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37 Paddington's avatar

Elizabeth, you have articulated everything I was sitting in front of a blank page trying to say, your first paragraph says it all, the inhumanity of it, the absurdity of it, the prosaic cruelty of it, and the fact that it is all for naught in the end, no purpose at all, it will not achieve the ends the bald Nazi orchestrating it all imagines, he will never turn the country back to white, it was never all white to begin with, so in the end it is cruelty for cruelty's sake, not that cruelty is ever purposeful, some would argue with me, but on this point, i am resolved, cruelty is NEVER purposeful, and so the streets are empty and lives unravel, and since no one knows the end game no one knows when or how it will end, and i go from my brain exploding to my brain being ice cold, frozen, because it cannot compute it cannot compute it cannot compute

i am glad your write. i am glad you bear witness. someone needs to say this is how it is.

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Suzanne Edison's avatar

I think cruelty is exactly "the purpose" here in the US. Intimidation, harm, naked power. "because he can" Because his idols are Hitler and Putin and Orban and vengeance is his middle name.

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Jo Murphy's avatar

Oh - well, the endgame is clear. Enough Palestinians tortured/killed to make them leave and live as refugees elsewhere, and move into their remaining land. And then move on to Lebanon, etc. Lebensraum. They say it all the time, it's not like it's a secret or mystery, or anything.

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Jo Murphy's avatar

As to the endgame for Trump and his followers...scary to think. Self destruction, it seems like. Mad Max survival of the most armed?

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Sylvia See's avatar

I just spent a weekend in a world of MAGA. I think this is exactly it. These people cannot wait to be powerful because they have buckets of flour and their own water source with weapons to protect it. Not with actual evil intent but a desire to be powerful.

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Stephanie Hunt's avatar

horrific and terrifying and no answer to your valid, important question. But can we have a moment for awesome tiny lawnmowers??

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Nancy Jainchill's avatar

It's unbelievable the damage that's been wrought. And yes, it certainly causes division, not just between neighbors. I've friends I avoid talking to about it because because because...

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Antonia Malchik's avatar

Whew. There are people who think that at some point they'll "win." But there is no winning, for anyone.

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Rebecca Loudon's avatar

This is the question. This and how bad does it have to get?

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Elisabeth's avatar

Such frightening times, Elizabeth. So much crazy polarisation between people who no longer know who they can trust. When will it end?

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kristin's avatar

There's always an end game and it will be unimaginably horrifying for everyone.

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Rebecca Cook's avatar

I don't know that there is an end game, expect rage and gnashing of teeth.

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