IMHO: S.A.#355 re: flagz
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a politikul kartoon v a litul Old lAdi agresivli komenting on flag burning got mE t thinking about e kontroversi agen, n mOtivAted me t revU memorEz, updAt mI reserch, n xamin mI kurent konkloozhunz.
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I hav nO dout that e xperiensez v otherz hav probabli ben vastli diferent from mI On.
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t mE e amerikan flag iz a simbol v division--separAshun from e english government; a simbol v e Uniti v e rebelion n v new independens for e 13 kolonEz.
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further, it mEnz kontrol bI e new government, n not-so-sutul intimidAshun t konform t desizhonz v government reprezentativz.
befor e prEemptiv strIk agenst e iraqi rezhEm ther wer masiv protests in e U.S. n around e world, inklooding thOz v mani selebritEz.
then wen e prezident orderd e militari akshun t begin, mani felt that sins e amerikan soldierz wer now ther n fIting, aul pAtriotik amerikanz shud chAnj ther mInd about e ethiks v akshun n suport e
soldierz Even if thA stil thaut it woz morali rong. e Old pAtriot slOgan: "mI kuntri, rIt or rong!" now thOz selebritE voisez wer regarded az trAtorus if thA stil refUzd t agrE with e komander-in-chEfs komand t kil. kompAr woodrow wilson: he opOzd entering e UropEan war. then, wen he chAnjd hiz mInd n orderd amerikan troops t Urop, ani disenting voisez wer sIlensd. wun prominent edukAtor hoo gAv a spEch denousing e desizhon woz put in prison az a further intimidAshun agenst ani other vois v disent. sivil frE spEch woz suspended for e durAshun v e war.
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wen e iraqi war began, wun marEn rekroot gOing throo bAsik trAning woz so shokd bI hiz dril instruktorz komand t loudli shout out "kil! kil! kil!" az he woz bEing taut how t bayonet an enemi sOldier, that he had a suden krIsis v konshiens n desIded that wot he woz bEing trAnd t doo woz insAn behAvior n refUzd t doo it.
this, v kors, requIrd a militari trIal-- posibul prizon tIm n a disonerabul dischArj--a blak mark on hiz rekord wich wud be a permanent obstakul in hiz sivilian pursoots. during WWII jeneral eisenhower orderd wun soldier to b xekUted for mAking this sAm chois. jeneral patton violentli slapd e fAs v a mentali disturbd hospital pAshient n akUzd him v kowardis.
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in an understandabli brEf, but nevertheles unUzhUal, intervU on nashunal televizhon e marEn rekroot-turnd-konshienshus-objektor woz askd t respond t e newzman'z bajering question: 'but didnt U sIn a kontrakt agrEing t be a fIting marEn? dOnt U think it iz disonorabul t bak out v wot U nOingli chOz t be a part v.? t dezert Ur felO marEnz hoo ar onoring ther kuntri bI ther wilingnes t dI for e kauz v frEdom?'
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e intervooer rAsd a valid point. Ech person shud veri sOberli konsider wot he iz agrEing t. but e rekrut sed he woz desEvd--not given enuf informAshun about wot wud be requIrd v him--e rekrUter withheld relevant informAshun. now, wot sAlzman wud withhOld informAshun just t mAk a sAl?
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I had a somwot similar xperiens. at 17 I had joind e Ar fors bekauz thA promisd t tEch me how t fLI. I found out lAter it woz a promis thA had no intenshun v ever onoring. insted thA trAnd me t be a korespondent n asInd me t e 9th Ar fors hedquarterz. then wun dA I woz orderd t report t e bAs thEater with aul other enlisted men t sE a propaganda film alejedli depikting atrositEz komited bI e jermanz n e japanEz. Even in mI relativ inosens I woz awAr v ther so-obvius atempt t krEAt in me a determind intent for venjens...t krEAt in mI mInd a perfekt justifikAshun for kiling pEpul I had never met, aktUali probabli kuzinz v mIn bekauz that iz wAr mI famili kAm from--sort v LIk wot mani familEz xperiensd during e sivil war.
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wun bit v informAshun few sivilianz hEr about iz that militari organizAshunz ar not demokratik! thA ar a hIerarki v master/slAv relAshunships. mani sOldierz lurn e hard wA that militari law supersEds sivil law n mani sivil rIts thA took for granted ar no longer in efekt for e durAshun v ther servis kontrakt. n that kontrakt kan be somthing az simpul az standing befor a draft bord n bEing tOld t tAk a step forward.
