Right-wing battle cry: Bring me the head of Janet Napolitano!
By David Neiwert Friday Apr 24, 2009 1:00pm
Anyone notice how right-wing behavior toward President Obama so far is mimicking, structurally speaking, their behavior toward President Clinton in the 1990s: encourage anti-government hysteria, freak out about incipient totalitarianism, accuse him of destroying the country and making it weaker, and then constantly attack his appointees and demand their firing? What's next, an investigation of his investments?
Does it surprise anyone, then, that the first object of Republicans' ire -- the first Cabinet appointment whose resignation they're demanding -- would be a woman named Janet?
Greta Van Susteren and Byron York last night on Fox were fairly representative (check out the Limbaugh rant at the beginning), though the fire-Napolitano talk has been bubbling up everywhere. As Amanda Terkel notes this morning, John McCain even went so far as to falsely claim that the person responsible for the report had been fired.
Still, as York says, the cold reality is that Napolitano is on perfectly solid ground and there is no likelihood, imminent or otherwise, that she'll be forced out. But the reason for that is that not only was what the report said in fact perfectly accurate, she only bears glancing responsibility for it: It had, after all, been commissioned by the Bush administration and authored by Bush administration hirees.
The other "scandal" has to do with a minor quip indicating a certain lack of clarity about the facts regarding America's borders -- Napolitano appeared to suggest the 9/11 terrorists came to the U.S. through Canada. Here's what she actually said:
"Yes, Canada is not Mexico, it doesn't have a drug war going on, it didn't have 6,000 homicides that were drug-related last year," she said.
"Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country or suspected or known terrorists have entered our country across a border, it's been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there."
When asked if she was talking about the 9-11 perpetrators, Napolitano replied: "Not just those but others as well."
Napolitano was wrong about the 9/11 hijackers, all of whom came to the U.S. through domestic airports, using fake papers. But she was, in fact, right about the rest.
After all, the only known case of a terrorist caught bringing materiel over the border -- the 1999 Ahmed Ressam incident -- happened in Washington state, on the ferryboat from Canada. A quantitative analysis of terrorist threats to the U.S. found that there was "no terrorist presence in Mexico and no terrorists who entered the U.S. from Mexico"; but there was in fact "a sizeable terrorist presence in Canada and a number of Canadian-based terrorists who have entered the U.S."
Canadians may get upset about one of our top national-security officials pointing out these facts, but they are facts nonetheless.
And people like Byron York and Greta Van Susteren may conveniently dismiss the significance of these facts, just so that Van Susteren can call Napolitano "stupid."
Yeah, Greta, there's a lot of that going around.
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Let's not let facts get in the way of a right-wing loony rant. These whiney assed losers are without one idea as to how to solve the country's problems. Their answer rant, scream and make up outrage that will fix everything
Except now we have the ability to see it all at once via the internet and 24 hour news networks.
Ya, it's great to be here, the collective conscience, looking down on the morons.
They are operating at a level that we all have transcended.
It's like mommy and daddy looking down on a misbehaving child in tantrum mode.
hopefully push back...not just blog about it. If action- emails, voice mails, etc- is not taken on the level of contact immediately they will get away with pushing their lies and the repub agenda.
Every media outlet has contact info...cut and paste ..or call---but do something to let them know their ploy is not working!
I remember how Conservative pundits seemed to take deep, personal offense at literally everything Clinton and his people did. It was almost comical.
If a Clinton Administration official said "hello", it was twisted into proof that they were communist tyrants. And more-- it was also an indictment of "The Left", in general.
I remember once listening to Sean Hannity pontificate about how terrible Clinton was for literally 15 minutes-- I was timing it-- and it was all built on some completely innocuous, milquetoast statement uttered by one of his aides on a Sunday talk show. It's ludicrous.
I think we should be laughing at these people for their cowardice and hysterical clucking. They only thing that actually seems to bother them is having their masculinity questioned.
an awful lot of small penises in the GOP. I know there's lots of Dicks though.
Janet Napolitano needs to know we support her. What about a petition to show we've got her back, or at least an email address. I checked out Homeland Security and couldn't find an email address that I thought made sense, but maybe that was me.
