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Comparing the 'Idiot Heir'

and the 'Wicked Heir'


by Jesusa Bernardo
First published at Newsvine Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:01 AM GMT

Every 20th of January following the quadrennial


presidential elections, the United States of
America holds the inauguration of its new chief
executive. This day this year of 2009, Barack
Obama takes the traditional swearing-in to
officially commence his term as the 44th
President of the US. The man he replaces,
George W. Bush, first assumed the American
presidency exactly eight years ago today.

George W. Bush sworn in, high noon,


January 20, 2001, Washington D.C.

Somewhat across the other side of the globe, in a


former US colony in Southeast Asia, a
presidential swearing-in was also uncannily taking
place at around the same time. Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo was sworn in as (Acting) President in the
streets of EDSA in Manila on January 20, 2001,
following a four-day "People Power" power grab
that deposed Joseph Ejercito Estrada, the properly
elected 13th President of the Republic of the
Philippines.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, takes her


oath, noon, January 20, 2001, EDSA
street, Metro Manila

The key points of the ascension to, and character of the respective presidencies of America's
Bush and Philippines' 'Arroyo present an interesting case of multiple coincidences too many that
the more astrologically inclined would perhaps claim to have been written in the stars.
Both Presidential Children

First off, both George W. Bush and Gloria Macapagal-


Arroyo are presidential children who, of course, rose to the
presidency themselves. The 43rd US President is the son of
George H.W. Bush who led America from 1989 to 1993.
The 14th Philippine President, meanwhile, is the daughter
of Diosdado P. Macapagal who governed the Southeast
Asian archipelago from 1961-1965. While both presidential
fathers lost their respective reelection bids, they nonetheless
carved out some respectable niches as part of their legacies
to their respective countries.
The extravagance of Gloria Arroyo's
hospitality: toast to uncanny parallels

The patriarch Bush may not have generally won admiration


for most of his domestic policies, but he is noted for his able
handling of the foreign policy challenges that faced his
administration during a sensitive era of geopolitical
transition--the period following the disintegration of the
Soviet Union. The Miller Center of Public Affairs of the
University of Virginia website writes about how he made the
US act unilaterally when needed, but also managed to wisely
forge "a large, diverse coalition (such as in the Persian Gulf
War)" when so warranted.

George H.W. Bush

Presidential father of the 43rd US President

The father of Arroyo also enjoyed a considerable level of respect,


perhaps mainly based on admirers' perception of his integrity during
his term. President Diosdado is said to have been known as "The
Incorruptible," and was even described by the late Nationalist Artist
for Literature, Chino Roces, as "the last of (the) great [Philippine]
Presidents."

Diosdado P. Macapagal
Presidential father of the 14th Philippine President
January 20, 2001, to the Hour

A rather amazing point of parallelism between the two political figures is the coincidence of their
same-day oath-taking--in fact, nearly simultaneous to the hour. Bush was sworn in at high noon
(1700 GMT, Washington time) on January 20, 2001, in Capitol Hill as scheduled by the US
Constitution. Arroyo, amidst the sea of EDSA 2 gullible mob was also sworn in on January 20,
2001, at around noon of January 20, 2001 ( 12:25 pm by some accounts).

What allowed the Bush-Arroyo


swearing-in coincidence were
unexpected Philippine political
circumstances that were highly
irregular, if not para-
constitutional, because Arroyo
was replacing the sitting--and
very much living and able--
President Estrada who took his
oath of office only some 2 1/2
years earlier. The Philippine
Constitution mandates the
holding of presidential elections
every six years, and the
inauguration of the new
President to "begin at noon on
the thirtieth day of June next
following the day of the election." Moreover, it is provided that apart from "impeachment for,
and conviction of " culpable constitutional violation charges and other high crimes, the sitting
President can only be removed in cases of death or permanent incapacity.

Both Heirs --"Idiot" and "Evil"

Both the young Bush and Macapagal-Arroyo have registered presidential legacies that appear to
be diametrically opposed to those left by their respective fathers.

The George H.W. Bush legacy practically contrasts with that of the son, with the criticisms of the
younger Bush mainly revolving around foreign policies.