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wun yung man I new in st. louis, hoo sEmd t me t be anithing but kowardli, refUzd, az an ordAnd minister, t join e militari. lEgali he woz xempt, but hiz draft bord disregarded e law--suspended during e war. he spent e next ful 5 yErz in a federal penitenshuri wAr he quIt efektivli kontinUd hiz ministri, tEching jesus' wordz: "lov Ur enemi. doo good t thOz hoo despItfuli Uz U..." n no dout woz veri inflooenshul in further konvinsing mani felO prizonerz hoo wer aulredi anti-authoriti in atitUd.
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sins e terorist ataks on e pentagon n e twin towerz, flagz hav sprouted up aul Over mI northern arizona nAborhood, on karz, bildingz, houzez-- t sA nothing v e Ubiquitus imajez on TV. among mI nErest 9 nAborz, 4 front dorz hav pAper flagz skoch-tApd t them n mani rezidents hav aulso pAsted them on ther windOz. on e karz--som flagz ar sO larj U kan hEr them flaping haf a blok awA az thA ar spEding down 12th strEt.
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funi how first impreshunz kan last for a hOl LIf-tIm. e urliest xperiens in mI memori relAted t pAtriotizm gOz bak t 1930 wen I woz in northern Iowa, siting on e ground, plAing in e park nEr mI aunt caroline. ther woz a larj flag nEr e bandstand n pEpul had smaul wunz thA wer wAving. wen e band began plAing e anthem e pEpul siting in folding chArz or on blankets on e gras aul stood up. thOz in Uniform salooted, e otherz put ther hand on ther hart. wen mI aunt nOtisd that I woz stil plAing, she grabd mI arm n jerkd me t a standing pozishun, skOlding me about this bEing a veri sErius okAzhon. thiz prodUsd a veri sErius negativ repons in mI atitUd; a memori/emOshun that rEsurfasez everi tIm I sE or hEr a pAtriotik displA.
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wen I woz living in a sedona komUn in '95 I met a vizitor from jermani hoo woz mI Aj. he woz about 10 wen hitler kAm t power. mOst v hiz mAjor LIf xperiensez wer aulmOst Identikul t mIn.
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he had belongd t e hitler Uth moovment at about e sAm tIm I joind a boy skout troop in des moines. I LIkd mI skout-master. he woz aulsO wun v mI tEcherz in jUnior hI ther. he enkurajd me, gAv me good grAdz, helpd me advans t e rank v first klas n urn a few merit bajez. he woz a trak star, wining 8-mIL rAsez, n woz 1/2 indian. I woz 12 or 13 then n we moovd t cincinnati during mI first yEr v hI skool; n a yEr lAter we went on t san francisco.
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amerika had just entered WWII. mom had konsiderd sending me t a militari akademy wen I woz about 11--several v mI frendz had this xperiens, but now she wahnted me t join e rezerv ofiserz trAning kor, insted v tAking e athletik klasez wich wer mI preferens.
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sO I lurnd about marching n how t Uz a gun. I woz taut militari disiplin, n then promOted t lootenant n got t wAr an ofiserz Uniform that woz Identikul t thOz in e armi xept that mI insignia v rank woz not metal barz on mI kolar n shOlderz, but woz a round shAp. from 100 fEt awA it kud, n somtImz woz, mistAken for e insignia v a mAjor. wuns wen I woz wauking hOm after skool with a frend hoo woz aulso wAring an ofiserz Uniform we nOtisd a kupul v master sarjents--karEr sOldierz with servis hash marks extending from ther kuf t haf-wA up ther jaket slEv. wen thA wer a few fEt from us thA bOth popd-to with veri proper saloots, wich we bOth returnd az we had ben taut. just after thA got past us I Overhed wun sA t e other, "boy! now that we ar in e war, thA ar komishuning thOz bastardz yunger n yunger."
