Prisoners

"To make tomorrow better we must realize tough realities today, to understand the necessity for renunciation."

"I am saying this to avoid any suspicion that I want to defend, at no matter what price, the decisions I took. Martial law was an evil which resulted in various human vexations and sufferings which I very much regret. But even so, they were a lesser evil than the multidimensional catastrophe which faced us as a very real danger."

"Were it not for the declaration of martial law, the substantiation of that announcement in mid-winter would have signified not only economic but also biological catastrophe. No grand issues and dilemmas may be studied without their historical backgrounds in separation from the realities of a given moment. A historian seated in the tranquility of archives and libraries can allow his thoughts to wander in various directions. Basing on continually supplemented sources, he knows today what took place in the past. But a politician active at that time knew only what was happening at a given moment. And he also had to take into account that which could take place. A historian enjoys the comfort of delivering evaluations which have no practical effects."

"The most important thing is to hit the bull's-eye at the historically most appropriate moment. Which is why all opportunist dilatory foot-dragging is intolerable. But any historical false starts and voluntaristic acceleration are also dangerous. Grain and fruit and also society must have time to ripen, especially the home politicus."

"The introduction of martial law was the most dramatic decision I had ever taken. And life had treated me harshly. I experienced my country's tragedy in 1939."

"I had to face up to many a dangers, often looking death in the face. Later, in the decades which ensued, I often had to resolve complex dilemmas. But that dilemma of 1981 was of a quite different dimension and of the very greatest specific weight since I bore the responsibility for the fate of the nation and country."

"Poland is not situated in a territorial vacuum on some uninhabited island. Indeed, the opposite is true. It lies in the most geostrategically sensitive part of Europe. In those recent years, Europe and the world were divided into two opposing political and military blocks. That meant that all internal conflicts inevitably led to external repercussions, reflecting on the climate of relations and the pattern of international forces."

"A politician has to bear the weight of decisions whose effects are often enormous. And those decisions have to be taken. A controversial decision is better than no decision or waiving it, since it permits a situation to be brought under control while allowing it to be reined in with the possibility of correction."

"The absence of a decision could result in an impetuous, dangerous development of a situation which has got out of any control. There is no ideal solution in such circumstances. The only thing is to find the optimal solution, "a lesser evil.""

"Brezhnev and the Politburo demanded a change in personnel in the Polish United Workers’ Party and the stabilisation of the communist order. They turned to a military man, General Wojciech Jaruzelski, who became Prime Minister in February 1981 and then Party First Secretary in October. Jaruzelski introduced martial law in December 1981. He did this as much to pre-empt a Warsaw Pact invasion as to reimpose order in Poland. In fact the Soviet Politburo had decided not to intervene militarily even if Solidarity were to edge its way to power; but Jaruzelski was not privy to this information. Solidarity was outlawed and more of its militants were taken into custody. Yet the strikes and demonstrations were not abated. The network of Solidarity groups and agencies survived the police onslaught; its presses produced pamphlets, postcards and audiocassettes. Graffiti-artists sprayed slogans on walls such as ‘The winter is yours but the spring will be ours’. The Catholic priesthood gave uncompromising sermons on the need for religious faith and patriotism."

"We are a sovereign country so we must get out from this crisis by ourselves. We must draw away danger with our own hands. History would never forgive the present generation for wasting this chance."

"Exactly one year ago martial law was introduced. The year that has passed was a great test. We have passed it. It has been passed by the party, by the people's authority and all the citizens. But there is the only winner: the Polish nation. This is the shortest-put truth about the past year."

"Jaruzelski himself was reluctant to use any more force than was absolutely necessary for the maintenance of the state order. He had an impossible task. The communist party and the institutions it sponsored – trade unions, youth associations and cultural clubs – attracted popular contempt. The result was chronic stalemate: although Jaruzelski succeeded in restoring a degree of calm, he could not liquidate Solidarity and Solidarity could not supplant his military administration. Poland was like an insect trapped in amber. No fundamental political and economic development was possible for the country. No end to martial law appeared in sight."

"Citizens of the Polish People's Republic, Difficult years are behind us. Hard times had rolled over the Polish lands. They had produced internal splits and dangerously weakened that bond that throughout centuries was uniting Poles in the face of the greatest dangers. I will not recall those pre-December days. We all remember them. Nothing can conceal the merciless meaning of the then facts. It is only facts that truly count in politics, in the life of nations."

"The rigors of martial law were applied by us sparingly. We started easing and lifting them almost right away, from the very start. Observance of law and order is getting ever stronger. That allows to positively answer the appeal of the patriotic movement of national rebirth, as well as the other social initiatives aiming at a similar direction."

