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Posted on 10/13/2003 9:41:44 PM PDT by kattracks
Whatever your politics, you have to be oblivious to reality to deny that America today is torn by ideological divisions as deep as those of the Civil War era. We are, in fact, in the midst of the Second American Civil War.
Of course, one obvious difference between the two is that this Second Civil War is (thus far) non-violent. On the other hand, there is probably more hatred between the opposing sides today than there was during the First Civil War. And I am not talking about extremists. A senior editor of the respected center-left New Republic just wrote an article titled, "The Case for Bush Hatred," an article that could have been written by writers at most major American newspapers, by most Hollywood celebrities, and almost anyone else left of center. And the conservative hatred of former President Bill Clinton was equally deep.
In general, however, the similarities are greater than the differences. Once again the North and the South are at odds (though many individuals on each side identify with the other). And once again, the fate of the nation hangs in the balance. The two sides' values and visions of America are as incompatible as they were in the 1860s.
For those Americans who do not know what side they are on or who are not certain about what the Second American Civil War is being fought over, I offer a list of the most important areas of conflict.
While the views of many, probably even most, Americans do not fall entirely on either side, the two competing camps are quite distinguishable. On one side are those on the Left -- liberals, leftists and Greens -- who tend to agree with one another on almost all major issues. On the other side are those on the Right -- conservatives, rightists and libertarians -- who agree on stopping the Left, but differ with one another more often than those on the Left do.
Here, then, is Part One of the list of the major differences that are tearing America apart:
The Left believes in removing America's Judeo-Christian identity, e.g., removing "under God" from the Pledge, "In God we trust" from the currency, the oath to God and country from the Boy Scouts Pledge, etc. The Right believes that destroying these symbols and this identity is tantamount to destroying America.
The Left regards America as morally inferior to many European societies with their abolition of the death penalty, cradle-to-grave welfare and religion-free life; and it does not believe that there are distinctive American values worth preserving. The Right regards America as the last best hope for humanity and believes that there are distinctive American values -- the unique combination of a religious (Judeo-Christian) society, a secular government, personal liberty and capitalism -- worth fighting and dying for.
The Left believes that impersonal companies, multinational and otherwise, with their insatiable drive for profits, have a profoundly destructive effect on the country. The Right believes that the legal system, particularly trial lawyers, lawsuits and judges who make laws, is the greater threat to American society.
The Left believes multiculturalism should be the ideal for American schools and for government policy. The Right believes that the Americanization of all its citizens is indispensable to the survival of the United States.
The Left believes that the Boy Scouts as currently constituted pose a moral threat to society. The Right believes the Boy Scouts continue to be one of the greatest moral institutions in the country.
The Left believes in equality more than in liberty. The Right believes more in liberty. For example, the Left believes that for the equality's sake, men's clubs must accept women. The Right believes that for liberty's sake, associations must be free to choose their own members.
The Left believes that when schools give out condoms to teenagers, they are promoting safe sex. The Right believes that when schools give out condoms, they are promoting more sex.
The Left believes that poverty, racism and psychopathology cause violent crime. The Right believes a lack of self-control, lack of religious practice and lack of good values are the primary causes of violent crime.
The Left believes that "war is not the answer." The Right believes that war is often the only answer to governmental evil.
Any one of these differences is enough to create an entirely different America. Added together, the differences suggest people who live in different worlds that are on a collision course.
And I have only listed some of the conflicting views.
Next week, in Part Two, I will discuss the other major conflicts making for the Second American Civil War.
©2003 Creators Syndicate, Inc.
An excellent summary of where we're at.
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Wake up a pi$$; the world's on fire!
The growing animosity between the Dims/victims and the Pubbies is obvious to me. Civil war may be stretching a bit, but it appears to me that both sides are fast approaching irreconcilable positions.
FGS
To put it more simply, he don't know jack. The US is by far and away the most secular country in the world.
Personal story: I spent my high school junior year at an oveseas British base school (one of only a handful of Yanks). In addition to mandatory chapel attendance once a week, there was also a mandatory religion class. (This class actually is a college board qualifying course for the Brits' O and A levels.)
Guess what the principal did when I returned to the States for my senior year? Yep, out went my credit for the religion class. Had to make up the units in addition to my normal senior course load.
Only if you choose to ignore abortion.
Probably the most significant things that are obvious to many are the methods used in politics these days, as compared to the pre-80's. My view might be tainted somewhat, as I tend to lean towards the conservative side of the marker, but the REPUBs seem to try to handle things more fairly and business-like. The DEMs on the other hand have resorted to out and out lies and distortions of facts in order to accuse someone of something, they want to voters to think is wrong.
For instance...
Should the USA have gone to war against IRAQ?
The obvious answer that uses the most of common sense, says yes we should have. We know the outrageous activities of Saddam Hussein and for no other reason than to free the Iraqi people of his terrorist government, he should have been overthrown.
But the DEMs, would rather not look at something as trivial as the lives of a people such as Iraqi's. They rather point fingers and tell how President Bush has made the world hate America. Or how he distorted the facts on Iraq to get support to go to war against that country.
The obvious most common sense answer to those claims are quite simple, but no one seems to look at them.
There are always a group of countries in the world that want nothing more than the USA to take a beating over any issue. Whether European, Asian ir the Arab states. It doesn't matter some countries have always had a thing for newby America being so free, powerful and prosporous.
Some love us when we are a benefit to them, then want nothing to do with us as soon as that benefit goes away. It's called national pride. We have it, they have it. Nothing wrong with it either. We all just need tough skins and a hell of a state department to keep a grip on things. We'll survive with or without some of those countries. Most don't have much of an effect on our daily lives anyway. Unless you count all of the crap good Walmart is selling from China. Speaking of which, want more jobs in the USA? Then buy American made goods.
If the DEMs were fooled and taken in by a White House plan to get their support for a war with Iraq, then where the hell have the DEMs in the Congressional Committee's involving security and foreign relations been for the last 20's years? There's nothing new in what Bush said about Iraq, Clinton, George H.W. Bush said the same things as well. What it amounts to is a continued distortion of facts to disorient the voters of America.
A second Civil War is quite possible and maybe the author is correct in that we are already in it. Personally, I think the division lines are just being draw and the voters will come awake and solve the mess before it gets out of hand. California voters (of whom the DEMs are in the majority) at least came to their senses enough to oust Davis before he totally destroyed the state. I know that doesn't say much, but it's a start.
I have a suggestion about the whole thing though...
Let's give the liberals all of the coastal states on the west coast. I know, at first it sounds crazy, but I'd be willing to bet for that deal, they'd give us all of the states like, Utah, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona. When that damn big earthquake hits, we'll now own the coastal states, cause there won't be any California, Oregon or Washington State. What a plan huh?
Or better yet, let's just all keep an eye on each other and not let the looney's get out of hand.
Yeah, I agree with you. We killed over 600,000 of our fellow countrymen during the Civil War. The bad feelings ran for decades until the turn of the century when most of the Civil War generation died off and new immigrants came to America and did not have the vendettas others had.
However, similarly there is a Culture War going on since the 60's and the radical left had sewn bad feelings that last until today. I believe that this will only be remedied when the radical 60's generation passes on as well.
This is still not even in the same league as the Civil War.
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