Posted on 04/21/2018 5:19:30 AM PDT by Kaslin
I was interviewed by a mainstream media reporter yesterday. I thought he wanted to talk tech issues, but we actually spent almost the entire conversation discussing the feeling that many conservatives have that America has gone off the tracks and is headed toward dissolution or alternately, a civil war one day. Obviously, this would be a terrible thing and ironically, twenty years ago, it would have been laughable. Today, the joke isnt so funny because we are a deeply unhealthy society with a dysfunctional government and for all our money, success and storied history, we seem to be on an increasingly dangerous trajectory.
1) A Post-Constitutional Era: Liberals dont believe in the Constitution. Typically they deny this, but thats exactly what a living Constitution means. You make it up as you go along. The Founders foresaw the instability and danger that would be created by this approach, which is why they wanted us to be a constitutional republic, not a democracy. Unfortunately, America has in many ways already become a post-constitutional democracy and were one liberal judge away from abandoning the Constitution altogether. Once we get to that point, America just becomes the representation of that old saying, Democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what to have for dinner. Of course people are not lambs and when large numbers of them believe they arent being treated fairly, they do have the option of getting away from the wolves.
2) Tribalism: The you only have to listen to people you already agree with nature of social media has dramatically ramped up the level of tribalism in the United States. The Right has gotten much more tribal since Donald Trump rose to prominence and the Left has taken tribalism into hyper-drive. Increasingly, liberals treat a range of opinion between Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton as legitimate while everyone else is viewed as a white supremacist Nazi primitive that must be driven down into the gutter for society to move forward. This makes any sort of dialogue or cooperation nearly impossible. When every issue is a zero sum war where one tribe must win or lose, a lot of people quite understandably ask, What do we gain by staying allied to this other tribe?
3) Federal Government Too Powerful: Federalism is a safety valve on the American pressure cooker. As long as people in San Francisco can, for the most part, live the way they want to live while the people in rural North Carolina can, for the most part, live the way they want to live, its much easier for everyone to get along. When people are unnecessarily forced to live under rules they find abhorrent because the federal government has become an octopus that has inserted its tentacles into every minute crevice of American life, it creates discontent on a wide scale. If most Americans wanted to live like people in San Francisco, theyd live in San Francisco.
4) Moral Decline: As Samuel Adams once noted, A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader.
A large number of Americans HAVE LOST their principles, manners and virtue and it shows through from the sort of politicians they elect, to their rudeness online, to the sort of shallow hedonism and fame whoring they find appealing. Americans are increasingly becoming a soft and decadent people which is problematic because the challenges may change, but we can be certain that Americans will face future challenges every bit as difficult as the ones past generations had to tackle. This is frightening because if you look at the principles, manners and virtue of Americans today, they dont seem capable of dealing with monumental events like the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Depression or World War II. Most people in their twenties probably couldnt tell you why all those events were such challenges in the first place. When America faces a challenge bigger than we can handle because of ineffective politicians and our amusing ourselves to death population, there are no guarantees our republic will survive.
5) The Debt: America is a freight train heading toward a cliff, but because were not moving toward the edge at lightning speed, no one seems all that concerned. However, the fact of the matter is that a reckoning is coming. At some point, probably within the next decade or two, we will face a debt-driven economic collapse; borrowed money will stop flowing into the United States and Medicare/Social Security as we know it will fall apart because we will not have the money to pay it. If and when we get to that point, all bets are off because if regions of the country see an advantage to splitting off from the United States at that point, they will do it.
6) Lack Of A Shared Culture: There has never been a time when American culture was more fragmented than it is today. By that, I mean that there are legions of people with millions of fans or followers on the Internet that the vast majority of Americans have never heard of in their lives. We dont have that shared love of anybody or for that matter, anything. Conservatives and liberals disagree on economics (capitalist/socialist), religion (friendly to Christianity/hostile to Christianity), the Constitution (support/believe in a living Constitution i.e. no Constitution), etc., on and on. The average conservative and the average liberal disagree on 95% of the issues and in the few limited cases where they do look at things the same, they wont support a proposal by the other out of sheer tribalism. Over the long haul, there has be something more to hold a country together than, We wear Nikes, like pop music and play golf.