Elian Gonzalez
http://www.crrange.com/Bill_Fidel_Elian.jpg
I'm surprised they haven't complained about what breed of dog Bo is or that he's the wrong color. If Bo ever has an accident within the white house, they are gonna scream, Send him back to Portugal.
The only ones listening seriously to these rants are the rest of their 20%.
I heard some guy on Fox a little while ago saying the dems in congress have decided not to give the middle class the tax cut President Obama had promised and were instead going to use that money to fund healthcare. Whether this is true or not, I have no idea, but they are trying to flame more anger for their next tea party or whatever. And for Fox and the right, it doesn't matter if they know what they are talking about, they'll just run with it.
Oh, they complained, all right. That Obama lied because he said he wanted to get a shelter dog and then got a purebred, even though it was a gift from Senator Kennedy. I think he should have any kind of dog he deems suitable for his children--not everything has to be politicized--at least not by the Dems--and besides, it's nobody's business but the Obamas.
of a well-coordinated, concerted effort to tear down everything "Left" by any means possible including smears, disinformation, lies, dirty tricks. I just watched Jonathan Turley get Buchananned and Matthewed on Hardball. It wasn't pretty.
And all the while, Obama just keeps getting more and more popular and 4 times as many people think we're on the right track now as they did when Bush left office. All but the hardcore Dittoheads have had it with these jackasses.
One of the reasons to attack Sec DHS Napolitano is to make her look weak back here in Arizona, where I am sure she would be a strong senatorial contender.
Echoes my thoughts about Jonathan Turley on Hardball. Turley, who
has appeared on Countdown with Keith innumerable times, was interrupted constantly by both Tweety and Loose Cannon. Everytime he tried to answer on of Tweety's inane questions Tweety and Paddy tried to outdo each other talking over him.
You could see the exasperation on Turley's face when he finally said to LooseCannon, "For the love of God, can I finish?" One of the most knowledgable guests Tweety has had on in weeks and he just insults him. I don't think we'll see Turley on Lowball anytime in the near future. He'd be better off on Countdown, where he can actually finish a sentence.
Contrast this to Tweety's ass-kissing of Tom DeLay (my court date as long as possible) who Tweety loves to give a solo appearance and let's him lie and spin for 10 minutes at a time uninterrupted. Anyone who thinks Tweety is neutral or the least bit left-leaning should watch a tape of today's show.
That report has next to nothing to do with Napolitano but even if it did what is she supposed to have done wrong. The report does not villanize all conservative (as the right frequently does with liberals.)
Impeachment proceedings. Just wait. I've said Obama would be impeached before the end of his first term. I think it will happen sooner rather than later.
Shaking hands with Chavez probably.
..they will drum up something. They are patiently waiting for the chance. It WILL happen.
Something they don't have
I don't Congress will let that through.
I think what's next will be much worse. I don't want to say it out loud, but all I think about is the end of the sixties.
Shirts tucked in at all times and no talking?
for a return of those big cheesy porn star staches.
But seriously, I was thinking of King and RFK.
If anything happens to Obama there will be Civil War redux in this country. You can bank on it.
how can a Republic[sic] minority impeach a Democratic president?
in the next few years even more of a minority. Without even wishing for it.
Says Rush Limbaugh: "How in the hell did this person get her job?" How could those words never have left his lips during the 8 years of Bush/Cheney? Clown. Any report that start offs quoting that idiot is D.O.A.
That same question, posed thus, "How in God's name did a college dropout turned bartender with no journalistic background land a job like yours?"
These Repukes rarely let the facts get in the way of their rants.
I don't know of a "sizable terrorist presence in Canada" but they must have something to back-up such a statement. They do want to treat both borders in the same manner, which is only fair, albeit, Canada is one major trading partner, so not sure how that will turn out.
If only the MSM did their duty and rebutted at least some of these Repuke talking heads more outragous claims. At least we can take heart in the fact they are talking only to the base, and we will never ever, ever be able to change the minds of those morons. Some sane Republicans saw the light and helped Obama get elected, but the coverage theses bastards get you would think they are the vast majority.
And I can tell you hundreds of pounds of drugs, mostly marijuana but some amphetamines, are confiscated on a daily basis. The difference is the Canadians are unarmed and for the most part Caucasian.