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that yEr, wIl stil in skool, I enlisted in e army air fors rezerv, bekaus e rekrooter promisd that I wud be sent t flIt skool n be komishund az a pIlot, or navigAtor, or bombadier. about a yEr lAter I enterd bAsik trAning az a kadet but imEdiatli diskoverd that thouzandz v other kadets hoo had ben wAting for mani months t begin fLIt trAning rEalIzd that it woznt ever gOing t hapen n wer rIting ther reprezentativz in kongres regarding aplikAshunz for discharj. mI wun n Onli tIm in an army airkraft woz aksepting a rId in a kargo plAn gOing from texas t san francisco a kupul v dAz after I had resEvd mI discharj pAperz.
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todA I woz thinking about that politikul kartoon az I went for a wauk at sunrIz this morning n woz trIing t remember xaktli wot e flag lookd LIk. I thaut ther wer 13 strIps with e darker red wunz along e top n botom. I remember that wun v e first flagz had a sirkul v 13 wIt starz on e canton v bloo, but I kudnt remember e formAshun v e prezent 50 starz.
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then, az sO aufen hapenz wen I konsentrAt mI thinking: at e end v e next blok a smaul kloth flag stApuld t a stik (manifested itself ?)--aniwA, it woz lAing on e sIdwauk n I pikd it up n xamind it mor klOsli. lAter in e dA I red a kupul v flag artikulz in an ensIklopedia. I had nOn that e Anshient orijin woz an imaj v a god on e end v a pOl; bEing sAkred t them, e sOldierz kArEing it protekted it with ther lIvz n wen thA fel, otherz rushd t tAk ther plAs. Ech v e opOzing sIdz prAd that ther god wud not Onli protekt them but wud help them kil az mani v e opOzing wariorz az woz nesesari t win e batul. akording t e book, wen jeneral george washington shOd a skech v e dezIn he had in mInd t sEmstres betsy ross she sugjested a slIt chAnj from e 6-pointed starz he wahnted t e 5-pointed wunz that wer her preferens.
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I vAgli remember standing n resIting e plej v alEjens with e otherz in mI hOm-room elementari klas at e begining v Ech skool dA.
mI fElingz about that wer jenerali nootral. politishunz aded god t e plej around mid-sentUri az sort v a humbul afterthaut.
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in hI skool wen I woz an R.O.T.C. kadet I took a mor sErius vU v thEz militari/politikul kustomz n mAd a sinsEr efort t adapt them az part v mI belEf sistem. I remember wuns wen I woz hOm, siting in e living room with mI step-dad. e rAdiO woz on n e stAshun began plAing e nashunal anthem. bekauz v mI trAning I stood up az an xpreshun v mI respekt for wot I woz tOld it reprezented--Even thO we wer in a prIvat, informal sitUAshun. I woz rEakting e wA sitizenz wer shOn t rEakt in e nUmerus propaganda filmz v e 1940'z. mI dad remAnd sEted. I woz 16 then; hE woz 27 yErz Older. at that mOment I thaut mI atitUd about pAtriotizm woz superior t hiz. looking bak on it now it sEmz that hiz atitUd woz mor rEalistik, mor praktikul, sensibul n les xtrEm than mIn. I new he had ben konsidering aksepting a pozishun in e army az a transportAshun ofiser, wich didn't hapen, but he did bekum a voluntEr in e kOst gard rezerv n spent at lEst a kupul v Eveningz Ech wEk in Uniform patrOling e doks. ther woz som fEr in kalifornia v a japanEz invAshon or v enemi Ajents komiting sabotazh. it woz a nAval bAs, n merchant marEn ships wer bEing prodoosd at a rAt v wun a dA just a few mIlz north, n ther wer other mUnishunz manUfaktUrers in e Area. wun v mI klasmAts livd with hiz dad on a militari bAs, e presidio, nEr e south sId v e gOlden gAt brij about 5 bloks west v our hous on beach strEt. todA e brij haz mAjor sekUriti az a probabul target v arab terorists.
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3 yErz lAter, after having spent 18 months in e Ar fors, n pAing much mor atenshun t foren polisE, politikul stratejEz, n governmental dubul-tauk, mI atitood about pAtriotizm had aulmOst komplEtli reversd. in 1947 wen I woz requIrd t rE-rejister for a posibul further draft, I chOz t rejister az a konshienshus objektor. bI that tIm I had bekum anti-war, n parshiali anti-government, n hav remAnd with that jeneral atitUd ever sins. nOw, wen askd, I IdentifI mIself az a jEografik sitizen, born at 95o west n 43o north, on e Est sId v e litul sioux river.
or: mI birth lOkAshun iz 9543 in e land v e Iowaz, betwEn e 2 grAt riverz (misisipi n mizuri); or, mor presisli betwEn e 2 nErest rivers, e litul sioux n e des moines.
