the moon is down
From which author do the following words come?
You
killed six men when you came in. Under
our law you are guilty of murder, all of you.
Why do you go into this nonsense of law, Colonel? There is no law between you and us. This is war.
Don't you know you will have to kill all of us or we in time will kill
all of you? You destroyed the law when
you came in, and a new law took its place.
Don't you know that?
And again:
The people don't like to be conquered, sir, and so they will not be. Free men cannot start a war, but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars.
I certainly wouldn't have guessed Steinbeck, but these are excerpts from his excellent novella The Moon Is Down. A quick read with realistic characters and a powerful message. Definitely worth the time.