The administration of George W. Bush has been very controversial, to say the least. He has been
variously referred to as the "war criminal," "liar," and "idiot heir," among others. His war
criminal tag has to do with his unilateral invasion of Iraq and use of torture. The bashing the
younger Bush gets for being a "liar" is related to his war image--for justifying the Iraq invasion
with what would be later proved to be false claims of Saddam's possession of
chemical/biological weapons and links with Al Qaeda. Bush's "idiot heir" label, which made the
rounds of cyber space soon after his election, is based on the supposed Nostradamus prediction
about his presidency, and later claims of his Iraq-war-related incompetence that led to the current
financial crisis. That famous "prophesy" is found in Quatrain 78, which is said to read as:

Who could have guessed that


George W. Bush will err big time?
To an old leader will be born an idiot heir,
weak both in knowledge and in war.
The leader of France is feared by his sister,
battlefields divided, conceded to the soldiers.

The above is supposed to be the English translation of the French


original:

D'un chef vieillard naistra sens hebete',


Degenerant par scavoir & par armes:
Le chef de France par sa sceur redoute',
Champ divisez, concedez aux gendarmes
( p. 132 of Carlo Patrian's Nostradamus: le profezie, 1978).

In dire opposition to her father's legacy of a clean presidency, Gloria Arroyo's administration has
been marked by an almost never-ending litany of controversies and corruption scandals that
essentially question her moral and legitimate right to govern. She has called been a lot of names,
such as "Fake President," (alternatively, "Bogus President"), "evil," and "liar, cheat, and thief,"
and even the "Most Corrupt President in Philippine History."

(Far Right) Young Gloria Macapagal : Picture of


innocence unsustained

The more outspoken members of the Catholic Church,


which were unofficially part of the conspiracy that
forced Arroyo's installation as the 14th Philippine
President, have eventually also come to accuse her of
being a liar, cheat and thief. Dubbed a "liar" just like the
younger Bush, the daughter of former President
Macapagal has similarly lied multiple times to the
people she is supposed to serve. Perhaps the most
notable incidents are those public pronouncements
denying her complicity in the EDSA 2 coup, and her failure to honor her 2002 promise not to run
for president in the 2004 polls. She is called "cheat" because of the majority belief that she
committed electoral fraud in 2004. Arroyo is called "thief" and "Most Corrupt" because of the
perception of how she and her cohorts plunder the nation's wealth, based on numerous corruption
exposes that include Jose Pidal, Malacanang bribery incident, fertilizer scam, and the NBN-ZTE
deal.
The hard-hitting The Daily Tribune and fiery journalist Ellen Tordesillas have almost been
routinely calling Arroyo as "fake President" or "pekeng Pangulo," in reference to the power-grab
she and other conspirators engaged in against the popular and sitting President Estrada back in
January 2001. At the height of the congressional hearings on the NBN-ZTE bribery scandal, the
key witness, Jun Lozada, testified to how one of her cabinet men has described her as "evil."

Controversial Ascent to Power, Both Sealed by the Supreme Court

The circumstances of Bush's and Arroyo's occupancies of their respective presidential residences
in 2001 are both highly controversial, as their claims to power have both been subjected to legal
challenges. While Bush won in a regular election, his victory in November 2000 was marred by
allegations of fraud. For her part, Arroyo was the vice-president in 2000 until a coup d'etat
conspiracy in the guise of popular uprising deposed the democratically elected President Estrada.
Their claims to power were legitimized by the respective American and Philippine Supreme
Courts whose interventions are thought to constitute overstepping of their constitutional duties.

Bush's inauguration on January 20, 2001 was preceded


by a highly-charged drama of a close election, and
involving recounts of disputed Florida votes. Al Gore
won the national popular vote, but lost the electoral
votes. Recounts and litigation followed beginning
November 2000, with the Gore team contesting the
Florida results based on claims that the Republican Party
election volunteers tampered with the applications for
absentee ballots. The Florida Supreme Court ordered
statewide manual recount, which was later stopped when
the High Court stepped in with a 5-4 decision that effectively handed over the state's 25 electoral
votes to Bush. The younger Bush, was thus able to claim victory in the 2000 elections with a
critical majority of 271 electoral votes.

