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I do not recall ever hearing or reading of this piece of American history.

Posted by lrbeggs 10 years, 7 months ago to Government
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A little history:


This is almost unbelievable. I had never heard of this.

Rare Film From 1932. Can It Happen Again?

FANTASTIC NEWS VIDEO: 1932 - young Patton, young Eisenhower, young MacArthur, Pres.Hoover, Walter Winchell reporting. I don't recall this from any history classes.

SOURCE URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?feature=player_embedded&v=sNOsIB5VMSQ


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  • Posted by $ Susanne 10 years, 7 months ago
    They keep the travesty suffered by the Bonus Army of WW1 well hidden... to think those who so willingly (perhaps joyfully) violated Posse Comitatus against their own "brothers in arms" were considered later our heroes, one even elected (and reelected) president 20 years later...

    And all the while, Congress snuck out the back door, because they would rather let those who fought, suffered and died in the lurch than do the right thing.

    Now, let me give you this... if you like houses of cards... It was the inaction of Congress that caused Hoover to so forcefully enable this fiasco to grow. Cause and Effect. They snuck out, dumping it on HH's lap. There was a person who was in Congress at the time (and his first name wasn't "Teddy") with plans for the white house. What a better way than to create a situation chucking the then CiC out on his ear over this mess (OK, many messes... Google "Hooverville" for example...) .. and then bringing his New Deal to bear, so people would remember his good... and forget his creation of the riots of '32...

    Ahhh... the joys of Socialism. How many folk realize every major world power was run or directed by a socialist and held on to power as long as possible? Hmmm...
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    • Posted by Bobhummel 10 years, 7 months ago
      Dittos Susanne! FDRs fingerprints were all over this fiasco. And today watch BHO issue executive orders in rapid succession after railing against GWB 8 years ago. Demonize, polarize, isolate and destroy the opposition. The Alinski model in Rules for Radicals for social activism.
      Cheers
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      • Posted by Herb7734 10 years, 7 months ago
        What a horrid piece of work was the revered FDR. From knowing Japan's plans for Pearl Harbor 11 months in advance, to turning a blind eye to Germany's killing of the Jews Don't get me started on that Obama Blueprint S.O.S. (Son Of Satan.) I have a beagle bitch whom I won't sully by associating what she is with him.
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  • Posted by NealS 10 years, 7 months ago
    Being a Vietnam veteran I can attest to a major portion of this country acting similarly towards us, after they sent us over to do a job for them then looked down on us when we returned. My biggest fear is we continue to do similar kinds of injustices today to our newest veterans. What would America be if we had no one willing to serve? But then again I guess that's another topic.
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    • Posted by BambiB 10 years, 7 months ago
      Most of the wars America has been involved in over the past 100+ years have been put-up jobs.

      Remember the Maine? There's evidence the Maine exploded, not due to sabotage, but due to system malfunction. But it got us the Spanish-America War.

      We got into WWII by cutting off Japan's supply of steel. They really had no choice but to attack us.

      Vietnam was even more of a con job. The "Gulf of Tonkin" incident is now known to have been a lie.

      The Gulf Wars? Weapons of Mass distraction?

      Obama wanted to get a war going with Syria - but the weight of evidence is on the side of Asad and the Syrian government regarding the use of chemical weapons.

      And why did Obama lob cruise missiles at Ghadaffi?

      So if nobody wants to serve in the future… maybe that's a good thing. The US manufactures and ships trillions of dollars of resources to other countries just to blow them up and kill thousands of Americans for no purpose other than to enrich the military-industrial complex. What if we didn't do that? What if we spent those trillions on make America better?
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  • Posted by iam124c 10 years, 7 months ago
    I am a Marine (Retired). Once I was put on alert, told to "gear up" to move on a group that was holding a public building, and the "authorities" couldn't handle the situation. Ah, but this wasn't in some other country where we were at war; this was in California! The "Black Panthers" were holding a building and the civilian law enforcement folks couldn't handle the situation. Now these citizens were criminals, and I felt for the law enforcement personnel, but in my mind I could only think of another federal law that forbid me to take action against citizens of the USA. I prepared myself mentally to refuse to follow the order that we Marines all thought was coming.

