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Travis's avatar

There wasn't reasoning that would have changed the minds/actions of Hitler's or Mussolini's movements either, and that which cannot be reasoned with and conducts itself violently can only be stopped with counter-violence. Maybe we're already on that path, just not at that final destination yet. At the very least people should start mentally preparing themselves for that possibility. We just might get to find out exactly how much democracy means to people when they might have to fight to maintain it themselves, as opposed to just carrying on with their regular daily lives under an autocratic/violent government. There's a non-zero chance of that happening during our lifetimes from where I'm sitting.

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Reldas's avatar

"We just might get to find out exactly how much democracy means to people when they might have to fight to maintain it themselves, as opposed to just carrying on with their regular daily lives under an autocratic/violent government."

I'm a lifelong Texas leftist who regularly gets into "good trouble" fighting the fascists who have been in charge of this state for years. Antifa are the good guys down here.

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Bob Kohut's avatar

then we are already on that path because hard-core Maga-types cannot be reasoned with. There is a slimmer of hope with his election and that is the breakaway of those who choose to ignore the state in which we find ourselves. Heard a priceless comment from historian Heather Cox Richardson to those who blithely claim they don't get involved in politics. She said, politics is about to get very involved with YOU.

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Travis's avatar

We're on the path via not being able to reason with them, but we're not on the path via them doing autocratic government with unconstrained extra-legal violence yet.

And yes, people may not be interested in politics, but politics may be interested in them. The same applies to violence--whether political or otherwise. You may not be interested in it, but it may be interested in you.

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Bob Kohut's avatar

Sad to say Americans in neighborhoods across the country with illegal immigrants in their midst are about to see that violence as they watch neighbors dragging into the streets by "jack-booted government thugs" and into awaiting transports. What will happen to the crying children clinging to their mother's skirts?

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knowltok's avatar

And I'm sure that the government that "is the problem" won't mess up and drag off anybody they shouldn't.

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Travis's avatar

Yup

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