There seems to be a war a week these days…..Ukraine, Russia, China, Taiwan on and on….but this war that I am referring to is a war within our own society…..a Civil War….yet another civil strife that tears this country apart.
We are told that all this could change if we just get out and vote….I do not believe so….the political divide is getting deeper and deeper…..
Our country is in a crisis. On a near-daily basis, evidence mounts implicating the former president of the United States in a coup attempt against our republic. And in just the past two weeks, a spate of extremist Supreme Court decisions have gotten rid of a woman’s fundamental right to make decisions about her own body, our government’s ability to regulate clean air and water as required by law, and the separation of church and state, all while curbing our ability to regulate deadly weapons.
The legitimacy of a democracy rests on the consent of the governed, on the premise that decisions made by civic institutions reflect the will of the citizens and noncitizens they impact. From the January 6 insurrection to the increase in voter suppression, it has become increasingly clear that our country is in the midst of a legitimacy crisis, with the Supreme Court at the heart of it.
But the court’s recent rulings signify more than just a curtailment of our rights. As an immigrant who has seen countries descend into civil conflict, I recognize a familiar trend here: These are the latest signposts in the frightening backsliding of US democracy into authoritarianism.
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democracy-scotus-radical-reform/
Is change coming with the next election?
David Brooks of the NYT has some thoughts on this…..
Look at the conditions all around us:
First, Americans are deeply dissatisfied with the way things are going. Only 13% of voters say the country is on the right track, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll published this week.
Second, Americans are deeply dissatisfied with the leaders of both parties. Joe Biden has a 33% job approval rating among registered voters. About half of Republican voters want to move on from Donald Trump and find a new presidential candidate for 2024.
Third, inflation is soaring. Throughout history, inflationary periods have often been linked to political instability. As economist Lionel Robbins wrote about Weimar Germany, inflation “destroyed the wealth of the more solid elements in German society; and it left behind a moral and economic disequilibrium, apt breeding ground for the disasters which have followed.”
Fourth, the generational turnover is coming. The boomer gerontocracy that now dominates power is bound to retire, leaving a vacuum for something new.
Fifth, Americans are detaching from the two political parties. Far more Americans consider themselves independents than consider themselves either Democrats or Republicans, and independents may be growing more distinct. And there’s some research that suggests independents are increasingly not just closeted members of the two main parties but also hold different beliefs, which puts them between parties. Sixty-two percent of Americans believe a third party is needed.
Sixth, disgust with the current system is high. A majority of American voters believe that our system of government does not work, and 58% believe that our democracy needs major reforms or a complete overhaul. Nearly half of young adult voters believe voting does not affect how the government operates
Things are not looking good for this social situation to right itself……so is there another Civil War in our near future?
50% of the Americans polled think that we are headed for another messy and possibly bloody correction in our republic….
A shocking new study has found that half of Americans expect to see a second civil war within years, while nearly a fifth say they would be armed with guns at a political skirmish themselves.
Distressing levels of “alienation,” “mistrust,” and a growing tendency to resort to violence were uncovered by researchers at the University of California, Davis, in their recent survey of 8,620 adults across the US. They found that more than two-thirds of respondents said they perceived a “serious threat to our democracy,” while more than half agreed that “in the next few years, there will be civil war in the US.” Over 40 per cent noted the importance of having a “strong leader” over democracy, while also agreeing that “native-born white people are being replaced by immigrants.”
According to the study, there is a growing tendency to settle political disagreements with violence. Almost a fifth of respondents told them that it was likely they would be “armed with a gun” at a political flash point in the next couple of years, while four per cent admitted it was likely they would “shoot someone with a gun.”
https://meaww.com/50-per-cent-americans-think-second-civil-war-is-coming-uc-davis-survey
I fear that I may live long enough to see the final disintegration of our republic….it, the republic, is slowly going the way of the dodo. The slow erosion of civil liberties has been finalized by the Supreme Court.
Is this it for the great American Experiment?
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
I firmly believe that the whole world is heading for a re-run of the 1930s lead-up to WW2. In the case of Amwerica, you have a different and very unique aspect to consider. Your population is heavily armed, and capable of inflicting a great deal of damage on each other. It is also a fact that Republican supporters tend to have many more guns than Democrats, and are more likely to want to use them. The likelihood is that the Republican supporters would win any civil conflict, leaving the Democrats and Liberals having to flee to a neutral country like Canada.
Welcome to Gilead.