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e kurent flag ther iz v 3 vertikul strIps, bloo, wIt, n red. in e midul v e wIt wun iz wot looks LIk som sort v smaul red-wingd bird fLIing with a bloo ribon in its bEk. under this iz e nAm, Iowa, in red leterz. ther aulso apErz t be letering on e ribon, but iz too smaul t rEd. but befor this, e dominant flag v e Iowa teritori woz that v france wich, interestingli enuf iz Identikul todA xept for e bird n e ribon.
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e first nOn inhabitants wer prEhistorik indianz. e first wIt-skinz, 2 frenchmen, jolliet n marquette, saw e land in 1673 wIl paduling along e misisipi. then la salle kAm, flOting aul e wA down e river t e gulf n jenerusli dOnAted aul he saw t hiz king, louis xiv, kauling it e louisiana rEjon. but e first wIt man, julien dubuque, a french-canadian, didnt setul in on e west bank until 1788 after resEving permishun from e lOkul rezidents, e fox indianz, t begin mIning led. but bI then france had given e west bank (Iowa) t spain. 12 yErz lAter spain returnd it t france; n 3 yErz after that e fox trIb woz surprIzd t lurn that thA wer no longer french or spanish but now amerikanz, ther land having ben purchasd from france bI this new government that foren wIt men had establishd along e atlantic kOst.
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mor n mor wIt setlerz began arIving from Urop. mI grandfather gAv up hiz militari karEr in germany t bekum a fisherman n hunter among other setlers nEr lAk okoboji around e midul v e 19th sentUri. wen I arIvd ther in e next sentUri e Onli indianz I saw wer wooden statUz that pIp n sigar stors put out on ther sIdwauks az advertIzing.
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flagz abound! mani bAring e advertIsing lOgOz v komershul korporAshunz. churchez hav therz, evolvd from e militari Us v imaj godz on a pOL. n ther ar komUnikAshun flagz for kOds, numeralz, alfabets, semafor pozishunz, n wether indikAtorz.
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in britain ther ar 8 mAn flagz: 2 for e quEn, a nashunal wun; a mOstly wIt wun for e nAvy, red for merchant ships, bloo for publik servants, wun for e Ar fors, n a krown n krosd sordz aprOpriatli on a blood-red bakground for e army. n ther ar otherz for e british kolonEz.
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amerika too, haz koloni flagz; otherz for teritorEz, stAts, kountEz, sitEz, e kapitol distrikt. e CEO in DC haz hiz On. e vIs president haz his. e aturni jeneral haz wun, n Ech f e 12 secretarEz hav therz, n Ech v e 5 mAjor militari organizAshunz hav therz.
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besIdz e U.N. ther ar flagz v world organizAshunz: for gAmz, for relEf servisez, trEti alIansez, n wun for e organizAshun v amerikan stAts with a sirkul v 26 flagz n ther stafs in e senter, wich lEdz me t asoom that Onli 26 v e stAts hav joind ther organizAshun n lEvz me with e further question v wI?
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everi nAshun Uzez simbolz on kloth banerz az IdentifikAshun.
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warning, thretening, n fIting ar animalistik tendensEz. hUmanz ar animals supOzedli further evolvd but stil displAing similar vIolent behAvior. som snAks uZ ratulz, kats his-s-s, dogz bark n growl, lIonz n tIgerz rOr. Anshient wariors wud shAk ther spErz or ratul sAberz; modern wunz stAj parAds t displA ther weponz or hav ther diplomats sugjest that thA pozes sEkret weponz powerful enuf t destroy everithing n everibodi.
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mani animalz Uz Urin or exkrement t mark e boundarEz v wot thA hav klAmd az ther teritori.
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government survAerz establish arbitrari n imajinari lInz v separAshun v ther borders, ther kOstlInz, plus how mani mIlz out into e Oshun thA klAm belongs t them, n aulsO e skI abov, az wel az ani natUral resorsez lOkAted under ther land. then ther militari forsez Uz Uniformz n flagz az marking devIsez in a similar wA that tIgerz Uz Urin n monkEz Uz exkrement. bEing supOzedli mor intelijent, men aulso Uz loyalti Oths, trEtEz, kontrakts, plejez v alEjens, insigniaz v superior rank, marching mUzik n sAkred anthemz. flag etiket itself enUmerAts xtensiv roolz regarding proper n improper displA. thEz ar formz v intimidAshun t xakt unquestioning ObEdiens t ther kil-komandz; n aul v thEz ar kolektiv xpreshunz v fEr v wot thA mIt posibli looz.