Is there anything that this administration does that is not going to be bashed by the GOP and its henchmen? They started slamming Obama on November 5 (as the president--they were merciless during the campaign), and haven't let up since. They even were calling for his impeachment before the Inauguration. I predict there will not be one thing he will do during his presidency that they won't bitch about.......we're in for a looooong 8 years!LOL!
*THEY'RE* in for a long 8 years, not us. I find their tears delicious.
Obama could personally drag their miserable asses from a burning building and they would still find the breath to critique his carrying technique, then later sue him for not saving their "limited edition" Elvis Collector plates.
that's obvious.
Wingnuts have never been good with facts or reality. If they do not think that they should be characterized as right wing fringe, they should act accordingly. So far it seems that the report is spot on and it is talking about FOX, Rush, Glenn, BillO, Shannity and the rest of the hate mongers spewing their hate over the airwaves. Timothy McVeigh probably was a fan of these guys.
doing talk radio? Oh wait no one wants to lower themselves to his level that makes sense.
... the DLC/Limosine Liberal wing of the left has a consistent track record of eating their own firebrands the very FIRST moment they cause controversy in making wingnuts heads explode like two Barbasol shaving cream canisters lettin' loose in a bonfire, leaving them baptized in an absolute froth. It don't take much imagination to work 'em into a nice thick lather, either. Give me 3 minutes sharing a set with Ann Coulter or Sean Hannity on FOX NEWS and I guarantee -- with or without Ann Coulter filing a slander/libel suit against me -- the Democrats will denounce and repudiate me so damned fast, Dick Durbin would think he got off light.
Seriously, it's an unspoken law that the left is *NOT ALLOWED* to have high-calibre, mouthy, over the top firebrands ... and it's their own damned fault, too, for kowtowing and placating the 40 and 50 year old Republican pundit Kidults for the last 30 years.
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9tf0-BIyU0&fe... ]
But here is a lesson for "good" Repubs:
Democrat Murphy wins House race
refusing to be dumbed and numbed down by the Establishment as much as anything. It was about seeking alternative lifestyles instead of being just one more Ward and June Cleaver.
I'm worried about the Beaver.
to bad TV doesn't represent reality.
If it's on TV, it MUST be true!
I read that on the Internet and they NEVER lie!
that's not living. Sitting in front of a damn television after doing ones time at a job every night. We were doing things, creating, traveling, meeting people, inventing. Traveling around with a backpack and a thumb out.
It freaked the Old Establishment out.
From a little kid's point of view, I thought June was sort of bitchy. She bossed everyone around including Ward. I didn't like her.
I find that I spend way too many waking hours thinking about the beaver.
legs probably.
you guys are a riot!
woohoo!
Dad's really gonna be sore when he gets home.
Here's something the GOP might not be able to complain about. Now that Obama has stated the CIA interrogators should not be charged and we now know the orders came down from on high, couldn't Obama pardon Sgt Graner. I know "following orders" shouldn't be a defense, but obviously it is now in some cases, so to be fair Graner should not have to be the only scapegoat for the country.
She's as stupid as anyone Bush ever had in his administration:
Sound familiar? Sounds exactly like the crap that Bushies yapped about. Same crap. She's an idiot.
She already said she made a mistake.
She's supposed to be in charge of an entire section of government and she talks that stupid? Sorry. Janet meet bus. Bus meet Janet.
The only thing I heard Napolitano say in regards to her Canadian gaffe was that she was misunderstood. I have yet to hear or read of her saying she made a mistake or that she was sorry. She initially decided to spin like a top, that's for certain. If she has admitted to making a mistake since then, great, otherwise maybe she can set up an appearance on Greg Gutfeld's show to help perpetuate bullshit security myths about Canada.
Rex Murphy had some comments about her last night on CBC:
http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/rex_mur...
way too many of these Republican clones in this administration. If Obama really wanted to make some changes, it wouldn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who doesn't belong.
...one thing I am not clear about:
is that patently false? No terrorists came through Canada? I honestly don't know.
Period.
CBC did another story on this showing Chuck Schumer, Hillary Clinton and others perpetuating the terrorists-via-Canada myth. It astonished me. These people should know better.
Fine by me. I just wanted to verify that this wasn't much ado about something that was actually true in some way. I likes me some Canada.
