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Early on in our experience with Donald Trump, critics suggested a comparison to Adolf Hitler and many accused them of hysterics and instigating more trouble.
Yet, we know that Hitler had the platform and that the longer and louder he repeated his lies about innocent people, the more others joined him in fear that otherwise something might happen to them. We know that such hateful propaganda attracts those who ignored. When they buy in, suddenly they are in the in group. Yesterday, we saw four years of lies culminating in the actions of believers following the con man they trusted. That comparison rings sadly true now, especially since Trump's followers are predominantly white and fearful of their fellow citizens of color. Trump has goaded them for his own selfish reasons; without a care in the world what might happen to these people who believe him and acted on his behalf. He has put them at risk indifferently. And he has shown us how propaganda can divide a country and its people to the harm of us all. We should all thank our higher power and the U.S. Constitution for giving us the right to decide who leads us and who must leave the office January 20. We haven't learned all of the lessons but we are getting a very serious education if we are paying attention. |