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Alan Smith's avatar

And it’s “biblical”. This shit plays in rural areas, actually all areas, that are still religious because the bible is big on punishment and it’s got great guides for those who want to run the inquisitions. A lot of MAGA world is very religious or at least claims to be…one more reason they go along. They really do believe in just sitting around and letting “God” take the wheel…and has anyone else noticed that the TV preachers used to talk about all the tornadoes, floods, anything bad was God’s punishment for America turning away from God when Dems are in power, but there were several yesterday and not one word about God punishing America for electing trump…it’s almost as if they don’t really believe the things they say they believe 😂

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Walter Rhein's avatar

Yup, leveraging sacred concepts is how people are radicalized. It's scary.

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Laurie's avatar

My favorite quote from this piece: “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” That is very good! And so true.

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Walter Rhein's avatar

That's an old line, I can't take credit for that one :)

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Kathy Minicozzi's avatar

Unfortunately, you might just be right.

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David Perlmutter's avatar

“Punish, punish, punish!”

Trump is the Sadist/Masochist In Chief.

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Lily Chien-Davis's avatar

This is all the reminder to be self-compassionate in the face of everything that goes against it. To be compassionate toward self and others IS an act of resistance and resilience. Thank you, Walter, for another wonderful piece.

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Walter Rhein's avatar

Thanks for that lovely comment!

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Polly Walker Blakemore's avatar

Avenging angel? How about demon from hell? And this weekend Trump is on Florida playing golf. Where is the outrage?

But I will also say that the term righteous concerns me, whether for the right or the left, because it presumes superiority over another, and I think that's part of the problem - each side thinks it's better than the other.

I would just go with cruelty vs compassion, hate vs love, punishment vs peace, hell vs hope.

Even without using the word righteous it's clear in the above which is the best way forward, without having to claim it's better or right, because that just introduces something to debate, and debate leads to argument.

And that's where we are now: fighting, everyone, everywhere, all the time.

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Walter Rhein's avatar

Yes, there's a big difference between how he perceives himself and the reality of what he is, that's for sure.

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marylou watson's avatar

Exquisitely written. Thank you

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Walter Rhein's avatar

Thank you!

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Glen Colton's avatar

Well, this information helps. The 🍊has done damage since day one.

Your articles now gives us a clear & focused target for our disappointment. Or in my case, you t-shirt more of hoping for a mudslide.

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Yakutat@‘94's avatar

&Empathy2!

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Comcast's avatar

Some of this attitude of 'we must have revenge' or 'punshement' surely comes from the erronous idea that God had to have his revenge, and so took out his anger over 'bad humans' on his own son, having him tortured and killed. I do not believe that, many theologians do not believe that; that is not the loving God I know. The God I know is always looking for reconicillation, never angry revenge.

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Bill Lukens's avatar

The Religon Nationalist/Race Supremacy is a world wide affliction.

Every imperialist power in history (and prehistory probably) has used the paradigm of power induced superiority.

Science, Religion medicine, philosophy, literature all are useful tools to exert Dominion over those considered "less than".

The physical power of violence was once the peak of humanity dominance.

Then came the thinkers and observers and planners who were able to "do magic" with nature.

Intellectual knowledge, history, and prediction became as powerful as muscle and flint.

Now, the knowers and makers control the muscles and nuclear flints.

European, Asian, American, African, all the peoples on all the continents, have been oppressed and been the oppressors.

Our current U. S. A. Political crisis is our White Supremacy Christian Nationalist version of world history enacted.

The world doesn't really care about humanity. We humans will disappear and the universes will keep on.

We care about humanity and where we live because we can do better.

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Walter Rhein's avatar

It's not accurate to say it's a world wide affliction. You're conflating worldwide nationalism with the unique white supremacy ideology of the United States. It's important to recognize that white supremacy is a specific form of nationalism that developed in the USA. The Cornerstone Speech is the founding document of white supremacy. A lot of people have this generalized misconception about the evolution of racism and white supremacy--the reason is our country deliberately suppresses the truth.

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