just to add: i think some of the problem isn't necessarily that some of the people were impressionable, as much as they were violent aggressive bullies who were emboldened. the propaganda and the hateful rhetoric normalized hateful opinions, hate speech, and eventually hateful actions. people didn't need to deeply believe in any of the ridiculous idiocy to just go along with it. they got a flag to rally around and a banner to hide under -- where their bigoted, racist, ableist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and whatever other baseless self-centered hate was a form of communion (in the sense of coming together and supporting one another, not necessarily the religious sense -- that's its own adjacent bag of dysfunction). it was a hate club. they didnt need to check all the boxes or earn all the merit badges; the foundational principle of hate was enough to forge the bonds of mutual enablement and justify the wearing of the same sash. ... that said, there apparently (from anecdote) were cases of stark opinion-changing among the radicalization; i do agree there were impressionable people vulnerable to all that. they were preyed upon, exploited, used. that makes the vile megalomaniacal fascists all the more vile, in my opinion. ... i also agree it both matters and doesnt matter to an extent who is the 'elected figurehead'. there are other portions of government present, to help or hinder any policy or agenda of any other person or portion. as has been shown, however, it matters who is the mouthpiece, what they are saying, how they are saying it, and who they are saying it to. [dangling participles over formality, anyone?] .. terrorist groups like those mentioned fit the very definitions. (please feel free to look up the words of the agencies that define and monitor). they need to be publicly denounced, formally declared terrorist orgs, and treated as such in every practical sense. ... it's such a welcome change to be among people with the opinions and social morality shown here. thank you all for being decent people. ~peace~