Insight: “If men use their liberty in such a way as to surrender their liberty, are they thereafter any the less slaves? If people by a plebiscite elect a man despot over them, do they remain free because the despotism was of their own making?” —Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

Acute Victimitis: “Do you realize that Starbucks wanted to take Christ and Christmas off of their brand new holiday cups? That’s why they’re just plain red. When I went in, I asked for my coffee, they asked for my name and I told them, ‘My name is Merry Christmas.’ So guess what, Starbucks? I tricked you into putting ‘Merry Christmas’ on your cup.” —former pastor Josh Feuerstein, who posted a video on Facebook viewed millions of times

Non Compos Mentis: “Did you read about Starbucks? No more Merry Christmas on Starbucks. Maybe we should boycott Starbucks. I don’t know. Seriously, I don’t care. If I become president, we’re all going to be saying ‘Merry Christmas’ again. That I can tell you.” —Donald Trump (#MakeChristmasMerryAgain)

Upright: “What has been far more disturbing than anything Ben Carson has said or done has been the media’s search-and-destroy mission against the renowned brain surgeon. The utter irrelevance of the issues raised by the media, at a time when the country faces monumental challenges at home and overseas, makes the media hype grotesque. It tells us more about the media than about Dr. Carson.” —Thomas Sowell

Braying Jackass: “[Ben Carson’s] repressive, muddled and pious policies and opinions often run against our Constitution. … And it would definitely not be good for African-Americans to have a president who flounders helplessly in office because it would perpetuate the stereotype that blacks can’t be effective CEOs, quarterbacks and leaders. … Someone who does not have the experience of governing … is going to have a tough time.” —celebrity leftist Kareem Abdul-Jabar (Of course if anyone has perpetuated that stereotype, it would be Barack Obama, who had no experience in governing and has done nothing but flounder helplessly in office.)

Village Idiots: “This process is good for our democracy. It’s not easy to run for president. It shouldn’t be. And people who run for president are going to have their claims scrutinized, particularly about their own biography.” —Obama spokesman Josh Earnest seemingly endorsing the media’s unsubstantiated attacks on Carson

Late-night humor: “A new report from CNN suggests that Ben Carson made up the stories of his violent temper from his youth, including one where he said he almost stabbed a kid. That’s how weird this presidential election is: A candidate is now in trouble because he didn’t stab someone as a kid.” —Jimmy Fallon