Devoted to principles of liberty, equality, and religious tolerance — which, dear internet, is not necessarily the same thing as satanism — Masonic l… - Sarah Vowell

I revere the Bill of Rights, but at the same time I believe that anyone who's using three or more of them at a time is hogging them too much. (152)

Nowadays, ever since the attack on the Pentagon in 2001, the capital has been clamped down. How is this manifested? Giant planters blocking government buildings, giant planters barricading every other street. Theoretically, the concrete flowerpots are solid enough to fend off a truck bomb. And yet the effect is ridiculous, as if we believe we can protect ourselves from suicide bombers by hiding behind blooming pots of marigolds, flowers whose main defensive property is repelling rabbits.

Why is America the last best hope of Earth? What if it's Liechtenstein? Or, worse, Canada?