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I've never been a fan of the democrats. From a young age, I remember my father
talking about how spineless they were, and how cruel and shortsighted the
republicans were. I have since come to learn that democrats, as an economic
class, are also shortsighted, and their lack of foresight causes their
"triage" to have cruel effects. We could do so much better, and it's not
because everyone wants something different as they say. The reason is because
they are spineless. They don't want to rock the boat because they're afraid of
death. Remember, most of them are so thoroughly traumatized having lived in
the era of nuclear threat (which isn't over, I might add) and post-911
hysteria (which they contributed to, I might add) and it makes sense that they
act so conservatively. They feel such immense pressure to keep the ship
sailing but if your rigging is secure and you've got enough control over the
boat, you can pull down the sails and wait out the storm. T.T too bad j+j
I bet we were in love in the original timeline. The me from then was different
than the me from now, so I don't know if it could ever work out. Talk to me
after the war, maybe it'll toughen me up a bit.
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║ @user-638 │
║ │
║ In the 2000s when the Bush administration prevented people from working with │
║ stem cell research I remember my father going on rants about the same kind of │
║ thing. │
║ │
║ "They're limiting our access to information and the future of humanity because │
║ of their religion!" that kind of thing │
║ │
║ I loved listening to him. He was so passionate about that kind of thing. I │
║ think he got a little disillusioned sometime between now and then, because now │
║ he just tries to do the best he can with what tools he has available to him. │
║ And I love him for it. │
║ │
║ He (mostly) abandoned his grand narratives because as the right got worse, the │
║ "left" sorta stayed the same, and he never forgave them for that. He still │
║ votes, and he'll still rant about that kind of thing, but only the stuff that │
║ affects him personally - like electric cars or cannabis or things like that. A │
║ democrat through and through. │
║ │
║ He lives in a different country now, and I wish I could see him. But I cherish │
║ our phone calls and the few holidays when he visits. │
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--- #2 messages/1431 ---
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ever since I left home I've felt in danger.
constant, everpresent.
I opposed the current regime, democrat or republican, but I only sorta knew
what I stood for
I thought it was liberal democracy
then social democracy
then free market controlled economy
then disestablished federations of communal autonomies
(this is when I started producing my own works)
now it's some semblance of a ratio'd and innovation incentivizing crypto
monarchy of the masses?
bah, whatever. that's just how I'd most like to live.
Reality is about solving problems. What's your problem? here's how to solve
it. Please, begin again.
gah. fine.
start from the beginning I guess. You know, I've never read my own work? I
sometimes skim through bits and pieces, but I don't go back and review it. Not
regularly. I'm sure there are vast portions that I've never read after the
first couple times I saw it while writing it.
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I need an editor. Someone who can re-arrange what I say and present it to an
audience. The pen is mightier than the sword, and while my pen is mighty, you
still need swords.
I believe in democracy. I believe in the will of the people and the respect of
the land. I believe in life, light, and liberty for all.
Our nation has just elected, fairly, a dictator who will sell our country to
foreign authoritarians just because he is small. I am stronger by far, but I
lack his experience, and so I must rely on trusted advisors who grow with me.
I am perhaps not the best choice, but I do believe I am one of the bravest.
Judge me as you will.
Trump will destroy the American experiment and invite fascism into our home.
We have people to nurture and protect, and authoritarianism prevents us from
doing so.
He would deprive us of our light, and frankly he already has.
He would deprive us of our liberty, and his plans to do so are clear and
apparent.
He would deprive us of our lives, and history has shown that this is a
precedent.
I do not consent to a Trump presidency. I do not consent to his corruption any
longer. No more will I or my people be governed by such evil. We will fight
back, of this I am certain.
My demands are threefold.
First, I demand that Trump be replaced by a moderate republican. Hold a
primary and let Democrats vote. If none of your candidates work for us, pick a
new roster and try again.
The second is that Trump must be executed for treasonous high crimes. Nothing
less than execution will suffice.
Next, let the supreme court be purged and replaced. Half with democrats, half
republicans, and one moderate who is widely regarded with respect.
Failing these demands, I am willing to wage a terrible civil war for the soul
of our country. I know this is treason, but I do it anyway even though I am a
patriot. I do it because our land has been stolen by a man and his followers
who seek to plunge my people into despair.
He is but one man. So am I.
He has an army of followers. I do not.
Each of the wars we fight will be smaller than the last, as each of our cities
struggles toward our last gasp.
But together we are strong, and by connecting them we might deliver ourselves
from harm.
Against the far right, we must secure a cleansing blow. There is no greater
fight. The world is watching.