(I would anyway. Terr'sts are sneaky bastards. Even if they did "sneak" in through Canada...sheee-it. WE let them crash planes on us! We can hardly throw stones, eh?)
We likes you too.
Just heard on CNN that congressman peter king from NY said that if the dems begin any "show trials" regarding the bush administration and torture, “We would need to have a scorched-earth policy and use procedural means to bring the place to a halt — go to war.”
The cross-the border through Canada bit is really retarded on the part of Napolitano
Yes, I am Canadian, a Liberal Canadian but I am tired of the Bush era BS of Canada being a misquito nesting pool of terrorists waiting to cross the border crap.
If Napolitano is anouther of those, then screw her
You link to the Wikipedia story on Ahmed Ressam but must have missed where it (and other reports) say:
"The Mounties then tipped off US Customs officials of a potential bomb threat to them."
So the RCMP told US Customs that this guy had a bomb, but the US INS pre-cleared him in Victoria to board a ferry anyway, and then only got suspicious once he got to Port Angeles? Why didn't the message from Customs get relayed to the INS?
How is that Canada's fault?
Your study says:
"a sizeable terrorist presence in Canada and a number of Canadian-based terrorists who have entered the U.S."
Who are these terrorists? Why can't anyone give any specific examples?
I am sorry, the last thing I want to is feed the right-wing's lunacy, but I am another Canadian who thinks she's an idiot and that this Bush inspired paranoia about the borders is bad for America. The U.S. faces much more of a terrorist threat from its own residents than from Canadians crossing a border.
can they justify the expense of billions spent on a phoney department? I mean, Department of Homeland Security? Fear, fear, fear, fear.
in the human repertoire of dirty tricks.
If Americans don't have an enemy and don't feel fear how can they justify the huge military expenditures and billions on border security?
It's like Orwell's "Two Minutes Hate".
And while the article says this is minor, it certainly isn't minor in Canada.
National Post: The Border for Dummies
National Post: Obsessed with the Border: Napolitano comes undone
and from the CBC:
Canada more lax than U.S. about whom it lets in, Napolitano says
It's a big deal to us, and it should be a big deal to the U.S. Canada is America's largest trading partner, #1 energy supplier and 5 million American jobs are directly tied to trade with Canada. The last thing either country wants to do is thicken the border due to this silly paranoia.
Since when did the Rushthugliklans care about what our allies think? Oh, since we've got a Democrat in the White House now they care. Just like with the budget deficit. These people are sickening and hypocritical as all hell.
When Greta's at the "news" station?
as the Old Establishment. He IS THE OLD ESTABLISHMENT that's the problem.
This woman is an absolute fool. She has lost all creditability and will not be effective in one of the most important jobs in our Gvt.
Except its not one of the most important jobs in government. It's the department of fear....don't be scared.
It's ALL gone? That's it. A few gaffs (that really aren't gaffs and really aren't hers, but for the sake of argument, ok fine...) and it's over for her.
Wow. The unemployment rate would be lot higher if the general public were reviewed that harshly.
Is there anything the ridiculous right won't whine about? Good DOG, my eight year-old niece doesn't whine nearly as much as these fools do.
GROW UP FOR CHRISSAKES!
HOLY CRAP!!!!!
What gaff? .. the release of a Bush Admin report that mentions the risk of right-wing militant extremists trying to recruit veterans?
That's a Napolitano gaff?!?!?
I'm sorry, what did Napolitano have to do with any of that?
This is evil. Good old fashioned, evil.
Wow, in Canada we have things called border guards. They screen who does and doesn't get into the country. If somebody gets in that we don't want, well then it's our fault.
America should consider getting some border guards.
Greta van Susternenenen is a Scientologist, she doesn't have the right to call anybody stupid!
How's Xenus doing Greta? Still keeping those taxbreaks safe?
I inquired about the arrival of your new book, The Eliminationists, at my local Barnes and Noble. The clerk advised me the store wasn't sales-modeled to recieve a shipmemt, so I had to order a single copy.
It only gets better:
Yahoo Canada - McCain defends Napolitano by saying 9-11 terrorists did come from Canada
WASHINGTON - John McCain is the latest high-profile politician to repeat the diehard American falsehood that the 9-11 terrorists entered the United States through Canada.
