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Kevin Robbins's avatar

Absolutely agree that we do have problems as Americans and humanity as a whole. Wouldn’t want to be in Gaza, Ukraine, Yemen or a number of other places.

But, as you write about the 60s, just in my lifetime it’s been so much worse. You write about civil rights. Those who were assaulted or killed in that fight. The 58,000 soldiers who died in Vietnam and the countless number who came back damaged by the experience. I tried to get a number of Vietnamese who died, but the numbers are wildly varied. At least a couple hundred thousand.

Even those deaths pale in comparison to our civil war and the world wars. For the average person there’s no better time to be alive than now. Unless it’s in the future because that’s apt to be even better. In any case, it doesn’t do anyone any good to think otherwise.

On the threat of Trump and his cultists, I guess I’m pretty sanguine too. I’m optimistic that, for whatever reason, he’s not going to attain the presidency again. Even if his health holds I don’t believe he’ll be voted in. And if he does, he’s too incompetent to be a dictator and will be surrounded by people just as incompetent. Not to say he can’t do a lot of damage with incompetence.

I’m hopeful the technological means are being developed to identify those who make swatting calls and bomb threats. They should be punished hard when found and it should be widely known that they’re being sent away for a decade or more to discourage others.

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Beth Ann Fitzgerald's avatar

A threat is a threat.

Having someone right up in your face screaming calling you filthy names is frightening.

Having someone tell you they're going to find out where you live,,,, come to your workplace etc scared me immensely at the onset of counter protesting the pro trump groups downtown.

Private messages from grown men and women threatening harm.

I called the police. Can't do anything because they did not say they'd kill me lol. Even though I had an individual on video saying to his friends to find out where I lived.

I slept with lights on in my house for two weeks and had a bat by my bed.

After coming to *know* these idiots I stopped fearing them.

However in this day and age I take all threats seriously as I think there's a mentality out there that actually wants to do harm.

I'm not afraid to speak up but I do think threats are credible and should be taken seriously.

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