The Bush v. Gore High Court ruling has been


criticized as being politically driven and marred by
bias or ethical breaches of two of the justices in the
majority vote. The decision found the Florida
recount in violation of the 'equal protection clause'
of the Constitution. Dissenting justices and legal
scholars believe the Supreme Court should not have
involved itself in the case.

Are Justice Clarence Thomas & President George


W. Bush too close for ethical comfort?
EDSA 2: Gullibles conned by
Arroyo

Around the same time that the


electoral drama involving the
younger Bush began unfolding
in the US, the Philippines was
faced by the equally heated
drama of the impeachment
process against Macapagal-
Arroyo's predecessor. Earlier,
then Vice-President Gloria
Arroyo, along with two former
presidents--Cory Aquino and
former Army Chief Fidel Ramos--was leading protest actions calling for the resignation of
Estrada over allegations of receiving bribery money for jueteng, an illegal numbers game. The
Estrada impeachment trial that began late November 2000 would be abandoned by prosecutors
who refused to accept the decision of the Impeachment court not to open an envelope that
supposedly contains evidence of Estrada's corruption. The prosecutors who staged the walk-out
on January 16, 2001 were uncannily not cited for contempt by the Presiding Justice, then led by
the then-Chief Justice with a hilarious-sounding name, Hilario Davide. That night, protesters
began gathering in the intersection of EDSA and Ortigas Ave., until their numbers swelled to the
tens, or hundreds, of thousands (depending on whose estimate one believes) within the following
days. Anti-Estrada forces pressed harder to mobilize support, and bring down Estrada's downfall.

Deposed RP President Joseph Estrada:


Victim of conspiracy by Arroyo, et al.

Armed Forces Chief Angelo Reyes


withdrew support from Estrada and
transferred allegiance to Arroyo on
January 19. Subsequently, the Davide
Supreme Court made the controversial
declaration that the presidency of the
Philippines is vacant. This came despite
the fact that Estrada did not resign and
was obviously physically healthy at the
time. The following day, Chief Justice
Davide, acting only based on the verbal
authority given by the 12 members of the
Supreme Court, and on the urgent request of Arroyo, administered the oath of office to the
former to act as Acting President of the Republic of the Philippines. Various international and
local media accounts during and after the EDSA 2 coup d'etat in the fateful days of January 2001
together paint the complete picture of how, through the help of the business elites, military top
brass, and certain bishops of the Catholic Church, the Arroyos conspired to unseat the incumbent
by manipulating public sentiment, and subsequently taking over the presidency.

Interestingly, the respective decisions by the US and RP Supreme Courts sealing Bush's and
Arroyo's 2001 assumption to power have been avowedly predicated on the supposed need for
High Court intervention in order to prevent other entities from deciding on the outcomes of the
presidency issues. In the Bush v. Gore case, the five justices in the majority opinion argued that
they decided to intervene and block the recount so as not to leave the question of the presidency
to Florida state officials or perhaps, to Congress.

(Former) Justice Artemio Panganiban backed


Arroyo in 2001
Later appointed Chief Justice by Arroyo, without
Due Respect to Seniority Rule

In the former US colony, Artemio Panganiban, one of


the two (former) Supreme Court justices responsible
for directly giving the seal of approval on the coup
against Estrada and the installation of Arroyo as
successor, would later defend his actions in his
unofficial writings. He says he proposed to then Chief
Justice Davide that Arroyo should be sworn in as
Acting President so as to prevent violence and chaos, which he feared could lead to the
dissolution of the Constitution--this view, despite the context of an impeachment trial
deliberately abandoned by the anti-Estrada forces that elected to respect mob rule over the rule of
law. Panganiban also writes how he interprets the Constitution as mandating "the Court to be
'activist,' to be an 'interventionist'" in the exercise of certain extraordinary judicial duties.

Thus, the assumption of the presidency by Bush and by Arroyo, therefore, were enabled by the
respective High Courts' usurpation of the powers to decide a presidential issue, which are beyond
their scope in the first place, and probably belonging to Congress instead.