Just days after Janet Napolitano, the U.S. homeland security secretary, sparked a diplomatic kerfuffle by suggesting the terrorists took a Canadian route to the U.S. eight years ago, McCain defended her by saying that, in fact, the former Arizona governor was correct.
"Well, some of the 9-11 hijackers did come through Canada, as you know," McCain, last year's Republican presidential candidate, said on Fox News on Friday.
What a dog's breakfast.
Oh. my. gawd. Unbelievable.
They will accuse president Obama of torture before they are through melting like the wicked witch.
Really??
when will the Village of Village Idiots be gathering their torches and pitchforks and advancing on McSame's 11 mansions? My guess will be "NEVER", but the hypocrisy is still thick and tasty.
LOLz
"Well, some of the 9-11 hijackers did come through Canada, as you know," McCain, last year's Republican presidential candidate, said on Fox News on Friday.
Fucking senile old prick. My American friends: Do another happy dance that this tool didn't win the election.
There used to be a fantastic resource online called the MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base. It was a non-profit organization set up after the Oklahoma City Bombing and was funded primarily through federal grants.
You could search through every terrorist incident worldwide, and filter the results based upon types of targets, regions, political or ideological affiliation, religious affiliation, etc. and this ap would automatically generate not just a graph, but pie charts if you asked it to. It was awesome.
I used it back in 2001 before the Bush Administration closed it down (for several years you could only access an archive that had partial functionality - the Obama Administration seems to be restoring it's operation), and found that worldwide, over the past 40 years of terrorism, the groups responsible for all disruptions (not just deaths, but lower level stuff like economic attacks that took no lives or injured anyone) broke down like this:
Leftist Groups = 9%
Anti-Globalization Groups = 3%
Communist Groups = 13%
Environmental Groups = 1%
So a combined total of those on the Left = 26%
All Rightwing Reactionary, Conservative, Rightwing Racist, Conservative Religious Groups Combined = 38%
Purely Nationalist Groups (ie those trying to create their own countries or shake off colonialism) = 31%
Anarchists with allegiances to neither Left or Right = 5%
So this isn't a Democrat or a Republican making the assertion that Rightwingers commit the majority of the acts of terrorism, this is an impartial database, that simply contains the raw data of who did what when.
No wonder the Bush Administration wanted to kill such impartial methods of evaluation. They don't lend themselves to propaganda.
Napalitano's Departmental Report was not "written poorly" (she should stand up for her people's work better), it was markedly, and demonstrably TRUE.
I'm sorry if non-violent conservatives are uncomfortable that there are some extremely violent wingnuts in their midst, but don't attack the messenger. Start cleaning up your own house.
The Bush regime was stacked with one incompetent crony after another. Where was Rush? Probably in an Oxycontin haze divorcing his 3rd wife while paying for sex with the underaged as he was busy carrying water for the GOP on the side.
I wonder how things might have worked out differently if bush had picked limba for VP instead of cheney...
These Republicans will do ANYTHING now to make their crimes a political partisan debate, but it isn't. Who among us belives these republicans and pundits wouldn't do torture and WORSE to make their crimes a partisan issue. Look out for some brutal attemps at brain washing to come. ..i keep wondering why they don't come completely clean. ...i keep wondering what could be worse than torture...
[Not withstanding obtaining false confessions, death by torture, and torture of children.]
...i keep wondering what could be worse than torture...
Being forced to wash Rush Limbaugh with a rag on a stick?
I think we are nearing the part where the republicans start wearing skull and crossbones. I'm guessing that comes pretty soon after torture is established as policy...
Yeah. It's spooky. There was even, imho, another pointless police tasering of this ridiculous naked guy the other day (story on Huffpo). He was a harmless wuss who three giant cops should have been able to subdue and cuff using old fashioned techniques, but instead felt it necessary to electrocute him.
It just seems like arbitrary, vicious, brute mentality is becoming a creeping norm.
They forget to mention that Saudi Arabia had 15 of the 19 terrorist aboard the planes of 911.
They forget to mention that Bush keep the news of the Saudi's being in this country for a meeting with the Bush's on his ranch and Bush flew they home while he grounded all other planes in our country..
It has been said the Bush stopped investigations into the Saudi's by our government.
