Mort Sahl Quotes
If you maintain a consistent political position long enough, you'll eventually be accused of treason.
Sahl, Mort. Heartland. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1976.
Explaining why he would not travel abroad during the presidential campaign:
In the latter part of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, one of the tactics of conservatives was to accuse liberal candidates and office holders of being un-American, unpatriotic, and disloyal to the country. The tactic goes back to the beginning of the nation when Jefferson and the Democratic Republicans claimed the Federalists were un-American--monarchists and Anglophiles. In the 1950’s, Senator Joseph McCarthy attacked President Truman, Secretary of State Acheson, Secretary of the Army Stevenson and many others for “un-Americanism.” Even wounded war hero, paraplegic, Senator Max Cleland was accused by Republicans a of being unpatriotic which led to his defeat at the polls. So accusing the President of being un-American, was that unique an act even though it shocked most Americans.
The War of 1812 produced the first “peace movement” in the United States. The transgressions against our ships on the part of the French were much greater than those of the English who each accused us of trading with their enemy and ignoring their blockade. Nonetheless we want to war against England. Meanwhile, New England and some New York farmers and merchants were supplying not only English Canada with food and merchandise including supplying the British Army in Canada, which was not against the law then even in wartime. The “Western Frontier” in contrast were strongly in favor of the war, as they had expansionist designs on invading Canada and resented the British for supplying and allying with the Indian Tribes that were resisting the white expansion into their territories and frequently attacked and massacred farmers on the frontiers of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, and the Carolinas. Morse wanted to hang opponents of the war.
Morton Lyon Sahl is an American comedian, actor, and social satirist, considered the first modern stand-up comedian since Will Rogers. Sahl pioneered a style of social satire which pokes fun at political and current event topics using improvised monologues and only a newspaper as a prop.
