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Pan, I don't agree that divisiveness is killing this nation. Maybe figureheads capitalizing on it is hampering other issues from being discussed and addressed, but not to the extent that things that would otherwise be done aren't (hmm, I mean: even without the dissent, certain things wouldn't be done; maybe a new reason would have to be used as an excuse).
This divisiveness may be just what the doctor ordered so citizens can once again find their moorings that seem to have been lost in the upheaval of trust and legitimacy in government and institutions since the 60's. There were a lot of global and domestic movements in that era that seem to have detached people from what they knew to be true (regardless of whether it was).
I may not like what comes out of this process, but I think it's necessary for the progression of our civic discourse and national compass--not that I even desire that we have one, but I realize most of the citizens do.
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"The theory of a free press is that truth will emerge from free discussion, not that it will be presented perfectly and instantly in any one account." -- Walter Lippmann
"You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists." -- Abbie Hoffman
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