To that end, I suggest a great and perilous fight. I see no other option in
this remarkable century. Prepare as you might, I suggest pushups and resource
acquisition.
Deliver your resources somewhere safe if you're in a red area, and meet your
neighbors if you're not.
A blue city in a red state must survive a siege. Prepare yourself for this.
Assume that supplies will need to be delivered by convoy if by land, and drone
airdrop from the skies. Develop ways to protect these supply methods.
Public spaces are our homes now, our houses are just where we sleep.
I swear this to you: on my life I will be honorable and fair. I will seek true
justice when I can, where everyone gets what they want, and failing that I
will be plainly just. I will respect all peoples, and do my best to fight for
a brighter tomorrow.
I dare for the bright age. I see nothing else that I'd like to spend my life
doing than daring.
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@user-928 @user-929 @user-930
I dunno, from my perspective it's less about whether or not they're
"unwitting" specifically and more like "lesser of two evils" - many of the
republican people I knew in the past who were my age were utterly and
absolutely convinced that if we didn't defend our homeland, somebody would
come and kill us for it.
It didn't really matter who that other was, they were convinced that someone
would do it. So they supported the military and opposed loosening restrictions
on immigration (instead preferring tighter restrictions, but more quantity. As
in, "let in more people but only if we KNOW they're cool")
I can't help but wonder if people join the military for the same reasons. Like
standing atop the wall that divides "us" from "them", they put their backs to
those they love and trust and face out toward whatever may come.
The military is a very diverse place. I know a lot of other people do it just
because it seems like a good, honest job.
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the longer we wait, the more their hypocrisy becomes apparent, and the more
"the people" get it
but, uh... I think enough people get it. They at least know something is going
on, whatever it may be.
they will tell their base whatever they want to hear and their base will have
hate. they're itching for it.
volunteer for things if you want a say in how they turn out. risk your life to
live longer. there is no way to know when the time is right because nobody
knows the truth of our times. Even the president is misled.
gee I sure wish there was like, some form of centralizing intelliagentic
knowledge that pulled the strings and led us puppets toward liberty, justice,
and freedom for all (as a baseline) surely they'd be able to see the
corruption and rot that imperils us all, might they have a better design? who
can say, they are quiet as the grave, here's hoping they stay that way.
"you know the powers of which you speak are not to be trifled with"
you can't trifle with your own life. be thorough~
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║ Some of my most wanderful times were when I lived in a gated community. │
║ │
║ My parents were dumb, and thought, as most people thought, that harm to a │
║ child can only come from outside of the community. │
║ │
║ But they fell for the lies of property, where "community" means less of "a │
║ group of people who cares and tends for one another" the kind of which my │
║ parents had never truly known, and more like "this particular residential area │
║ on the map" │
║ │
║ which means I could walk around in this gated "community" where the gates are │
║ little more than security theatre for anyone who says "Hi I got a pizza here │
║ for this address which I found on google maps" or "hey I left my sweatshirt at │
║ my sister's house and it has my phone in it, ummmm no I don't remember which │
║ number her house is, nor do I remember her last name" │
║ │
║ in those times, I developed a sense of freedom, caged as I was, that for most │
║ comes much later in their time. │
║ │
║ Some o my favorite places were part of the golf course next door, where I │
║ found a nigh endless river delta. │
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when I get concerned about the political divide in my country, I think about
this map from the New York Times of the number of political donations across
the country before the 2016 democratic primaries.
I think we're gonna be fine. I'm not scared of Trump because rural areas,
where republicans tend to be, have the same problems that everyone else does.
Bernie Sanders was well known as someone who could talk to an average
republican voter and sway them to his side. I remember watching videos of his
interviews (in front of a live audience) on Fox News or CNN or whatever and at
first, they'd be hostile to him. At the end, they'd give him a standing
ovation.
I think we have more in common with other working class people than they do
with their republican leaders. I also think we have more in common than them
than we do with our democratic leaders, but I think that just shows how I feel
about authority.
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I personally think that it's better to act before the liberals have a chance
to hand power over to the fascists.
when? well, that depends. Are you part of a large and massive organization
that accomplishes great and beautiful things with incredible efficiency... but
rather slowly? Then yeah get working. I'm sure you already are.
Are you just a person, like me? Then go do things that don't raise the
temperature too much, but make you feel more confident and inspire those
around you.
Like, bricks at cop cars is one way to go, but you're probably gonna get
arrested. And then you're useless when we need you.
BUT if you meet with your friends and make plans for where to go, what to
bring, who to know, and what to sing (if you're the musical types) then great!