Both Marked by Tainted SC Independence

Beyond the overstepping character of the US/Philippine Supreme Court under their respective
presidencies, the administrations of Bush and Arroyo earned some level of disrepute over the
unethical relations between the executive and the judiciary branches. Based on claims of ethical
breaches by certain justices, the political independence of the two countries' High Courts have
been questioned.
Buddies they are: Vice-President Dick Cheney
& Justice Antonin Scalia

The independence of Justices Antonin Scalia and Associate


Clarence Thomas who voted to block the Florida recount
cast suspicions on the Bush v. Gore decision: Scalia's son,
Eugene Scalia, was part of the legal team that represented
Bush, while the wife of Thomas was part of the Bush
transition team. Despite the arguably clear conflict of
interest, both refused to recuse themselves from the case.
Scalia has also been accused of ethical breaches by news
organizations over his three-day hunting trip with Vice
President Dick Cheney in the Louisiana hunting preserve of
oilman Wallace Caline. The private duck-hunting occurred within only three weeks from the time
the Supreme Court accepted the review of the Cheney v. United States District Court, and thus
violates the call to "avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety" in every activity, as
found in Canon 2 of the American Bar Association's Model Code of Judicial Conduct.

Hilario Davide, Chief Justice who sworn in Arroyo


as President in 2001

Later appointed by Arroyo as Permanent


Representative to the United Nations

Perhaps, it is under the Philippines' Arroyo that


perceptions of the Supreme Court, along with the
courts under it, as being a rubber stamp of the
President is more pronounced. There have been
actual news reports about members of the highest
court in the land playing politics and taking orders
from Malacanang when deciding on issues that
affect the executive branch. Also, as in the case of
the US Supreme Court under Bush, there have been
reports and claims of ethical breaches occurring during hearings of important court cases. One of
most infamous involved the guilty verdict on the Estrada Plunder case: two religious leaders
close to Arroyo revealed that months before the Sandiganbayan decision was read, she already
talked about the guilty outcome. Two of the three anti-graft court justices in the Plunder case
were subsequently appointed by Arroyo to the High Court.

Both Noted for Constitutional Violations


Yet another striking point of parallelism between the presidential heirs is their reputation for
being constitutional violators. Both Bush and Arroyo have been repeatedly charged as
constitutional violators by critics in their respective countries.

Saddam Hussein, victim of Bush’s “War


on Terror”?

Bush is said to have committed a good


number of constitutional violations while
in office. Cyberspace talk and a study by
Gene Healty and Timothy Lynch from the
Cato Institute name these acts that include:

(1) Treason based on going to war in Iraq


without an actual United Nations
resolution--said to be a violation of the
Senate-ratified Charter of the UN.

(2) Failure to protect the rights to free thought, free speech, and free expression, as found in the
First Amendment. A specific example is the signing of the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance
Reform.

(3) Pushing the limits of presidential powers and overstepping the bounds of the executive
branch. Such is seen in various policies and acts relating to the War on Terror, wherein he has
ignored federal statues that cover the treatment of enemy prisoners. Some call them "war crimes"
that supposedly include CIA-operated detention facilities, acts of extraordinary rendition, and
restrictions on Red Cross personnel's access to wartime prisoners.

(4) Unreasonable searches and seizures that violate the Fourth Amendment. Bush has issued a
"military" order expanding the power to make arrests, and also, adopted policies that served to
dilute the standard of "probable cause."

Short 'wicked heir' & tall 'idiot heir' meet in gaze

Re Arroyo, the opposition in Congress has repeatedly, but


unsuccessfully, tried to subject her to impeachment trial for a host
of accusations that include culpable violations of the Philippine
Charter. Arroyo has been dubbed guilty of a number of violations
of the Constitution. The following forms an incomplete list,
derived from the articles of impeachment from the 2005 to 2008,
and from the list of opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel:
(1) Electoral fraud in the 2004 presidential elections, with support from the so-called "Hello
Garci" wiretapped tapes that reveal how Arroyo spoke with an elections officer to rig the votes
from Mindanao;

(2) Conspiring and tolerating extrajudicial killings;

(3) Abetting and tolerating the commission of crime with regards to the multi-billion-peso NBN-
ZTE broadband deal;

(4) Entering into the equally multi-billion peso Northrail Project without prior approval of the
Monetary Board; and

(5) Misuse and abuse of presidential powers, including acts of the unconstitutional transfer of
funds between government agencies, or from a government entity to political partisan projects.

