What Might Civil War Be Like?

American Thinker ^ | December 20, 2017 | E.M. Cadwaladr

[fwdude]

The thought of Civil War has been in the minds of many people lately, on both sides of the political and cultural divide. This is not a thing to be wished for, though no one should kid themselves into believing it’s impossible either. Let us take a sober look at what such a conflict might entail.

To begin with, it would not look like the first American Civil War, which was essentially a war between two regions of the country with different economic interests. The divide created two separate countries, both initially contiguous, intact, and relatively homogeneous. The lines of demarcation now are only somewhat regional, and tend to correspond to differences between urban and rural populations, as well as differences of race and class.

[DuncanWaring]

About the CWII Ping List

The CWII Ping List is short for Civil War II. It is NOT a list of people advocating another Civil War in America. It is a list of people who are interested in the parallels between the Civil War (or War Between the States, if you prefer) and our current situation, or more generally are noting the references to a 'coming Civil War' that are made in the press.

Of course sometimes this is merely a figure of speech, such as "The Tea Parties are fighting a civil war for the heart of the GOP". This would not merit a CWII ping.

On the other hand someone saying something like "The events in California are reminiscent of what happened in Yugoslavia in the period proceeding the Civil War" would merit a ping.

FR rules do not permit advocating for the overthrow of the Republic, and I am not aware of anyone doing so on the list. Still many do see that as the political climate worsens we may be heading in a direction that makes such a conflict all but inevitable, particularly if other avenues for resolving our differences are taken away. Such as widespread vote fraud by leftists making elections meaningless, or a small cadre of judges over-ruling all attempts to end destructive policies over the clear will of the people.

The correct keyword tag for the Civil War II ping list is "CWII". Please Freep Mail me to get on the list

[DiogenesLamp]

It would last 15+ years.

On what basis do you think that?

[abclily]

Yes, very ugly. The right has billions of bullets, and the left doesn’t even know how to pee.

[American Constitutionalist]

Tell the Liberals that we are allowing them to secede then show them a geographic area they can go to ( Cuba...a Naval blockade ) then cut off all resources and allow the immigrant gangs to take over.

[RepRivFarm]

“I’m ready to fight against the democrats/Marxists who have destroyed America.”

And I will be right there with you. I’m just as pissed as anyone else. But.....consider this for a moment. It is a relatively short read:

The War Prayer

by Mark Twain

It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory with stirred the deepest deeps of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener.

It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety’s sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.

Sunday morning came — next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams — visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender!

Then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag, or, failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation:

God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest,
Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!

Then came the “long” prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory —

An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. With all eyes following him and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher’s side and stood there waiting. With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal, “Bless our arms, grant us the victory, O Lord and God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!”

The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside — which the startled minister did — and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:

“I come from the Throne — bearing a message from Almighty God!” The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. “He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd, and will grant it if such be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import — that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of — except he pause and think. “God’s servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two — one uttered, and the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this — keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon your neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain on your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse on some neighbor’s crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.

“You have heard your servant’s prayer — the uttered part of it. I am commissioned by God to put into words the other part of it — that part which the pastor — and also you in your hearts — fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard the words ‘Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!’ That is sufficient. The whole of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory — must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!

“Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth into battle — be Thou near them! With them — in spirit — we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended in the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames in summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it —

For our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimmage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet!

We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.
(After a pause.) “Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits.”

...

It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

There’s a conservative with a rifle behind every blade of grass. Take one shot and go home. Aim for the nose ring or 8” above the saggy pants line.

[MNDude]

in the end, a CW would be 100% race based. No white college SAY would hang around for the fight.

[redgolum]

For later.

Will be interesting.

[Ancesthntr]

“The elephant in the living room that no one wants to talk about is the likeliest method that the fighters in rural areas are going to use to quickly identify the enemy at a distance.”

---

I’m betting that the elephant is significantly darker than average, and will be viewed through a rifle scope.

[Hot Tabasco]

Makes one want to stock food for longer than most of us already do.

Lots of old liberals around me so I don't have to stock up. I'll just go take theirs.......LOL!

[DiogenesLamp]

Already surrounded, Seattle would be likely be quarantined. But that's all conjecture because we don't (can't) know how the dominoes will fall.

Blow the power grid, blow the water lines, blow any fuel supplies coming into the city. Blow rails, blow bridges.

Wait.

Modern people are not like people of 1860. The Cities of 1860 did not have so many serious vulnerabilities as do modern cities.

[familyop]

"is he talking about color?"

In a widespread situation of insurrections, racist knuckleheads would be rounded up at least as quickly as commies.

[Democrat_media]

There are men like Charles Martel and StoneWall Jackson who took action and fought for freedom!

During the middle ages A Muslim army tens of thousand strong all on horses invaded Spain .And Spain surrendered . Then the vile evil Muslim scum after raping countless European little girls and massacring peaceful European villagers invaded France .

One man Charles Martel said you shall not pass. One man saved Western civilization form Islam. Charles martel gathered the Christian nights( real knights in Shinning armor). And they stood on foot waiting for the charging muslim army all on horses . Charles Martel and his Christian Knights stood like a wall against a numerically superior Muslim foe all on horseback Charles Martel deafeated the Muslim army.

I want to be like Charles Martel

[editor-surveyor]

.
Shooting ugly idiots with blue helmets!
.

[joegoeny]

I suspect the US would be like that. It won’t be Civil War so much as a federal government that can’t or won’t protect us. Areas will defend themselves, with different cultures and different skill sets setting the direction.

---

Civilization will survive in small towns and rural counties where the local leaders support a volunteer militia that is trained. The militia provides the needed teeth to keep the wolves out. If the leaders are well planned and have a playbook to use immediately- the chances are good that half their population may survive.

[redgolum]

It would last until one side runs out of people in the area.

For border areas, it will never end.

[editor-surveyor]

.
Just point yer gun at the blue helmet!
.

[Pollster1]

I would expect organization to arise quickly on both sides. I’m not sure what that does to the duration of the resulting unpleasantness.

[J. Worthington]

Anyone recommend any fiction books based on the premise of a modern day US civil war?

[grania]

It isn’t just the militias that will be necessary. There will have to be a population that has a community memory of survival skills....hunting and gathering, farming, fishing, building things, healthy sustainable living etc.