    I didn't have to put that decision into action; they called it off.

    I watched this video and wanted to puke! Can it happen again? Of course it can. Any travesty of the past can come back to us again when the circumstances support it.

    It's enough to "make a grown man cry!"

    I have made my plans--have you?
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  • Posted by reSource 10 years, 7 months ago
    I remember hearing about it but I went to a parochial, not a public school. I didn' t receive all the details either. I do think that this country's biggest problem is not only the people in DC but the public school propaganda machine. Today we have nice, well rounded young citizens who like their great, great grandfathers believe what the government tells them. So sad.


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  • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years, 7 months ago
    Well, I happened to be a fellow alum of both Gen MacA and Ike, and we did take a look at this during a military ethics class. Some issues that need to be taken into account -
    1) DC isn't a state and thus Posse Comitatus prohibits the federal military from enforcing state laws. Since DC is a federal zone, federal troops are not covered by PC in this situation.
    2) Remember this was the depths of the Great Depression. The original proposal for the bonus payment was that it was to be deferred until 1945 but instead 1/2 of it was paid earlier. The nation did not have the remainder of the payment money and being on the gold standard at the time, could not just print the money.
    3) There was a communist instigator (don't remember the name) who is suspected of ramping up tensions in order to bring down the US gov't.
    4) Despite the newsreel footage, the evacuation of the shantytown was orderly and without incident. What remained was burned down so as to dissuade the protestors from returning. While tear gas was used, the only injuries were caused on an earlier day when the DC police chief (who was actually helping the protestors) was attacked by the protestors with a policeman being knocked out by a thrown rock and the police returning fire and killing 2 of the protesters.
    5) The show of force by MacA was meant to be just that - a show. As will materialize more fully during WWII and later in Korea, MacA was quite a showman and want-to-be politician.
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  • Posted by LetsShrug 10 years, 7 months ago
    I vaguely remember reading about the military bonus march but I can't remember where I read it. I've never seen this footage before though. Thanks for posting it. Wow. "The President's orders must be obeyed." gag.
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  • Posted by wiggys 10 years, 7 months ago
    I have seen this video before and not that long ago.
    the difference between then and now is a very simple fact of life there are over 100 million armed citizens now. how many uniformed will willingly attack other citizens is a good question. fema once asked the Marine at Pendleton if the would and to a man the answer was NO. whether that will be the case now is a question.. I like to think the answer is no, but I am more realistic and know there are some who are deranged and won't care who the shoot. I am told about 150 secret service or some such number are already in LV. who knows what will happen?
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    • Posted by jpellone 10 years, 7 months ago
      Check and see how many high ranking Officers of our current military have been replaced. BHO is replacing all officers who refuse to attack American citizens. I believe the number has reached over 1000 but I may be wrong...
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  • Posted by Zenphamy 10 years, 7 months ago
    No, this atrocity by our supposed heroes of WWII hasn't been talked about very much in history books or otherwise. It's one of the main reasons that I just shake my head when I hear or read from someone that our troops wouldn't follow orders to disarm us or fire on us. Lots of other atrocities, both physical and legislative have occurred in this country during the last 220 some years. I've read some where, I can't remember where, that there were several deaths, either direct or from the fires.

    Txs for reminding us.
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  • Posted by preimert1 10 years, 7 months ago
    I read about it after my dad told me about it, but not in school, and I remember the part played by McArthur and Eisenhaur. But I wonder how it was legal for the president to use the Army in view of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. Supposedly only congress could over ride it. Hoover broke the law.
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years, 7 months ago
    I seem to remember this being posted (I think here) before. Yes, it's an interesting part of history that is never taught. Totalitarianism did (and does) exist in the US.
    And the US Army has been used against American citizens on US soil (and not merely the Civil War).
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  • Posted by Non_mooching_artist 10 years, 7 months ago
    I had a history teacher senior year of high school who taught us this. It's amazing how its been swept under the rug.
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    • Posted by 10 years, 7 months ago
      And these teachers have been stifled out of existence. :(
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      • Posted by mckenziecalhoun 10 years, 7 months ago
        Thank you for seeing us, for remembering us.
        And we're just those sharing the information with our students.

