Over the part 40 years, they have created not only divisions among friends, neighbors and families, but also inside our political parties.

Round one victory for GOP via Heritage, Limbaugh and Faux.

on our fall from glory:

(snip)
The time when America stopped being great
See: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41826022
(snip)
Few countries look anymore to Trump's America as a global exemplar, the "city upon a hill" Reagan spoke of in his farewell address to the nation. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel is routinely described as the leader of the free world, the moniker bestowed on the US president since the days of FDR.

The Economist, which trolls Trump almost weekly, has described Chinese President Xi Jinping as the most powerful man in the world. American exceptionalism is now commonly viewed as a negative construct. "Only in America" is a term of derision.

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Maybe someone better than I can turn this into a good OP.

(snip)
What if Mueller proves his case and it doesn’t matter?
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/2/16588964/america-epistemic-crisis

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Had not thought of the power of the right-wing media before relative to pushing legislation through.

Plutocrats send talking points to R-W media and to congress critters,
R-W media pumps it into red meat base,
base calls congress critters,
Congress passes legislation.

I wonder how much influence the inflammatory social media posts from right-wingers and Russia affects the tone of discussion on DU. I'm observing a lot of divisive and bitter exchanges here now on other threads.

I don't use social media but I do view many pro-Democrat accounts on my computer. As you have said, when one opens up a Twitter post, many comments are typically very deceptive, outright lies, or in other ways meant to divide.

From what I see, it all seems very unhealthy for those seeking good rational, truthful discourse. It's just one huge head-spin!

These guys have coal mining in their blood and family history, so like most of us we don't want to give up on the familiar - especially when it's been there for generations.

Unfortunately, like most dying industries, time and the stock market will end it for them and they'll have to move on. Some mining will remain, but on a very limited basis.

It is extremely cruel for the tRump administration to suggest to these people that coal will return to its former glory, therefore bringing in false hope.

I'm very weak with those right now, and need to re-establish some of them. I'm a firm believer that face-to-face relations is the natural human way to communicate, and it helps maintain our sanity and feelings of being emotionally connected. That's why I've refused to be on social medial, but unfortunately many that used to call or email me don't any more - because they're using social media. Grrrrr.

I guess I'm just too damned old-fashioned.

I think you're right that many in this administration are blindly power hungry, bigoted and elitist. You might say that they have been waiting in the wings for quite a while with their ideological guns loaded. Haven't read many of their biographies but from their behavior, I'm not convinced that many of them have been exposed to everyday life in America at all and especially as a common working person - particularly with economic struggles like many of us have experienced.

I appreciate your positive stance, it is uplifting. I'm not quite there yet, for four primary reasons:

1. Very few from the elite 1% class (who made their money from us) have spoken up as resistive to tRump and his crew and their misdeeds. Many continue to pour millions into the coffers of ALEX and the many right-wing think tanks, media and political campaigns. That's a tremendous headwind against us.
2. Many influential people suffering from the hard right-wing mindset disease are in very powerful positions, either in corporate America, in control of powerful media outlets, or as our politicians. Many of those politicians were outright bought and paid for.
3. For those working class Americans infected with that same mental disease, I see little hope of them changing. I do feel that if enough of them suffer the hard realities of Republican policy being shoved on us now, maybe 10 or 15% might swing our way if the message is clear.
4. Republicans are trying their best to enter us into an international race to the bottom of economic existence by lowering taxes, reducing government (our common good) to the bare bones, and possibly starting trade wars. This process could lead us into a downward spiral of wage depression, price inflation and a slave labor/renter's economy. This is however, utopia for the wealthy.

Much of my negativity comes from not being able to see ways to reverse any of those four dilemmas. It could be done, but I don't believe Americans have the will.

I do , like you, feel a tad of optimism compared to the summer, and thanks for allowing me to vent!

Unpacking Uranium One: Hype and Law:

https://www.lawfareblog.com/unpacking-uranium-one-hype-and-law

Freedom of religion to the letter. It's stated clearly in The Book of Mushrooms.

Of course, drunks, perverts, and nudity are permitted. That's in The Book of Thick Crust.

All of his policies are taking us back to the beautiful Jurassic era, with top-notch players such as Sessionsaurus, Perryodon, Tillersonorexus, and many bigly others.