"The suspension of martial law means that its basic rigors will cease to function before the end of this year. Only such regulations should be binding either in full or limited dimension, which directly protect the basic interests of the state, create the shield for the economy and strengthen the personal security of citizens."

"I do not make any promises. But I do promise one thing - anarchy will not be allowed into Poland. Let no one in Poland or outside cherish any illusions that the present decisions will allow for another round."

"We have survived the boycott, restrictions and the barrage of instigatory propaganda. The Government of the United States and some of its customers can see for themselves the bankruptcy of attempts to interfere in Polish internal affairs."

"In the emerging era of globalization, it is becoming increasingly evident that no country can ensure its security on its own. This indivisibility of global human security requires a genuine display of solidarity and collective responsibility on the part of every country of the international community so that it can effectively address the formidable challenges at the turn of the new millennium."

"We aim to develop as a nation where healthy, educated people will live without poverty ... building a democratic country that is environmentally friendly, is connected to international financial networks, has a competitive economy and respects human rights."

"In terms of economic achievements we still need better results - still unemployment and poverty is a main concern for the government of Mongolia, so we have to focus now more on economic development issues."

"Among the priority areas of action, I wish to highlight quality education. It goes without saying that education is a key factor in creating a world where people can develop their full potential and lead productive lives, thus the need to ensure that all children have access to primary education that is free, compulsory and of good quality."

"I am certain that we will have a platform to share a few ideas about Harare West and Parliament and there is a lot to learn for young and new MPs like myself."

"The idea of rewarding the successful democracies through supporting their goals inspired the Mongolians from the beginning of this initiative. We welcome the concept for—we sense that the initiative will eventually contribute to the betterment of the life of ordinary people."

"We need to build a more prosperous world, in which poverty is excluded and development is axiomatic. We need to build a safer world, in which terror is defeated, deadly weapons do not fall into the wrong hands and technology is used for the betterment of human life. We need to build a just world that does not turn a blind eye to the plight and suffering of its inhabitants, but ensures that rules are respected and rights are enjoyed. We need a world of larger freedom and greater dignity."

"Choudary took pains to presnt the laws of war under which the Islamic State operates as policies of mercy rather than of brutality. He told me the state has an obligation to terrorize its enemies—a holy order to scare the shit out of them with beheadings and crucifixions and enslavement of women and children, because doing so hastens victory and avoids prolonged conflict."

"There should be the removal of all borders and an invitation to all Muslims to become citizens of the new Islamic State with the aim to unite the Muslim land of the Indian sub-continent to begin with, to be the precursor of greater unity under the Khilafah [caliphate]."

"For people who have had adultery committed against them, people who have had their wives taken, a lot will say "I think stoning to death is appropriate". I was like you, I was completely oblivious to Islam and the Islamic civilisation because I was educated in this system. But when you look at the rationale and benefits of it, you realise that it is, in fact, superior."

"Our sensationalist and irresponsible media has, in fact, been deeply complicit in the rise and rise of this fanatic, devoting quite disproportionate and counter-productive coverage to his various rantings. Is Choudary an Islamic scholar whose views merit attention or consideration? No. Has he studied under leading Islamic scholars? Nope. Does he have any Islamic qualifications or credentials? None whatsoever. So what gives him the right to pontificate on Islam, British Muslims or "the hellfire"? Or proclaim himself a "sharia judge"? Will he even manage to round up enough misfits to carry the 500 coffins with him? I doubt it – Choudary and co couldn't even persuade enough people to join a "march for sharia" that they had proudly planned to hold in central London in late October, and, at the very last minute, had to humiliatingly withdraw from their own rally. Pathetic, eh? The fact is that Choudary is as unrepresentative of British Muslim opinion, as he is of British anti-war opinion."

"[On the men responsible for the September 11 attacks] Those individuals are Muslims, they were carrying out their Islamic responsibility and duty, so in that respect they were magnificent, and the Muslims worldwide hope that they are accepted as martyrs in the eyes of God."

"[After the 7 July 2005 London bombings] Al-Qaida are not targeting people arbitrarily. There are specific targets [...] The time for talking is over. You can't sit down and negotiate while you are murdering Muslims in Iraq."

"[On Choudary's membership of the internationally proscribed Islamist group Al Muhajiroun (The Emigrants)] Choudary ... is the group's former leader. He frequently appears on cable news, as one of the few people producers can book who will defend the Islamic State vociferously, until his mike is cut. He has a reputation in the United Kingdom as a loathsome blowhard, but he and his disciples sincerely believe in the Islamic State and, on matters of doctrine, speak in its voice. Choudary and the others feature prominently in the Twitter feeds of Islamic State residents..."