Best wishes, Pete.
I am not convinced that the GOPers have the guts to use their weapons…..some yes but not a majority. chuq
Like everybody else, if it comes down to armed conflict, the GOP will looking to pay someone to do their gun fighting for them .. I am thinking Proud Boys or Oath Keepers … but even as macho as those groups seem to be, some of them are still family men and I think if real shooting ever broke out, most of those would head for the nearest cave to hide in.
Talk big and run like Hell…is the motto of these militia types….chuq
Big mouths, big dreams, expensive weapons, impressive gear, but let the hostilities begin and most of those pussies would melt away like fog in a forest. First sight of their own blood would be end of story … It would be, “This s**t ain’t worth it! I’m outta here.”
The redneck anthem…..chuq
Whatever happens, we are all stuck with it because none of us is big enough or powerful enough to do anything about it. And yes, I believe we have already seen the end of our “Republic” because the way it is today bears very little resemblance to how it was when I was younger. Because of the great irreparable “Divide” the only thing that can still happen is for the nation to break completely apart or to disintegrate entirely into Anarchy. If this nation ever has another chance to come together again, it is going to require a cataclysmic event of some kind … something that immediately threatens the safety and lives of all Americans …That seems to be the only kind of thing that ever gets everybody’s attention.
John I have more to say on this so please keep reading….thanx in advance chuq
Pete and John both make respectable points on this. Our ‘divide” stems from the idea of “alternative facts”; we simply can’t agree on single facts in order to initiate any compromises. On that alone, if we can’t agree on what constitutes facts then maybe we don’t deserve the continuance of our democracy… and indeed, the great experiment is over. 240 years was a good run. Regardless, here is the absolute end result… if we break it there is NO going back.
On the surface… pretty much American society is all about maintaining an acceptable status quo. We get up in the morning and we all want a “normal” day to conduct our lives. Send the kids off to school, drive around to do the errands of life, gobble up fast food whenever we want, and spend our earnings in a shopping mall. Yep.. everyone bitches about the economy and politics and “those idiots in Congress” and/or the clown in the White House (whoever that is at the time), but at the end of the day we want to kick back on our La-z-boy recliners with a pizza and a beer in front of the big screen. Disturb that scenario.. that’s when people will perk up and take notice. So.. just look at what can happen that disturbs that scenario and send folks into a quandary…. whether regionally or nationally, if the national distribution system breaks down, meaning trucking, the internet that schedules the trucking, the highways, the fuel stops flowing, the ability (and desire) for drivers to show up to continue to drive their trucks (and not stay home to protect their families), likely into areas where their lives will be at risk by civil unrest or truck hijackings…… all this is the Achilles heel of our civil society. As a result of that, armed neighborhood mobs taking over the local grocery stores, warehouses.
We are seeing already the signs (as a result of the abortion decisions) where some red states will very likely risk some forms of confrontations with neighboring states.. thus “exploding” the assertion of “states rights” beyond state borders; 48 different (contiguous) “fiefdoms”. That’s likely where a shooting war might start. Some state closing off an interstate with their national guard to stop transport.. inspect and confiscate shipments to make a point.
None of this looks good… but once we get there, again.. faith is lost and we will never go back to what America was.
Here’s what I call the Great Gun Facade… Right wingers like to presume their gun keeps government in line. That’s always been bullshit. Your gun was NEVER meant to be an offensive weapon…. it’s purely defensive. Here is another revelation… your gun will last longer on this planet than your life ever will. When you are gone and out of the way it goes to the next idiot.
Doug, I have more to say on this divide….hopefully you will read it as well….we are in for a long run of BS in our society….and all of it will eventually be regrettable. chuq
Yeah, old buddy.. it’s not looking good. The Right Wing is playing with power they know not how to contain. When things get set into motion, it’s a one way ticket. Also.. this crap spreads and will affect our allies. Pete can be affected by what happens here… as very likely some political shift in Europe, in Britain, could easily spawn some movement here as well.
Globalization has many fangs…..chuq
Reblogged this on It Is What It Is and commented:
Sad to say I agree with you … I’m concerned!! … “I fear that I may live long enough to see the final disintegration of our republic … it, the republic, is slowly going the way of the dodo. The slow erosion of civil liberties has been finalized by the Supreme Court. Is this it for the great American Experiment?”
Thanx my friend there is more to this series coming….watch for them…..chuq
Most welcome!! I sure will be watching!! Hugs … 🙂