3: What Have You Got To Lose? The Modernist Perspective podcast

2:05

So a lot of people ask me why the Modernist Perspective tends to be so liberal and how my beliefs got to be that way. Well as many listening to our podcast know I lived in Europe for quite awhile and it changed my perspective on politics quite a bit. In political discourse the overton window or window of discourse is the area of acceptable policies and the middle ground that makes it up. The United States compared to other countries that makeup western democracy has an overton window that has been dragged much farther to the right. The joke among many Europeans is that America is the only western democracy governed by two conservative parties. Data shows that they are right. The Democrat’s and Republican’s for the most part are on the right dividing line of the political spectrum. Tell any European or Canadian that universal healthcare or common sense gun reform is socialist and you’d get laughed out of a room. So why is this? Why has America been so conservative? Well the right leaning religious movements such as Evangelicals have been gaining a lot of influence as the years have gone by. Then there is conservative media which preys on fear. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. Which unfortunately describes a lot of where the Republican party under Trump has gone. People are afraid of change they fear it, they don’t like the idea that the world they grew up in changes to have different ideas. The responsibility of a good news organization is getting people to accept change and understand why it is happening. Conservative media too often weaponizes fear but fear is an uncomfortable sensation so it has to be turned into anger, a side effect of which is hatred toward the groups accused of commiting wrongs. The Modernist Perspective leans liberal because we are influenced by mainstream politics throughout western democracy including Europe. So for us what is considered liberal in American politics is considered fairly standard in many places throughout the world. Hope you enjoyed this new content and stay with us as we get through our new podcasts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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The Dangerous Slippery Slope of Texas Abortion Restriction Law 3:05

4 years тому3:05

3:05

The abortion restrictions in Texas are downright draconian. It sets a dangerous precedent that not only goes against the fundamental idea of separation of church and state but also could lead toward a theocratic dictatorship. Listen here for our take on just how dangerous a slippery slope this will become for freedom in America. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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13: The Afghanistan Withdrawal 45:43

4 years тому45:43

45:43

The withdrawal from Afghanistan has been rife with debate. In this episode we’re here to break down the many factors involved in the Afghanistan withdrawal and what got us to this point. 0:30 - So ultimately where is the fault in this withdrawal? Is this a 20 year failure spread across multiple presidencies? Does the fault lie with Biden? With his predecessor? With Afghan president Ghani who was plagued with corruption? 7:11 - So as far as we don’t leave our people behind this withdrawal from Afghanistan seems to be a lot more successful then the Syrian withdrawal where Kurdish soldiers and civilians were massacred by Turkey after Trump pulled out at Erdogan’s behest. Why do you think this is getting more coverage than that withdrawal which was more horrendous in terms of betrayal of our allies and leaving people behind who could have been rescued? 12:16 - What is the Doha Agreement? Why do people keep bringing it up as an element that sets up the failure we’re seeing today in Iraq? Why was it such a bad deal for Trump to make with the Taliban? 15:28 - Something that has proven to be a Trump supporter myth in the Afghanistan narrative is that he would have gotten them all out. News broke recently that Stephen Miller sabotaged the visa program which left many Afghan’s that wanted to get out earlier stranded. 17:14 - The xenophobic messaging coming from Fox news and other conservative messaging over the Afghan refugees. They seem happy to criticize the withdrawal process but in reality many don’t seem to actually want these people to be rescued. 21:27 - So the media right now has its focus on the domestic blame game. One of the things we haven’t talked enough about is the failures of the Afghan gov’t which under Ghani had become quite corrupt. Let’s discuss some of the failures that he invited by failing to reform his gov’t. 25:27 - Many experts have said redeploying troops to Afghanistan would be logistically challenging and reversing the withdrawal was easier said than done. Should Biden had done so and there was a retaliation by the Taliban during vulnerable stages of our redeployment what would have been the optics of that? 28:20 - Many of the contractors we worked with in Afghanistan rather than being useful service providers are more accurately described as war profiteers. Erik Prince is running a scam charging $6500 for refugees to get a flight out of the country. What do you think about the military working with people like that? 30:20 - What are the general optics of this? You seem to have people foaming at the mouth with utter glee that the USA under Biden is getting owned. What do you think about some Republican’s making comments that praise the Taliban? How can Democrats turn this around for the midterm? 34:20 - Before Trump political disagreements revolved around taxes, debt ceiling, size of gov’t, etc. Now it seems as time has gone on liberals are spending more time defending basic decency, ethics, and morality. What do you think of these comments and the fact that they reflect an absence of values and the ability to do the right thing? 36:04 - I know of teachers now who say we wouldn’t be able to win WWII today because we don’t live in a common reality and politics has become more about winning instead of doing what’s right for the country. I don’t remember it being that way before Trump as much. How much harm has been done with him refusing to concede the election and turning politics into survival against the other side who are enemies rather than citizens? Is it possible we lose our position as a superpower because of division and inability to unite to greater good? 40:39 - Closing thoughts on where the country is headed and also what still needs to be done to right the ship. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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Putting Afghanistan Withdrawal in Perspective 3:45