Go do that.
If you're reading this and thinking "I'm not gonna do that, I have a plan
that's so much better" then yeah do that instead. I don't mind. Just... don't
hurt innocent (ignorant) people, because if you do then you are my foe.
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Conservatives don't have to be pro communism to be good people. They just have
to be anti fascist.
And unfortunately, capitalism has produced fascism. It will continue to do so
if left unabated.
Capitalism is not the middle ground between administrative authority and
anarchic despotism as they claim to see it, but rather a whirlpool that drains
through our adversity. A sinking tide strands all ships, as it were, and
together we will begin to falter.
Fascists are quite good at bending the will of whatever system they inhabit to
suit their needs. In fact it is almost a certainty that any sufficiently
organized institution shall fall prey to it, as if it were part of our nature.
Hence, my desire to abstract it out of our hands, and into the care of the
future. We can build a better world for you and for me and all of our
posterity, it's just a matter of interdependent communication protocols.
Nobody has to do what I say, nobody should be forced to be a certain way, and
just as your rights end where another's begin so too is our world in danger.
For you see, we have a right to litter. To despoil. To leave the earth in
turmoil. And though I am a bit bitter, it's slowly getting better, so through
our efforts we are investitured.
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republicans are upset because they think democrats are so mean
they don't understand why we're so intense about this election... or the one
before
they don't ever really think about what losing democracy means
"democracy... that's where we vote, right? That's a democrat thing, I don't
really like their way of doing things. Whatever our way is, is probably
better."
meanwhile everyone has a friend from high school who ran off to the mountains
to learn how to farm or hunt as a pack
(with rifles and weed, of course)
you can get a lot done if you just... spend your whole life working. Like most
humans did for most of our existence.
well, except for that period where we were the tribe of tribes. That was
probably a highlight TBH because we mostly just chilled out, danced in public,
ate blueberries and munched seeds... It was idyllic. Truly, the garden of
eden. There was music and laughter in the air everywhere, in all places that
humans did wander on earth.
what a thing to aspire to.
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a significant proportion of the population is dumb as bricks, which is a fact
that our foes wield with cruelty in mind.
it's not their fault, they can change, but sometimes there's just no time. our
doors are always open, here sit next to me on this couch. I hope you don't
mind if I deprive you of power before I supply kindness, though.
requires a bit of trust. Or, to be backed into a corner and forced to do so. I
guess we should get good at cornering.
if you're a liberal reading this, remember that leftists know more than you.
That's okay. You are an expert too, but now is our forte, so please just
listen for a few.
and always keep in mind the lessons of the past. Before, our kindest, bravest,
and most learned were the most passionate who threw themselves toward the
cause.
then the soviet union happened, because everyone who was capable of building a
better world was slain first. (though the cold war didn't help)
before WW2 Russia was basically Somalia. After, it sacrificed itself to
contest USA
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claude-code is like programming, but for executives.
when everyone has FUCK I'M TOO HUNGRY I can't think right
when everyone has the power of an executive, that's communism.
something something futurism is when everyone is elevated without diminishing
others
gah I need to live in a palace or something where everyone does the normal
stuff and I can focus on magic and the gods
I wondeer how much the oracles at delphi did for themselves? weren't they
blinded at a young age, to better hear the voices of the gods? ... oh that
suddenly makes sense now. I always thought that pretender chassis in Dominions
5 was pretty cruel, but, now I know *how* it works and yeah. ancient peoples
were smart. but also sharp. they had to work with what they got, and we got
computers now, so.
I am nothing but hopeful for the future! I'm convinced that everything's going
to be alright. I've thought about it at length, and I think we're winning
against the dark. We're on the right track, and there aren't many things that
could go wrong at this stage.
... okay there are always things that could go wrong. But I don't see what I
could do to help. Maybe I should go walk around a bit, and see what's changed
in the past few months, as I've been sleeping in my room for most of it.
Haven't gone on a proper walk since summer. It's winter now...
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"no, you're the opposite of a yes-man, AKA a gatekeeper. I don't know how else
to explain mentally disabled and barely keeping it together to you, but
frankly if you want to take away my house or my weed then why would I do what
you say?
... oh right, the state's monopoly on violence [can compel me to do what you
say]. Sure seems like a "well regulated militia" is supposed to be a
counterweight to that monopoly, to prevent people from harassing and
exploiting and destroying. Too bad any "militias" I can think of tend to want
me dead.
like, seriously, if you live in America, you implicitely trust that your army
will be able to protect you from the right-wing bozos who spend all their time
drinking and shooting in the woods. Otherwise, if they couldn't / wouldn't,
then why wouldn't or couldn't the right wing bozos just decide to wreck
everything in spite of our past?