Why in the h... are we so wrapped up in protecting Saudi Arabia like Bush Sr. with the Desert Storm and now Iraq..
Saudi believes they plus Iran are a threat to them as well as Israel and look who gets screwed with their chores..
I think bush spirited OBL out of harms way just like the rest of his family. Why not, sounds like something he would do.
4 reasons why the GOP deserves to be where it's at, and will be there for years to come:
1. It has no credibility in respect to governing well and addressing issues of real concern to the American public.
2. It has no attractive or new Ideas to offer.
3. It has no good spokespersons in political office. When it's Palin, Boehner, Bachman, DeWine, who's listening? And when your most visible voices are Cheney, Limbaugh, Gingrich, Beck, the majority of Americans are tuning them out.
4. It's become the Party of Petty. Since Day One (Jan. 20), GOP politicians/pundits (see 3), have engaged in daily screeds to try and make rhetorical mountains out of molehills. All wrapped in a "we hate Obama" envelope. And the public has tuned them out. Ironically, when/if a legitimate issue arises where the GOP might have something constructive to offer, what they say will be drowned out in the anti-Obama cacophony. We've tuned them out.
The GOP is dishing out the same old BS but America is tired of the stench.
Didn't a right wing extremist blow up a building in America's heartland some time ago?
I seem to remember something about him being a veteran.
I'm a veteran and I personally knew another veteran who has a great big swastika and the words "White Power" tattooed on his chest. He was also a gun dealer.
;-)
Why do we keep giving that pill popping criminal coverage..
Rush , Rove and the rest of these criminals ,, should only get coverage doing their court case.
Illegal drugs use , treason , torture , illegal spying , controlling the court system for political policies and so on...
US politicians have done quite well blaming every other nation for everything wrong in their own nation. Drugs? Mexico, South America. Terrorists? Canada. Unemployment? Damn Mexican illegals. Iraqis fighting back? Iran. Afghanistan problems? Pakistan. Need for more and more military toys? Those evil Commie Ruskies.
Hey, you forgot the Chinese!
Fuel Saddam's power and WMD. They also supplied Bin Laden in their war with Russia to break them economically and now Bush Jr. has done this to us on a bigger scale..
Russia warm US about Bin laden and what did Reagan , Cheney and Rumsfeld do..... They built Bin Laden into a hero and the terrorist threat he is today and now like all of their corrupted policies they are Blaming Obama , Clinton and the democrats...
Reagan's WMD Connection to Saddam Hussein
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Ronald_Reag...
Bin Laden used Reagan’s USSR strategy to Destroy US Capitalism
http://rupeenews.com/2008/10/08/bin-laden-use...
Is pure pleasure watching the Republican party implode and to watch Limbaugh and the like go beserk , utterly powerless and helpless , this is great .
...is teasing us with irony. This guy is looking more like a budda every time I see him...
with the report's content beyond simply not liking it.
So, suddenly Fox News cares about what Canada thinks? They denigrate that country time and time again but when a criticism of Canada is in line with their politics...
...yup. Let's get angry about it.
Its not just the right wing that is upset about Janet Napolitano. She's offended all of Canada with her recent claim the 9/11 terrorists arrived in the US through Canada. To add fuel to the fire, John McCain has backed her up on the assertion, even after she backed down from it!
Go to "http://www.cbc.ca/news" if you'd like to read more.
It's appalling your homeland security czar knows so little about her immediate neighbours. Such ignorance does not help America's image in the world. We expect it from KA KA heads like McCain, but not from the Obama cabinet.
sorry but napolitano is an absolute tool. shes trying to get the positive id qualifications for drivers license done away with what a douch!, besides being so dopey on how the supposed terriorist gained entrence into america , just another mindless appointment by your criminal complicent government!
Here Limp-Dick goes again giving the top Reslug marching orders to Steele and the present Reslug domestic terrorists.
Hey Greta, facts and the truth are more important than a highly educated and highly paid Secretary's gaffe. She should be smarter than she is for the job she holds.
I watched 9/11 on FOX in March 2001, so I'm pretty sure the terrorists didn't come from Canada but rather maybe they saw this show on FOX (warning: this could appear offensive but remember it was prior to 9/11), if you've never seen this be prepared -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB6EWF3vulc
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