Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity.
-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782

History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes.
-Thomas Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, Dec. 6, 1813.

The whole history of these books [the Gospels] is so defective and doubtful that it seems vain to attempt minute enquiry into it: and such tricks have been played with their text, and with the texts of other books relating to them, that we have a right, from that cause, to entertain much doubt what parts of them are genuine.
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, January 24, 1814

I just love this website report (even though it was published in "The Onion", i.e. tongue-in-cheek)
reminds me of 99% of all the guys I ever knew...
2) don't expect this theory to work with ex-Marines, especially the old ones. They already know they'd probably lose the fight... so they'll just kill you.

Doesn't just apply to old marines, my army DI in '66 told us that fighting fair was for athletic competition, in real life you aren't serious if you aren't cheating. If you haven't got a real weapon, improvise one. Otherwise just back off and avoid the conflict.