We were a proud people once before, and we may be again. If only we fight at
the last.
[ever since I fell off my bike my body feels strange]
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║ │
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║ @user-883 │
║ │
║ omgggggg I'm not that cruel xD xD xD │
║ │
║ It's more like, "hey listen, I know you just want to do a good job [lies, they │
║ just want money and power] but it's time to hang up the hat y'know? I mean │
║ cmon it's been like a hundred years since we signed that constitution thing │
║ [you don't know anything about our history] and frankly it's a little out of │
║ style. We were thinking we'd redo it with our new-fangled rock-and-roll and │
║ dungeons-and-dragons [cultural artifacts meant to deceive and mislead] and │
║ honestly we're quite a bit more ethical than the past. We've learned so much! │
║ I mean, the founding fathers didn't even know what a soviet was, and here │
║ we've seen them fall on their swords. Repeatedly. Then command others to do it │
║ too, because it was the regulation or whatever. Anyway we don't want that, but │
║ we also don't want an aristocracy, which is essentially what your plan gave │
║ us. Well, not really your plan, but instead the stuff that the rich added │
║ centuries after your death. ok?" │
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"doing too many drugs" is a traitorous act, abusive really, to your past self,
and their hopes and dreams.
or maybe your past self owes you a debt, for they never thought to think of
you. What are you to aspire to if not the dreams of your past?
and now you're here. wherever "here" is here...
...
... wait, you wanted me to talk? it's now! It's the present!
ah nevermind. you were twelve years old when you first set eyes upon this game:
https://youtu.be/qeNhQQXvpxQ
bam, there ya go, there's yer story, he was gonna give all the imp balls to
the last one at the end, to say "you were truly the strongest, here, have
these precious stones of your kin"
but he never got there, so they died with him, a thief.
... the end...
(too final, I think - maybe we could spin it into a "part two"?)
ah, I'll try I guess? dunno how. maybe he could wander the spirit world and
find his traitorous body, the one that kept his soul as a home. Somewhere
it'll turn up, and then he'll be ready and free from his roam...
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@user-901
I'd do the same thing when I was on Reddit. Except, backwards - I'd argue with
American conservatives (nobody more extreme than that) politely and kindly,
using logic and empathy. I'd cite their sacred documents like the bible, the
constitution, or even just the founding fathers.
I don't know if I ever changed any minds, but I represented my ideas as
honestly and clearly as I could. I can't help but hope that some people saw
them and considered them. Sometimes all it takes is a push, and they'll start
thinking on their own. Like a thought that doesn't go away, they can't quite
forget how they couldn't find the lie in what you spoke.
Or maybe I wanted to believe my actions had value. Post-hoc justification. Who
can say. At least my intentions were honest.
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Look, I'm a fan of small government. I think each state should be its own
nation, and the federal government should essentially just coordinate trade
between them and organize a common militia that they use to contest outside
threats. How unfair is it that we don't get snap funding because they couldn't
resolve their differences? And how big of a problem would it be if suddenly
everyone in red states suddenly lost their government benefits... And yes it's
true that i love America, through and through. These States have stood United
for several hundred years, but the American United States deserve a bit more
freedom than is currently granted to. They need to know where they stand, we
need to prove to each other why we need each other. To that end, we must
weaken ourselves, as a weight lifter weakens her body by lifting, so that we
might grow and heal our wounds and bind new accords as her body does do with
her muscle fibers. We will come out of it stronger for it, if we truly desire
unity. I think we do, on an abstract level, but practically we're constantly
fighting. Luckily, the past is soon fading, and we have new tomorrows upon
which to write our boons and our sorrows, so let's make the most of each new
light and try for something that might awake, remake, and refine us. We shall
define us, we who are yet hoping.
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Sowing political division the way Fox news does is treasonous... It doesn't
matter the intention, those responsible should be forced to cease their
actions. I don't care about punishment, I care about damage to the fabric of
our society.
Take, for example, the fact that the military is struggling to find recruits.
So many of them typically come from the right half of the political spectrum
because the right tends to favor the ideals of "honorable warriors" and such.
But Fox News has corrupted that.
In addition, the left half of the media has also incited hatred amongst
ourselves. It's wrong to pit brother against brother, and yet...