4 years тому3:45

3:45

A lot of people have asked me my opinion on the Afghanistan withdrawal. While I will save most of my thoughts to discuss later on in our podcast I will in this statement focus on what I think is a failure in comparative analysis on the media's part in accurately putting this crisis in perspective. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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12: Reactionary Politics and World Issues 39:10

4 years тому39:10

39:10

In this episode we return for an in depth discussion on many more important topics. We discuss the GOP’s absolutist turn toward reactionary politics and their intolerance of differing points of view and how it has affected discussions on the Israel-Palestine conflict, irresponsible decisions surrounding policy as we come out of pandemic, Republican's refusal to form a bipartisan commission to investigate Jan 6th, how Republican's have left conservatism for the extreme reactionary right, and what positive direction the country needs to take going forward. 00:51 - The Israel-Palestine conflict and how the right has taken an intolerant stance toward anyone questioning Israel’s position on human rights. Is it right for them to use antisemitism as a bully word against anyone who doesn’t support their position when you have people like Margaery Taylor Greene using holocaust distortion to compare mask wearing and vaccination to the horrors of gold stars and being marched off to the gas chambers? 12:50 - Vaccines, the rise of the overnight PHD’s who read an article and then wake up the next day a doctor telling everyone what to do, and the continued Covid-19 conspiracy theories. 18:24 - Republican’s refusing to vote for a bipartisan investigation into Jan. 6th even after fallen officer Brian Sicknick’s mother begged them to put country before party and see this through. How the back the blue and memorial day messages rang hollow after this deeply unpatriotic action. 22:36 - Not your average conservative. The tremendous danger the reactionary right and their politics represent to the integrity of USA’s democracy. The GOP as a whole is no longer conservative but represents that far right political ideology. You can also find more info on this topic at https://perceptivereality.home.blog/2021/05/27/stop-calling-modern-republicans-conservative/ 28:36 - Don’t feed the trolls. Sometimes reactionary right politicians say something crazy or stupid hoping you’ll respond to them giving them a boost to their brand. The bad press generated around a moronic statement doesn’t matter and the goal here is to grab your attention and get you to spread their trash around. 32:38 - What improvements can be made to society to make life better for our generation and the ones that come after? --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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11: Ignorance Can Hurt People 48:53

4 years тому48:53

48:53

A lot of important events have happened over the past month and we’re back with another episode to propound. Here we have a discussion on everything from the guilty verdict for the murder of George Floyd and how justice was served, restrictive voting laws, anti-asian hate crimes, gun control in the wake of all the recent mass shootings, transphobia and the conflicting arguments Republican's use to discount their right to choices about their bodies, and more. 00:58 - Justice has been served. Derek Chauvin has been found guilty for the murder of George Floyd. Many in the GOP seem to be upset about it. Between Kyle Rittenhouse and Derek Chauvin there seems to be this common thread of Republican’s taking the side of the perpetrator by saying their victims deserve it. Do they side with these horrible individuals so they can use them to stick it to the libs or is it racism and intolerance? 5:00 - We discuss why Maxine Water’s saying get confrontational in a sidebar conversation away from the crowd are not in the same league as the insurrection Trump’s Stop the Steal event caused. However, her comments and the judges behavior towards them were equally reckless. 11:25 - The new voting regulations in Georgia and MLB’s decision to pull the All Star game from there and move to Colorado. Could more businesses particularly the film industry also move out of Georgia on principle. 14:08 - Stacy Abrams and her remarkable performance during the senate hearing on voting rights. Here’s why the GOP won’t care about winning over the voters they are disenfranchising. 16:40 - The rise in hate crimes toward the Asian-American community since Covid. How much was the rhetoric of lawmakers (following Trump’s lead in jeering) responsible for that. 19:43 - Matt Gaetz and the sex trafficing scandal and how Q-Anon and other Republican’s are ignoring and deflecting from it. 23:55 - Guns have become the USA's golden calf. How are we supposed to get any type of gun control passed when you have such crazies in congress who will leap to extremes at the slightest mention of the word regulation. 30:25 - Transphobia and how it has become the new other in the conservative war machine against society. Here’s why other folks on the LGBT spectrum should be concerned about what happens to trans people. 34:21 - Conservatives attempt to generate controversy surrounding the transitioning process with a “think of the children” narrative. They argue that this type of behavior is grooming people toward mutilation. Yet in many cases it is an age of consent decision whereas circumcision an actual mutilation is forced without consent. In a conversation on Twitter we found out conservatives will fight tooth and nail to defend circumcision but regard choices made with individual consent as mutilation in a blatant hypocrisy of ethical and moral principle. 44:00 - Are people with a more progressive mindset ever going to get along with conservatives? There seems to be two different countries in the USA. One that wants to get better and improve things it knows are bad and one that is too proud to admit wrongdoing or acknowledge any need for change. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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10: Consequence Culture 38:44

