Thank you for this excellent, carefully considered post. There's been a lot of dehumanization and promotion of false narratives to justify it, which has polarized people everywhere--even here.
I've wanted to sort out some of the truth from the claims, but haven't had the heart to focus on it. This answers some specific questions I've had.
@tyghebright
Oh, Tyghe, thanks for sitting with it. I'm so glad it helped a little. Folks have far too much on their plates to be expected to hash out every global crisis - even those with an impact on domestic politics - but it does mean that everyday news about events like this can leave people baffled and disempowered.
Also, humans have a tough time changing their first understanding of a news event in general (first info in, last info out), so that adds to the challenge for sure!