this post was submitted on 29 Jan 2026
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Leopards Ate My Face
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Everybody who is willing to change and admits fault should be given an opportunity to make amends.
Exactly, look at how well things went after our first civil war when we reintegrated the confederate traitors. Didn't shoot ourselves in the foot for the next couple hundred years at all with that one.
Okay, bad example. There's probably a good one somewhere though.
What do you propose? Turn them away? Alienate them? Refuse to help? We can come up with a million reasons why we shouldn't be open. But if someone is truly contrite, shouldn't they have a chance?
sure. a chance to make a new life for themselves in another country. what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
And your suggestion is instead... what? Exactly what the worst of them want to do to others? And you'll tar the people who aren't 100% evil bastards with the same brush?
No. Forgiveness, support, and education are the only way forward. It's not about what we did when we 'reintegrated'. It's about the fact that when we did, we still denied them federal funds, no one set out to build industries or safe jobs for the average people, and no one made any effort toward education in the south. And, might I add, no one actually gave a damn about the racial tensions, except in those rare cases where they were affected. Instead of trusting that churches will handle it, acknowledge that they'll turn into cults - look at how many literal cult groups there are in the southern USA when they were the only community support or education. Instead of saying "eh, you'll figure it out", realize that no, the average people will not. They'll continue to be screwed over like they've always been.
Educate. Integrate. Yes, demand better of them, but give them the tools to become better.
The American Empire is in a weak state right now because of who's in charge. We have only two ways of getting it back - an incredibly massive investment into global soft power, or a disturbing investment into forcing our hard power. Since that's the problem we face, we're even more in need of each other. We need to integrate for real, to acknowledge, defuse, and support. Because I'll tell you something. I live in NJ. I love cities, and I get unnerved outside of a city on the scale of NY/NJ. My needs and my lifestyle are totally different from those of a person in a rural community. But we need leaders who want to support both - and not people who want to hurt either fellow Americans or foreign people.
If you openly and gleefully supported a bigot for a decade, the rest of civilized society has NO obligation to forgive you.
I think one of the most telling things about the quality of a man is what they dream of when there is a boot on thier neck. Some dream of abolishing boots, others dream of being the righteous applicator of the boot.
This
The issue wasn't that the North made amends with the repentant people of the South. The issue was that the North welcomed the unrepentant back into the fold without any real consequences, and even let them hold positions of power.
People who genuinely leave behind their horrible worldview deserve a chance at redemption.
These are the 2A people willing to actually use the amendment.