It wasn’t the hushed intonation of a supplicant seeking divine favor; it was the shock of an officer coming upon the scene of a massacre, with his men standing, bloody, near the innocent slain. But given time, horror fades, and repetition makes what was unthinkable now normal; the monstrous is made manageable. For mankind adapts to every horror. This can’t have happened. This happened but not often. This happened often, but this happens no longer. This happens still but not often. This happens often, but this is what must happen. This is what someone must do. This is what I must do. This is
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