        Keep posting this film.
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        • Posted by $ Susanne 10 years, 7 months ago
          Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

          And those who erase history are driven to repeat it.

          Growing up, our neighbor was a veteran of WW1. It was not only a terrible war (no honor in using an inescapable gas to permanently incapacitate your enemy) it literally changed the course of the planet. What if Ferdinand and Sophie had never been assassinated? What if the "great war" never happened? (What a premise for an alternate history novel...)... I think of them, those boys (but in my childhood, old men) who fought over there almost 100 years ago, and wonder how their lives, and the world around them, would have been different had they not had to go "over there"...
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  • Posted by iam124c 10 years, 7 months ago
    I will repeat what I said earlier, because it is 'on going' obvious. "one of the commenters in this string is an absolute stupid asshole of stinking ignorance!!!" And the same "asshole" is still pretending to be intelligent.
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  • Posted by $ Abaco 10 years, 7 months ago
    Once you are exposed to the concept that we are just livestock and the government is the farmer none of this is really surprising. But...no...I didn't notice this in my high school history book, either.
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  • Posted by jimslag 10 years, 7 months ago
    I had heard about this before but not in this amount of detail. I probably found it in some of my military history. As I was in the military, I had access to many books and articles in the military libraries. I also read about the War of Athens, GA, after WWII, another epic part of history that is not discussed much. Not so much as this but still involving veterans.
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  • Posted by glamisstorm 10 years, 7 months ago
    There is a somewhat fictionalized movie that deals with this incident and time period and the Cavalry men that refused to march against their contrymen. The name of the movie is "In Persuit Of Honor". It isw available on DVD, and for less than the costs of a single movie ticket, I highly recommend it. The focus of the movie is not the Bonus Army, but the Washington D.C. march is the opening scene, and serves as a launching pad for the men of honor to be true to their countrymen and fellow fighting soldiers. Although the factual basis of this movie is in question, the fact that we need men like these that are in persuit of real honor, is not in question!
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  • Posted by Bobhummel 10 years, 7 months ago
    There is actually a very good historical fiction movie based on this event done by HBO back in 2001. "In Pursuit of Honor" with Don Johnson, Rod Steiger , Gabrielle Anwar. It has 4 1/2 stars. I gave it 5!
    It starts with this event in our American history and shows men in pursuit of honor protecting the horses of the American Calvary as MacArthur moved to a mechanized force. I don't know if the journey the Canada really happened, but many of the events portrayed in the film did.
    Certainly not one of the highlights of our treatment of our soldiers - those with 2 legs and those with 4.
    Cheers
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  • Posted by freedomforall 10 years, 7 months ago
    "the orders of the president MUST BE OBEYED ...
    they did not believe that their own country would ignore the plight for which the depression had placed them. Many did not believe that US troops would take the field against the unarmed."

    DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
    This is how a powerful US government acts.

    This is how military leaders rise to powerful ranks.

    This is how soldiers are trained: to follow orders without thinking.

    This has happened repeatedly in the US since Lincoln set the example in 1860-1865.

    And it has all been covered up by federal government indoctrination in public schools.
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    • Posted by Bobhummel 10 years, 7 months ago
      I am going to raise the BS flag on Freedomforall. This not taught in the military. You take an oath to support an defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. The fact that there are politically ambitious individuals in senior positions in the military should not be too surprising, but they can't make me pull the trigger on our own citizens.
      The Posse Comitatus act passed in the late 70's eliminates the Legal use of force by the U S military inside our own boarders. I'm not a lawyer, just an old fighter pilot. That was one of the delays in ordering the shoot down of remaining hijacked planes on 9/11.
      See Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney
      www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/.../gIQ...
      Cheers
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      • Posted by DrZarkov99 10 years, 7 months ago
        People keep stating the Posse Comitatus act (passed in the 1870s as part of a political deal to withdraw occupation troops from the Southern states) as a protection against martial law. In point of fact, PC only prohibits the U.S. military acting to enforce state law. The real danger comes from the Insurrection Act (passed in 1807), which gives the President the right to declare a state to be in a condition of "insurrection", where a state's residents rights are "endangered", and the governor is either unable or unwilling to stop the situation. That act does give the military the duty to enforce martial law at the President's direction. Congress has no part in the decision, and can only deny funding for the action. No other act jeopardizes the republic more than the Insurrection Act.
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        • Posted by Bobhummel 10 years, 7 months ago
          Thanks for That explanation of the law. I guess I got the short course WRT PC when flying boarder reconnaissance missions along the southern U S boarder as part of the joint task force. The Navy F-14s took the photos/imagery, the USBP, DEA, SS did the law enforcement work.