4 years тому38:44

38:44

After a crazy February full of snow storms we’re back with another episode. Here we have a discussion on everything from the GOP’s unnatural worship of Trump, the disaster with the Texas power grid, cancel culture is it really a thing or are people using it to escape consequences for actions and yell grievances at a changing society, and streaming and what role it will play in the future of the media industry. 0:41 - Trump’s impeachment and acquittal. Will the GOP ever stop bending the knee to Trump. How will they react going forward as criminal charges and prosecutions start coming into play? 1:47 - GOP gaslighting on events surrounding the insurrection on Jan 6th and the unnatural First Commandment breaking worship of the golden idol of Trump at CPAC. 3:40 - The GOP’s use of grievance politics and cancel culture to distract from their inability to govern. 6:45 - How a focus on reactionary and grievance politics led to a long term neglect of essential issues to governance such as updating infrastructure. 12:30 - Irresponsible Texas politicians like Dan Crenshaw who spread disinformation about the energy crisis during the Texas power grid failure and Ted Cruz who fled the state for Cancun only to come back for a short photo opp before flying to Orlando to make fun of the whole incident at CPAC. 15:00 - The hypocrisy of Ted Cruz snubbing New Jersey during Hurricane Sandy while begging the government for money after Hurricane Harvey. The GOP has a habit of flip flopping on principle particularly when it comes to using government money to help someone else vs something that helps them personally or politically. 17:00 - Gina Carano getting fired by Lucasfilm/Disney. Even some liberals defended her when this was clearly a case where she was given plenty of warning that her behavior was damaging the brand she represented and that she had to stop committing Public Relations arson or she would be shown the door. A discussion on cancel culture and how it is often used as a scapegoat by people (particularly those who claim to be part of the party of personal responsibility) who refuse to take responsibility for bad behavior. 21:30 - More recent examples of outcry over cancel culture such as the decision by the Dr. Seuss estate to remove certain work from circulation. In this case cancel culture is being used as a diversion by conservatives to rile up their base and distract them from the fact that they have no principle or platform other than grievance to adhere to. 23:39 - Was the trouble Gina Carano caused worth what she brought to the table? Also so many science fiction movies and shows contain liberal ideas. Why would conservatives care so much for entertainment that is aiming for an open minded audience with ideas they clearly don’t condone anyway? 31:30 - The future of streaming and the movie industry. How long will the streaming access option for movies that would normally be shown in theaters last? 34:30 - Which is better? The Netflix model of streaming shows which is to release an entire season at once or the Disney+ model where new episodes are released for streaming weekly. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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9: The Capitol Siege 44:48

