He's a bigot and his agenda is to create a highly bigoted country where bigotry is the structure.

As I've said before, I believe that the October 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel was calculated and funded by outsiders. The goal was to divide Americans and ensure that Trump would be elected. I believe that the supposed "grass roots" protests were secretly funded by outside actors and that groups such as DSA were manipulated into a movement that would turn Democratic voters against one another and against our candidates.

It worked like a charm. College campuses blew up with plenty of emotion and bad behavior. The congressional hearings pillorying college presidents were an excuse to go after higher education (one of the pillars of independent thought and discovery in a democracy). Democratic voters stayed home.

This has been a deeply cynical campaign of manipulation with a single goal: get Trump in the White House and turn Americans against everything that stands between us and fascism: federal agencies, the courts, higher education, journalists, even health care.

It's interesting to learn that the billionaire dictator of El Salvador is a Palestinian. He's making lots of money torturing Trump's deportees. I wonder how much he gave to Hamas to help put this all in motion. And Putin, and the rest of the rogues gallery.

These people aren't even trying to hide it.

...torture people and get paid for it? And help elect a man who has done more for Israel than any other President - to the detriment of Palestinians?

Seems a little far-fetched to me.

Bukele is of Palestinian descent - his paternal family emigrated from Jerusalem a hundred years ago - and his mother is Roman Catholic. But it's interesting that you point out his Palestinian ancestry and follow that up with an "interesting" theory about him.

Bukele doesn't need demonizing because he's of part-Palestinian descent. He is a bad guy, Period.

He's also a staunch supporter of Israel, as are a big portion of his base - Evangelical Christians.

Israel loves him too - it exports arms and weapons at ever-increasing rates. It began in the '70's, with Israel providing arms to the bloody military regimes and continuing up to the present day under bloody Bukele. Who is in no way, shape or form either a friend of Palestinians or "smart" or powerful enough to have concocted such as scheme as you suggest.

Ask yourself this - who benefited from Trump in the White House? The list includes both Bukele and Netanyahu.

Is Bukele self-hating? No way. Narcissistic sociopaths don't hate themselves.

I had my suspicions. Glad you've pointed it out more bravely than I could.

But I know you don't really believe that and I'm really not a conspiracy fan usually.

Though I think Netanyahu let it happen, to serve his interests and that of his ultra right wing. And as we have seen, he has made full use of it to annihilate the Palestinians and drive them out.

And if that is really true, it should be the end for him.

In four paragraphs you contradicted yourself four times.

Also, I find it hilarious that you think my opinion about Netanyahu's involvement in Oct 7 is definitive, while you disagree with me about everything else. (And you got my opinion about that wrong, too. I have no opinion about whether he was in on it or not. I do know that his response to it was highly predictable, and he knew it would help elect Trump.)

We could all use a good laugh.

I have to learn to use the sarcasm emoji. I dislike it, seems disrespectful. But I shouldn't assume people "get" me.

There is a difference between "letting" something happen passively and actively planning and funding it. The belief in the latter - whether it's Bukele, Trump, Putin or Netanyahu - is the playground of conspiracy theorists and I'm not one.

After all, his favorite daughter (and son-in-law) are Jewish, and so are several of his "best buddy" billionaires. Chump will always excuse the MAGAs who really ARE anti-semitic, even though some of them are willing to commit crimes against Jews. The recent attack on Governor Shapiro's mansion in Harrisburg is a perfect example.

He hates everybody but himself.

Malignant narcissists hate and hate. I know from sad experience.

On the unintended (?) consequences of Trump's actions:

It is almost always nothing but a convenient excuse. They no more care about Jews or bigotry against then most. We are inconsequential unless we can be used to bash "the other side". This administration is about what they have been planning for DECADES and that is the destruction of the education system, that they are using anti-Semitism as an excuse is just dressing and the fact it will likely be used by others to attack us, well, gravy. It works as "we are protecting Jews" and if it backfires, "the Jews are to blame" with some already taking that stance.