          Thanks for the history on the insurrection act. I must read more on it.
          Cheers
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          • Posted by DrZarkov99 10 years, 7 months ago
            While you're at it, you might also look up the "continuity of government" act. Ostensibly put in place in the event of a major attack on the Federal government, it pretty much gives carte blanche for the government to take control of everything.
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  • Posted by freedomforall 10 years, 7 months ago
    The ultimate blame for this goes on the masters in the banking cartel who precipitated the depression using their power under the federal reserve act, and who were lenders to ALL warring parties in WW1. They crreated those powers for themselves by bribing and manipulated con-gress.
    They caused that economic collapse and profited from the demise of most of their competitors and siezed the properties of their customers. They did all this by creating money that they did not have, lending it in the billions without having any stake of their own at risk.
    EXACTLY AS THE BANKSTERS ARE DOING TODAY TO ALL OF US.
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  • Posted by Kittyhawk 10 years, 7 months ago
    I had not seen this video before, or heard about this incident in school or from the media -- not surprising, since both are controlled by the same power elite that perpetrated this atrocity. I feel so shocked and sad seeing it, and yet, it's just par for the course. Our government has been corrupt and not for the good of the people for a long, long time. What government ever has truly served the people?
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  • Posted by readsall 10 years, 7 months ago
    I don't remember this being taught in history class either. It's a shameful time in our history and should not be forgotten. Especially considering what we are seeing in our country now! My grandfather served in the French trenches during WWI. I'm sure he was working during the depression though I don't remember my Dad (9 yrs old in 1932) mentioning what he was working at. He was a plasterer by trade but I don't think there was a lot of construction at that time.
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  • Posted by Esceptico 10 years, 7 months ago
    This event is well covered (documented) in the book "The War Lovers." Our soldiers, like most soldiers, like to kill people and break things without being held personally accountable. The target is not as relevant to such a mindset as avoiding individual responsibility for their primal (otherwise criminal?) acts. The same is shown to be true of modern police, documented in the excellent book “Rise of the Warrior Cops.”

    I didn’t learn about the Louisiana Purchase being illegal and how our “hero” Jefferson engineered “a way around the Constitution” to permit the deal. Very controversial in 1803, not even discussed in history classes I took.
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    • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years, 7 months ago
      Where do you get your understanding of the mind of the military member? You obviously have never been in the military or known anyone close to you who has been in the military. You couldn't be more wrong about their mindset. Yes, there are some psychos, but the armed forces do a pretty good job of screening those out, but some will always get through as no screening process is 100%.
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      • Posted by $ jlc 10 years, 7 months ago
        I agree, Robbie. I have known many military folks who were much better at doing what they thought was right than they were at blindly following orders. If they received an order that risked their own death, they would follow it (unless they thought it was really really stupid and had a better idea about how to accomplish the objective), but if they received an order to egregiously take the lives of someone they held as innocent, they would have never done it. I think that these people would have drawn a big line at attacking fellow citizens.

        Don't they teach this in military ethics classes?

        Tactically, the bonus vets should have given way to the troops without resistance, and then come back again afterwards.

        Jan
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        • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years, 7 months ago
          It was a very different time, and MacA was a very different type of soldier. The entire situation was bad. The gov't reneged on a promise (granted, in the depths of the depression), the vets demanding payment from a gov't that couldn't possibly pay such under the fiscal system at the time, a military commanded to march on vets. All in all, the outcome was certainly not as devastating as it potentially could have been.

