12 September 2013 (13:55 UTC-07 Tango)/07 Dhu ‘l-Qa’da 1434/21 Shahrivar 1391/08 Xin-You (8th month) 4711

“…..I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is ‘what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.’ It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.”-Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, statement published in The New York Times