that
you may see a file of soldiers, colonel, captain, corporal, privates,
powder-monkeys, and all, marching in admirable order over hill and
dale to the wars, against their wills, ay, against their common sense
and consciences, which makes it very steep marching indeed, and
produces a palpitation of the heart.  They have no doubt that it is a
damnable business in which they are concerned; they are all peaceably
inclined.  Now, what are they?  Men at all?  or small movable forts
and magazines, at the service of some unscrupulous man in power?


			- * -

  How does it become a man to behave toward the American government
today?  I answer, that he cannot without disgrace be associated with
it.  I cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as
my government which is the slave's government also.

			- * -

  All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to
refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny
or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.  But almost all say
that such is not the case now.  But such was the case, they think, in
the Revolution of '75.  If one were to tell me that this was a bad
government because it taxed certain foreign commodities brought to its
ports, it is most probable that I should not make an ado about it, for
I can do without them.

			- * -

Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty.  The obedient must be slaves.