          And yes, they do teach this in military ethics - you might find my other reply elsewhere in this topic.
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      • Posted by Esceptico 10 years, 7 months ago
        My understanding comes from personally talking with many military members; reading such books as "Blackhawk Down" (I also spoke directly with the author) in which the author explicitly states he "was seeking action" --- meaning to kill; and so on. They all "dress" their statements in flowery words until you press them as to what they mean---and then it comes out.
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        • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years, 7 months ago
          You are clearly ignorant of the military mind. Those who "were seeking action" get the rush of the situation of life/death - NOT that they are out to kill others. It is similar to those that are addicted to first person shooter games.
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          • Posted by Esceptico 10 years, 7 months ago
            And they seek it out. Nice rush. At best, not honorable in my view, and at worst dangerous. These are the people who would shoot U.S. citizens or innocent citizens (collateral damage?) in other countries. When one considered these folks swear to uphold the constitution and yet there has not been a declared war since WWII, one can only assume the current military does not understand what they have sworn to uphold or don't care. Either way they should not be out killing people and breaking things (Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, etc., now probably Ukraine) in the name of upholding the Constitution. They do it because they want to. They, as you say, like the rush of life and death action. What is this life and death action? I think it is safe to assume they are thinking in terms of keeping their own lives and killing others. This does rather bring us back to the original point that they like to kill people and break things without individual responsibility.
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            • Posted by $ Abaco 10 years, 7 months ago
              I think you raise in interesting point. Thinking back when I was 18-20...I would have been one hell of a soldier, able to kill a bunch of people if I thought them to be the enemy. I think the fault of global violence perpetrated by our military, still, falls more on the shoulders of the commanders and elected officials than the kids actually pulling the triggers. Gone is the concept of walking softly with a big stick. I noticed in the televised fire fights of the 2nd Iraq war that our leaders seemed all too willing to put our troops in harms way, too. Opting to hamstring our guys and remain reluctant to call in air strikes or the big guns. I saw that as an example of how little our soldiers lives were valued. Now, I understand there are over 20 suicides each day from the ranks. I hope that's not true...but, it doesn't surprise me.
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              • Posted by Esceptico 10 years, 7 months ago
                I think you are right. Those who cause the wars do not fight in them, they send kids who truly believe they are doing the right thing for god, country, and mom. All the leaders have to do is change who the "enemy" is and the soldiers will kill them. Example is Senator Reid and branding the Nevada incident as domestic terrorists.
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    • Posted by 10 years, 7 months ago
      Our soldiers, like most soldiers, like to kill people and break things without being held personally accountable. The target is not as relevant to such a mindset as avoiding individual responsibility for their primal (otherwise criminal?) acts.
      I find this kind of blanket statement illogical and unreasonable. My personal experience is exactly the opposite. There is no way to discern or prove that most soldiers like to kill.
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      • Posted by Esceptico 10 years, 7 months ago
        Most of the soldiers with whom I have had conversations or have read their thoughts or about them, would have been a better way to express myself. I am sure there are some good soldiers. Ask a current or former military creature whey they volunteered and delve into what they say below the flowery "I did it to serve my country" stuff.
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        • Posted by 10 years, 7 months ago
          Certainly. I have asked my 18 year old son about to enter the Naval Academy. We have had many such discussions. As I have with my father and uncles. Not one had a thirst for blood or to kill. I do not doubt there are warriors who live for battle as well as psychos in it for nefarious reasons. My experience has been that the majority do not.
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        • Posted by SRS66East 10 years, 7 months ago
          What an awful blanket statement. I have many servicemen in my family (4 currently, 6 retired) and non of them have been in it to quench a thirst for battle. I don't know who you have been talking to but if the servicemen in your circle are all about bloodlust then I have to seriously question your circle.
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          • Posted by Esceptico 10 years, 7 months ago
            Believe me, that are NOT in my circle of friends. But, with 10 military people in your immediate family I suspect you have less than an objective outlook. None will out-and-out say that is what their inner desires are because it would not be acceptable in most "circles." But dig down a bit, and see what you unearth as to why they even went into the military and the particular branch and job they do in the military. Ask why they take part in a "standing army" when it is specifically prohibited by the Constitution or participate in wars not declared as required by the Constitution---all 10 swore to uphold the Constitution, right?
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