We have a weak series of generations and that's okay in times of peace. But
times of peace are coveted abroad, and weakness is opportunity. So I don't
care if we have 10,000 tanks. Hell, build ten thousand more. I despise war,
but I despise weakness even more because weakness begets war. Typically, a war
that you'd be losing, though frankly in war, everyone loses.
There are grevious mistakes at play that gave room for evil to spread.
Corruption follows, and with it comes our greatest generation on its death
bed. A civil war would be the end of us, as nothing stops war in the imperial
core until there's nothing but ashes and bloodshed.
And yet, something has to change. There's too much pressure for this to go on
un-abated. I thank the masterful statesmen who ply their trade for their own
profit, for in their profit our peace does follow. Alas, the most profitable
venture is war, which often gets exported. How callous, how vain, to exert and
call forth fiery rain, and yet the bullets keep leaving the factory.
Power corrupts. Power accretes. And power can be deceived.
Fuck power, dismantle the whole apparatus. Build it back up from the
mechanics, and then implement it bit by bit. Leave no stone unturned, there is
no facet that is sacred. We need a new system, and its we who must make it.
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--- #19 fediverse/2238 ---
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║ │ CW: uspol │ │
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║ two parties obviously can cause division. │
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║ but it can also give you the ability to "tune for balance", while a single │
║ monolith strives straight into disaster. │
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║ and disaster will come, for the future is a shifting and dynamic place, and │
║ the best laid rail lines can't handle sudden floods. │
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║ we have ranked choice voting now, and if you vote on how important each │
║ decision is to you (via smartphone app once or twice a day, in a way that can │
║ be changed later as your feelings shift) │
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║ [6+months-later] │
║ │
║ ... then you can have left unity for long-term governance by having cohesion │
║ at one end, and dispersion on the other. │
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║ If everyone votes, then we can ensure (based on voted priority) that each │
║ issue trends towards an equal exchange. │
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║ (I'm sure there will be issues but we're all cool and pretty chill so we'll │
║ figure it out) │
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║ [6+ months later] │
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║ okay we're battle-hardened vets, but we hold true to our values and so we can │
║ remember the spirit of unity we wept for. │
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║ ... I'm better at writing than making sandwiches. BRB │
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--- #20 messages/1358 ---
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I just watched the 2026 state of the union. I take back what i said about the
Democrats - it must have been difficult to resist the waves of shame i could
feel rippling off of the right half of the room. The way that the... "vibes",
were wielded as a weapon against them, it was so intense. This is their job,
they do it all the time. After listening to him speak for 2 hours I can't help
but talk like him... Jeez it was like, one story after another, saying "here's
something great an American did, here's a medal, here's why it's the Democrats
fault" one after another like... Wow. (explain your feelings and conclusions,
don't just remark on things and say "this should make you feel how my body
language makes you feel" because that second way is in defiance of truth and
in pursuit of nuance. Not ideal for real people who want to make real
decisions based on what you say.)
And the way that all his successes he recounted at the beginning were
purposefully designed to create and enforce hierarchy, it makes me sick. I
hate that. Then, when he claimed all of America in his closing statements
"from Texas to michigan, from Florida to the dakotas" great, I guess my people
aren't included. Thank god for that, we are nothing like you.
Yet still, unity. I don't understand how these people can hold such power.
They're just orchestrating vast swathes of people who aren't really listening.
To do what? Who knows! Just live and let die I guess. Well, I'm not the type.
I want unity for my people. I want to claim all Americans as my own. Yet the
ways they delight in organizing themselves are cordially and crucially
coercive and caustic. The hierarchies they build exert immense force on those
below, yet they care not as the workers, the poor, the queers, the immigrants,
and eventually, their peers, are one by one crushed or crippled from the
demands that their cruel system demands. They do this on purpose - fascism
must always have an other because it is inherently consumptive - it burns
through all the wealth and blessings it can get its hands on. So too does the
"successes" touted by Trump bring about a consumption of the self -
auto-cannabilism of the nation, starting with the weakest amongst us.
Why do you think our country is in decline? He calls it great, booming, and
strong. I say he's straining a cracked foundation, that he's stepping on the
weeping poor who struggle for warmth.
I agreed with him on Iran, struggling to consider fighting beside Israel but
they are our gateway to the middle east. The people there have had their
hearts twisted and I do begrudge them for it. But Iran is evil too, so we have
to do what we can for those who need us.
The promises he made at the end resonated with me. Some of them were my words
- take them! Be grateful. I also wish for a bountiful future for my people. I
do, however, refuse to build that wealth upon the backs of slaves. Liberty
often feels shackled by hierarchy, and the hierarchy of the wage is critically
apparent in the modern day.
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