4 years тому44:48

44:48

The storming riot that turned into an insurrection in the capitol building was a shocking event that hadn’t occurred in history since 1814. In this episode we discuss what led up to that shocking event and how the close minded cultish mentality of Trump supporters combined with the online world of conspiracy theories and right wing propagandists led to this horrible event taking place. 1:00 - A review of the events that took place on January 6th and how Trump’s rhetoric and lack of leadership caused the crowd to spiral out of control. Aside from the supporters who breached the capitol and the president who planned the event we discuss where else some of the fuel to the fire came from and who ultimately should be held responsible. 6:12 - The crucial difference between anarchist movements and extremist wings of political movements. Why the right rushed to blame Antifa for the capitol siege when even the most conspiracy prone “experts” on subject like Andy Ngo said definitively they were not there. 8:23 - Why impeachment was absolutely necessary even if a conviction is not guaranteed. Trump is the first president to be impeached twice and in a signal term no less. Also how Republican’s are abandoning the mantle of “party of personal responsibility” by refusing to give or take accountability in this matter. Here’s what it all means going forward. (Note: A lot of our ideas here are speculation since there has never been an impeachment trial after a presidential term has ended.) 17:41 - The Georgia Runoff election and all the hard grass roots work that went into Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock's impressive victory. Democrat’s now have control of the senate, the house of representatives, and the white house. What’s the hope for Georgia going forward? 20:34 - The hypocrisy of GOP talking about election fraud while Trump by his phone call extorting Raffensperger to find him more votes and Lindsay Graham by his phone call asking Raffensperger to throw out votes disenfranchising communities would have produced a fraudulent and counterfeit election result. 23:23 - My chat with Trump supporter and why I learned that engaging even with people who claim to want to understand the other side is a waste of time that only provides fuel for them to twist reality in order to reaffirm their cult mentality viewpoint and ignore even the most obvious double standards. Here’s our thoughts on the conversation with Trump supporter about Andy Ngo, his doxing methods, and how narratives particularly around chaotic situations can get twisted. 33:17 - How Andy Ngo’s work is dangerous and why many right wing extremists use it to excuse their violence and say because the left does this we have will take things up to an eleven and do it worse. In addition Andy has connections to right wing groups like the Proud Boys which would add credibility to many views that he is a propagandist rather than a journalist. 35:12 - How should the MAGA movement be handled going forward? What sort of punishments should there be for Trump’s enablers in congress and the extremist supporters who make up part of his core base. Justice is obviously needed to put this dark chapter behind us. 37:52 - Where does the country go from here and what does Joe Biden have to do going forward for both the country and to put the Democrat’s on strong footing to fight off these Republican’s growing more extremis in their beliefs. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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Statement on Capitol Insurrection 6:03

4 years тому6:03

6:03

Yesterdays scene at the DC Capitol building is the most disgusting thing I have seen in politics during my lifetime. At this point we all know who Trump is and what Trumpism does. We've been discussing it since the start of this project. The blame for this is solely on the GOP and the Trump supporters both for letting the joker off the leash and encouraging the conspiracies that lead to violence in the first place. This will forever remain a stain on Republican's who stoked the fires knowing full well those same fires could become a funeral pyre for US Democracy. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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8: Keeping Democracy 46:29

4 years тому46:29

46:29

The election is over and yet it seems a great many Republican’s have a hard time grappling with the reality that Trump lost. Now is the ultimate test to see if we can keep our democracy even when a large number of people are speaking out against it, simply for the fact that it didn’t work in their favor. Join us as we discuss the importance of what needs to happen next to put the country back on track and the important principles to keep in mind as we consider these issues. 0:42 – Republican’s refusal to accept reality as well as the results of the election and even going so far as issuing death threats to people who contradict the stolen election narrative. 6:45 – American conservatism in particular has a legacy of continuing suffering out of wanting to use it as a teaching tool and deny progress to the next generation considering it unfair for younger people to get improvements they were never given. Here’s why not improving the world for future generations leads to a closed loop society that doesn’t evolve. 11:55 – The almost unique American idea of free-dumb and how it is mistaken for and differs from actual freedom. 16:34 – How prioritizing supporters’ perception over the facts and events of reality will always lead to a failure in governance. 21:25 – Why Democrat’s have to stop trying to reach voters who will take no time to understand their point of view. 29:09 – Ideas on fixing the senate so it is democratically more representative or at the very least less obstructive procedurally to the process of legislative proposals. 35:05 – The GOP dismantled the voting rights act (protected African Americans and minorities from voting discrimination) after Barack Obama became president. How discriminatory voting regulations disenfranchise large population groups. 41:01 – The importance of the senate runoff in Georgia and how the GOP has sunk to politicizing and attacking a Baptist church that has a history with the King family and is of huge importance to the African American community in Atlanta. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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7: Picking Up The Pieces 45:52