"In London, Choudary and his students provided detailed descriptions of how the Islamic State must conduct its foreign policy, now that it is a caliphate. It has already taken up what Islamic law refers to as "offensive jihad," the forcible expansion into countries that are ruled by non-Muslims. "Hitherto, we were just defending ourselves," Choudary said; without a caliphate, offensive jihad is an inapplicable concept. But the waging of war to expand the caliphate is an essential duty of the caliph."

"When the Right Wing said 'Never!', the System responded with 'Eventually.'"

"I was born without any COMPUNCTIONS. If it feels good, DO IT! If it gets you where you want to go, USE IT! And by the same token, if it’s counter-productive, DROP IT!"

"The System is as fearful as it is vengeful."

"We must have a TOTAL break with the past if we are to survive it."

"But, just from a practical point of view, you tell a young White kid he must get his hair cut and give up grass, etc., and you are going to lose him to the other side who will be thinking to themselves - rightfully - just what a jerk you are. We will interior decorate only AFTER we have extinguished the house fire. (Same goes for sex practices as long as it is kept WHITE, just as Manson insisted.)"

"Adolf Hitler represented the END of one world-historic era and the man who represents the START of a new one either has not appeared or he has not yet been recognized. This man, whoever he may be, will however definitely pick up where Hitler left off, of that we may assure ourselves."

"The truth will not make you free; only ACTION. How easy it has been for them to suppress all our truth. Not so easily can they hide ACTION. It has the effect of leaving the fakers and the parasites standing alone and exposed as in the middle of a forty-acre field. It is electrifying. It is unifying. It builds the confidence to go on toward even greater things."

"Perhaps the one solid development that has occurred within the Movement in recent years - very recent years - is the consensus that not only is the total destruction of the world-wide System and Establishment inevitable now, but it is our only best hope. Not even Spengler himself could have foreseen a twist like that."

"An intelligent, informed person can still learn much truth even from the worst liars if he knows what to look for."

"What we may hope for - realistically - is the total consumption of these people, together with their rotten System, before our eyes and through their own evil. What we may work for - realistically - is our own physical salvation, the maintenance of the quality of our lives, in order that we or our posterity may be the last on the scene, to have, in essence, inherited the earth."

"Among the things I have been since I first opened my eyes at birth is an atheist."

"Aside from positively infuriating the behind-the-scenes Big Brother Systemites in Moscow and New York, Hitler caused unlimited resentment and chagrin among the stooges of the System of his day because he wasn't "qualified" to do what he was doing, he didn't have the social "background" for world statesmanship which he had assumed in the role of German Chancellor. It was this latter resentment among petty European, nominally "White" politicians that facilitated the war that would erupt in 1939."

"I'm a believer in clear thought and strong action. I believe we are our own "god" and control our own fate. And I know that we can't leave any of this to chance or to an "if". As far as the Movement is concerned, let us use religion as a tool to lead others whose understanding is thus limited. We can't afford to pretend or to accept for a moment that religion can ever lead us!"

"Whites perceive - even if unconsciously - that their struggle has been over for longer than they or any of their predecessors really can tell. When, during the mid-Sixties, as a youth in junior high school, a classroom of mixed Blacks and Whites was collectively chanting "Black Power, Black Power", the explanation one White offered me later was that there was already "White Power" and that "Black Power" was only the fair thing. By instinct alone, that didn't wash at all with me even though, at twelve or thirteen, I was unable to articulate in my mind exactly why. In fact there was no "power" at all. Only a pie of which everyone wanted a piece. And, just as nature decrees everywhere, the most and biggest pieces go to the most aggressive. Struggle."

"Everything the revolutionary does, he does because he has to. There is the justification and there lies complete and total morality. The revolutionary does nothing "for the hell of it", does nothing "for the fun of it", does nothing for the gratification or diversion of it. Revolutionaries possess the highest goal, the highest calling and, therefore, anything is allowed. And in this same regard, it was Commander Rockwell who said, "Only failure is immoral.""

"No real history has been recorded since 1945. Nothing of a positive, upward nature has occurred since then. Some technology has been developed which threatens to destroy us all. Some infectious diseases have been curtailed while degenerative disease now seems to be in all our futures. Civilization is crumbling and dying."

"Manson, like Hitler, is as human as you or I. He is just special by virtue of a one-in-a hundred million shot of gene combinations which gives him his ideas, his personality and his physical presence."