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I had ben awAr sins hI skool that ther wer internashunal pEs groops within bOth relijus komUnitEz n in non-relijus organizAshunz v morali mOtivAted individUalz.
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then I kAm t belEv that a government mor IdEal than demokrasi wud be a thEokrasi bAsd upon eklEziastikul law or e bIbul kanon.
but in revUing history, I diskoverd that thomas jefferson konvinsingli proovd e falsiti v that, n suksesfuli separAted church from stAt. I had not fuli rEalIzd that e hundredz v bIbul-bAsd churchez aul had quIt diferent interpretAshunz v e bIbul n wot e dUtEz v ther klergi wur. duh! this iz wI thA ar kauld denominAshunz.
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begining in 1972 this belEf v mIn about bIbul-bAsd thEokrasi evolvd into "divIn administrAshun bAsd upon 20th senturi revelAshun." but hEr agen I sE that within e last 30 yErz this sors haz aulso bekum split into a varIeti v denominAshunz, wich had ben difikult for me bak then t Even imajin.
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this sEmz t lEv me in a rather individUalistik sitUAshun v atempting t desId wot kors v progres I wil chooz for mIself at everi step v e wA n then doo wotever I desId iz e best chois for me without mAking a jujment about e quIt diferent desizhonz otherz wil mAk. so, if ever I am put on trIal az a war kriminal, I wil never be Abul t sA, "everiwun els woz dooing it. I woz just folOing orderz."
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e diferens betwEn satIr n hUmor iz narOnes n braudnes.
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satIr iz mor LIk an "insId" jOk. e ilojikul abzurditi v e sitUAshun wud be funi t pEpul hoo shAr e sAm persepshunz v rEaliti--but veri few pEpul aktUali shAr az mani similar persepshunz az thA think thA doo--unles thA ar veri yung n inosent children. n not Even thA shAr similar xperiensez e sAm wA. perhaps e mor xperiens a person haz, e mor personal hiz persepshunz v rEaliti ar.
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for e jeneral audiens satIr iz far too sutul--an xampul v this wud be mel brooks' plA, the producers. thA wer trIing t get fInansing for a plA that wud be sO obnoxius that it wud be serten t fAl. after aul, how popUlar kud a mUzikul kauld "springtime for hitler" be t a larjli jewish new york audiens?
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hUmor iz unprediktibli vAriabul. Even 2 jewz working together az slAv lAborerz in a konsentrAshun kamp hav had tOtali diferent persepshunz az t wot iz funi: wot 1 wud sE az trajedi, e other kud Onli regard az komedi. another xampul mIt be 2 sisters grOing up together, n az adults diskovering that ther personal opinionz, sA about mAraj, ther gOlz in LIf, ther atitUdz about rAs relAshunz, n other, aufen shArd xperiensez, remAn in dIametrik opozishun.
or: in another intimat partnership, wot 1 mA konsider LIt-harted hUmor, e other regardz az krUeli insensitiv sarkazm.
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mI On emOshunal prejoodisez n past desizhonz on plejez, flagz, anthemz, parAdz, n militari disiplin, haz preti much, up to now, obskUrd e hUmor e kartoonist xpresd with e kontrast v a harmles, litul Old lAdi, with no probabiliti--or Even posibiliti-- v ever aktshuli bekuming involvd in lIf or deth kombat. but then we ar sEing inkrEsing numberz v children, pregnant wimen, n litul Old lAdEz bekuming sufishentli mOtivAted bI ther politikul n relijus lEderz t manifest ther pent-up fUri bI voluntEring themselvz az sooisId bomerz.
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for me, rIting out thauts LIk thEz helps me t understand how lojikul or ilojikul mI On belEfs ar--aufen I dOnt sEm t nO just wot I doo belEv until after I sE wot Iv riten.
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admitedli, mAntAning balans in e midst v popUlarIzd insaniti iz not aulwAz EzE.
--rolf burgun
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