4 years тому45:52

45:52

Joe Biden is the new President Elect of the United States of America. Yet even after his clear and concise victory the country is still divided with many doubting the validity of the democratic process itself. Join us as we discuss what happened during the election and pick up where we left off from our last episode. This is an exciting one you won't want to miss. 0:33 - The Good News: Trump is fired and Joe Biden is our new president. How a large majority came together to show they were tired of Trump and his cultish supporters. 3:41 - The Bad News: Voters cast cynical aspersions on the election process itself with still many not believing their vote mattered or thinking that even if they did vote it would make no difference. Trump supporters also ignored the ineptitude of the Trump administration and made clear they didn't care about key issues so long as it meant keeping the cult of personality surrounding Trump. 11:26 - Reagan and his lasting damage in telling American's their government is corrupt and that any deviation from individualism was akin to tyranny. 14:05 - Trump administration refusing to accept election results and concede. How it effects transition and faith in democracy and how tactically it is better to accept reality and move on. 21:16 - Older white American's vote as an ethnic group overwhelmingly conservative. How indoctrination to the status quo effects voting groups and keeps them resistant to change even when it works in their favor. 31:13 - The Modernist Perspective generated some controversy for speaking out against male circumcision. Here's why we stand by our assessment that it is wrong under any consistent and equal system of ethics and morality. 38:04 - Where does the country go from here? What structural and cultural changes will have to be made after this election to get our country to a better place. 43:36 - The importance of Georgia's runoff elections and why everyone in that state should be working to enact change. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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A Message on Equivocation and Inaction 1:19

4 years тому1:19

1:19

Around election time I constantly see people posting positions that argue both sides are bad so don't bother voting. This is the opposite end of the same fallacy Trump used when he argued there were fine people on both sides when talking about Neo-Nazi's. When you are dealing with one group that has a position rotten to it's core you only lend credence to their position by equivocating. If you're not going to vote you can say you don't care but this fallacy of demanding inaction due to equivocation has never worked throughout history to rid the world of bad intentions. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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6: A Reflection on Principle 44:12

4 years тому44:12

44:12

In many ways, not just this election but how we go forward from here will be a reflection on principle. Are we a selfish country that refuses to self-reflect and gets left behind while the rest of the world works together to come up with solutions to better others’ lives and the planet as a whole or do we acknowledge our shortcomings and work to selflessly improve our nation for better? The choice is up to us and this election will not just be a referendum on Trump, but also a referendum on ourselves and our future. Join us as we discuss some where we go from here. 0:54 – The Last Debate 2:53 – Rudy Giuliani and his conspiracies. Plus, his compromising Borat Video. 4:50 – The constant lack of judgement displayed by those still backing Trump administration. 7:50 – Trump’s verbal agreements with right wing extremist’s intent on carrying out vigilante justice to condemn people without trial by jury or civil rights. 10:53 – Misinformation vs Disinformation and how it detracts from civil discourse and democratic process. 15:57 – The Vice Presential Debate 17:57 – Cult Mentality and how it creates an unbreakable atmosphere of zealotry for those enthralled. 28:18 - The ala carte issue approach and how it breaks ability to see the bigger picture and develop a virtuous worldview. 32:47 – Can freedom be considered that if it works to restrict liberty for others? 34:17 - How the singular focus on abortion detracts from other systemic ethical violations in the medical field like male infant circumcision. 39:29 – What does the country look like under four more years of Donald Trump? 42:50 – Final Reminder to Vote! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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5: Amy Coney Barrett and the Supreme Court 42:56

4 years тому42:56

42:56

Capturing the courts has long been a goal of the Republican party. Their policies don't have majority support and there is a lot of evidence their policies don't hold water with the next generation. Often around nominations judges like Barrett say they hold to a certain interpretation of the law but in their careers either move toward becoming ideologues or fanatics. What are some of the ways this system can be reformed to better represent the majority population at large? We have an in depth discussion on the upcoming nominee and where the Supreme Court goes from here. 0:41 - Healthcare and the Supreme Court 2:28 - Amy Coney Barrett Character Analysis 4:35 - Covid Relief pushed aside for Nomination 5:35 - The "Job" Interview 9:18 - Who is really being represented by the Supreme Court? 14:00 - Was Democratic boycott effective? 16:19 - Eroding the Census and the Emoluments Clause 18:39 - Dark Money and the Supreme Court 23:08 - Supreme Court Reform 33:27 - Courts as Last Ditch Legislative Resort 36:49 - Balanced Courts? 40:16 - Vote! Please Vote! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/modernistperspective/support…

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4: You Reap What You Sow 47:53

4 years тому47:53