Both Brought Grave Economic Woes

Gallup Poll Timeline of Bush's


plummeting poll ratings

It is perhaps a matter of dispute


whether Bush's handling of the
economy, indeed, chiefly caused the
ongoing global financial crisis that
began in the US. Of course, the
young Bush should still take some
blame, mainly for the crime of
omission by not taking steps to
regulate sale in housing mortgage
and curbing questionable private
sector financial dealings and activities, and the 100% rise in national debt, in part due to war
spending. The financial meltdown, however, came about from a confluence of factors marked by
deregulation policies, which were also pursued by the Democrats under former President Bill
Clinton. What is much less arguable, however, is that his tax cut policies has benefited the super
rich to the detriment of those in the lower income classes.

Widening income gap under


Bush

A New York Times analysis of


data from the US Internal
Revenue Service shows that at
least as far as the 2003 tax cuts
are concerned, the benefits were
sharply slanted towards rich
Americans having incomes of $1 million and higher. The tax cuts led to a situation where the
very rich roughly pays only the same income tax as those earning from $200,000-5000, 000.
Economist Andrew Brod of the University of North Carolina Greensboro writes that while the
tax cuts stimulated the economy to an extent, they did not generate as much jobs as had been
expected or promised.

Similarly, Arroyo who is an economist, can be partly credited for not bungling the Philippine
economy during her years in power--with the traditional big help from the billions of dollars
worth of annual remittances of overseas Filipino workers and immigrants. The vaunted official
figures showing the resilience of the economy may or may not be genuine, however, what cannot
be denied is the Filipinos masses suffered in real social economic terms during her presidency.
According to the Wikipedia entry on Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo:

Worsening poverty under Arroyo

Studies made by the United Nations


(UN) and local survey research
firms show worsening, instead of
improving, poverty levels. A
comparative 2008 UN report shows
that the Philippines lags behind its
Asian neighbors, Indonesia,
Thailand, Vietnam and China, in
terms of poverty amelioration. The
study reveals that from 2003 up to
2006, the number of poor Filipinos
increased by 3.8 million, with
poverty incidence being
approximately three times higher in
agricultural communities. [37] With regards the problem of hunger, quarterly studies by the
social polling research firm Social Weather Stations show that the number of Filipino households
suffering from hunger has significantly increased during Arroyo's presidency. Her administration
first set the record for hunger levels in March 2001, and beginning June 2004, broke the record
again seven times. December 2008 figures saw the new record high of 23.7%, or approximately
4.3 million households, of Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger.[38]

Both History's Worst?

George W. Bush is 'Worst President in US History’?

Another striking parallelism is how both hold the record for the
worst level of public perception and public satisfaction or
performance rating. Bush has an approval rating of a mere 28
percent--said to be the lowest score in recent US history. While
he started out with a popularity rating of around 50%, and climbing up to as high as 90 percent in
2001 (based on periodic Gallup, Fox News, and CBS News surveys), his November 2008 ratings
went to as low as 20%-29%. He also appears to be in the running for the title of the country's
worst leader. The administration of the 43rd US President was earlier rated as "failed" by over 81
percent of over 400 historians in an informal survey conducted by History News Network in
2004.

Arroyo's embarassing popularity


Arroyo's embarassing popularity
ratings are so low they've been in the
negatives.
(Historical SWS surveys of 4
Presidents)

Arroyo, similarly--although faring much


worst--not only holds the record for
lowest level of public satisfaction but as
well, the ignominious record for being
the only Philippine President to ever
score negatively in national surveys on
the people's perception of her
performance. Gloria Arroyo is the only
president in the history of the country to
ever post negative ratings based on various periodic surveys since opinion polling began over
two decades ago, and as such, she holds the record for the lowest approval ratings in over two
decades.

For the record: Gloria Arroyo is


the "Most Corrupt President in
Philippine History"
(Source: Pulse Asia 2007 survey)

Beginning October 2005, her net


satisfaction ratings, according to
surveys conducted by the Social
Weather Stations (SWS), have
consistently been in the negative
range. Additionally, a 2008 research
study by Pulse Asia reveals that Filipinos regard Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the "Most Corrupt
President" in the history of the country, even besting dictator Ferdinand Marcos for the
inglorious title.

Adieu, Bush; 1 1/2 years to go, Arroyo


The parallelism probably ends at this point, however. There will be no flying shoes at Arroyo,
nor will there be a viable end in sight for Arroyo--in sharp, unmistakable contrast to Bush who
was attacked by a journalist with a pair of shoes during a December 2008 press conference in
Iraq, a month before he was scheduled to step down from office (on January 20, 2009).

Younger Bush dodges flying shoes of


hate

Although it can be argued that the


humiliation of a flying shoe attack faced
by Bush approximates Arroyo's
humiliation when she beat dictator
Ferdinand Marcos as the "Most Corrupt
President in Philippine History" during a
late 2007 national Pulse Asia research
poll, there will certainly be no flying shoes
of physical disgrace for the incumbent
Southeast Asian president--at least while
she's still in power.

Arroyo, artist's sketch, when she steps


down in 2010.
Or will she not?

Arroyo probably deserves a flying shoe--"not


once, but twice." Thousands of times,
perhaps. But such a democratic expression of
protest would hardly be allowed in the
Philippines. Under Arroyo's reign, after all,
activists such as Jonas Burgos, who
happened to be the scion of press freedom
hero Joe Burgos, and corruption whistle
blowers either get kidnapped and threatened
with death, such as Jun Lozada, or get killed outright, like what befell fertilizer scam
complainant Marlene Esperat and Teofilo Mojicawere. Definitely, journalists in the Southeast
Asian country do not have the nerves, nor will they be allowed by the military and police forces
the opportunity to throw shoes at her. The Philippine military top brass, after all, was not only
pivotal in Estrada's downfall and Arroyo's rise to the presidency: the elite class of generals has
been avowedly supportive of Arroyo despite her constitutionally suspect installation and hard
evidence of cheating during the 2004 elections. Then again, is it just a case of the Philippine
version of the Secret Service being more vigilant, or possibly more loyal?

While George W. Bush has already stepped down as the 43rd US President, noontime of January
20, 2009, and relinquished the White House office to Barack Obama, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
will continue her 'extremely corrupt' and 'illegitimate' presidency, at least until the end of her
current "term." Barring any death by natural health or genuine accident causes, Arroyo won't
give up power any time soon. With the her camp's deviously relentless pursuit of perpetuating
Arroyo's administration regardless of how majority of the Filipinos hate or hold her in high
disrepute, the wicked heir of a morally deprived president will probably stay beyond her term.
The administration's seemingly unceasing plans for a constituent assembly, or charter change, or
Martial Law-type scenario via a full-blown Mindanao war could just succeed to make the
rapacious EDSA II coup president the Philippines' permanent-till-the-she-devil-dies leader
beyond May 2010.

Democracy Talk: Bush no Arroyo, Americans no Fiilpinos

Perhaps it's a cultural thing, with Americans being more respectful of the
democratic institutions--unlike the Filipinos who are dominated by
unpatriotic elite conspirators, or snooty but stupidly gullible mob, of EDSA
2. Or is it a question of democracy-consciousness, with the mega-corrupt
brand of patronage politics that has easily allowed Arroyo to crush the four
yearly impeachment cases filed in the Philippine House of Representatives
not possible in Bush's US of A. The factor of the stability of democratic
institutions, perhaps? Or is it simply the chasm of a difference between the
minds of an "idiot heir" and a "wicked heir"?

On their way out


No, just George W. Bush

Who was it who said that a "people deserve the kind of government it has"? It is a saying that has
proved relevant time and time again, in whatever part of the world. Much as it hurts the author to
admit, why the Philippine's Arroyo would most likely continue beyond her "term," while Bush
already gracefully stepped down, is more of a politico-cultural thing. While there are certain
complicating historical factors, it is a Philippine reality that the elites--society, religious,
business, political, and lately, military--can ram their dictates on the general populace. As the
weak masses deserve the elites, so does the Filipino nation deserves EDSA II and the Gloria
Arroyo kind of government it brought forth. As for the United States, with its significantly more
mature democratic institutions and a people that apparently know how to respect their political
system, they also deserve a George W. Bush that might have erred big time, but nonetheless
knows when to bid farewell to power.

_____________

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Photo Credits:

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