7) Gun Grabbing: Liberals have fallen in love with the idea of ignoring the 2nd Amendment and confiscating all firearms. The logistics of doing this in a nation with hundreds of millions of guns (many of which are off the books) when many police departments and tens of millions of Americans would not cooperate is seldom discussed. Another thing that seldom seems brought up is that large numbers of conservatives would see this as a prelude to the governments use of force against the citizenry. When it is discussed on the Left, there seems to be an assumption that lone resisters might get into firefights with dozens of police or soldiers, as opposed to ganging up with other formerly law-abiding Americans to waylay gun confiscators, politicians and anti-gun activists at THEIR HOMES in guerrilla actions that would be silently applauded and supported by hundreds of millions of Americans concerned about their freedom. Confiscating guns is a dangerous and stupid idea that could in and of itself end our republic if a serious attempt were ever made to implement it.
Excellent ideas. Long as your building a wish list, may I put in a strong wish for term limits for every elected official and also judges.
As to the two sixty-day sessions idea, how ‘bout Aug, Sep and Feb, Mar.
In order for there to be a war there must be two sides fighting each other. On our side, while we wring our hands and express our outrage, the left is busy destroying the political influence of the NRA, causing sponsors to drop conservative voices on radio and FOX, organizing school children, etc. The left knows how to hit where it hurts, and we know how to repeat statements of outrage.
If someone does try to do any real fighting, e.g. Judge Roy Moore, he is castigated by our side for “stooping to their level.” On this thread, one dear FReeper was upset that people said ugly things about Barbara Bush. While I agree that it is pointless to criticize her, she has met her Maker, we ought to understand the feelings of those who are on our side who just think it is stupid to try to be nice to those who want to destroy all we believe in.
I did not see what was said about B. Bush, so I cannot defend any of that, but if there is nothing we can do but scream in helpless frustration, you cannot expect us to be sweet and nice doing it!
Bear in mind about half of the room didn't know the other half. Usually in these discussions some would politely excuse themselves as they didn't want to be around the "crazy" talk.
Except in this case no one left. In fact, most were in agreement with my buddy. The room felt something was wrong and that something was coming.
I've not forgotten that.
Congressman Sinise begs to differ.
Forget it. Hes on a roll.
L
President Trump is 71, overweight, and exists on a diet of KFC, Taco Bell and Big Macs. He's not going to be around forever. It's the MAGA-populist philosophy that he gave life to that's not going away.
2,4, and 6 are particularly interesting.
Our majority (for the next brief moment) population refuses to see itself as a group, and assert for its own interests. I mean white people. The “tribalists” will advocate for their groups, and against white people. Eventually, it will be Zimbabwe. Be comforted though. As the burning tire is placed around your neck, you can politely inform your murderer that the Democrats are the real racists. That will cause him to stop, and ask you about the Constitution, assuming he speaks English.
The moral decline has been brought on by the same wonderful people who want to flood the United States and Europe with the 3rd world. The morality of the U.S. and Europe has been based in Christianity for centuries. Uprooting it has taken the “tribalists” decades. All of those “natural conservatives” flowing into California haven’t turned its morals back around. Any moment now, I’m sure they will all embrace The Constitution. Yeah, right.
So, a diverse population devoid of a shared morality or even language; what a shock that the culture is fractured. Find a diverse country that has a shared culture. Then find a hen’s tooth, a four leafed clover, and Bigfoot.
Diversity plus proximity equals violence. Makes the gun grabbing all the more dire an issue.
Not me.
Good post
I dont buy this version of tribalism
I lived in west Africa
Thats tribalism
Shared ethnicity race and creed and religion and ancestry....inherent stuff
This guy thinks shared values and social interests is tribalism
Assassination is what I meant.
You’re right.
bump
In other words, do what mom used to say - ‘if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all’. We have lost that.
I couldn’t find anything wrong with the logic of this author. The big question is what will we do with all the leftist losers after the war? They have to go somewhere; they can’t stay here.
“I am increasingly optimistic that the curtains will be pulled back and that the average American (80% of the population) will see that they have been lied to and manipulated by evil people....”
You have forgotten the decades of leftist indoctrination that has gone on in the public schools and universities. The left has been destroying our history and culture for decades.
Twenty-five years ago I had a conversation with six teachers.
I asked them what was the most significant, world changing event of the 20th century. I reminded them that such an event could last for years.
I got answers like the civil rights movement, the assassination of JFK and things of that nature. All significant in the US.
I asked those teachers why none of them thought WWII made their list. Old powers lost their influence, the US and USSR rose to super-power status the map of the world was drastically redrawn, the economies of European nations destroyed, Germany split in two and so on.
They agreed that WWII was SO LONG AGO THAT IT DIDN’T MATTER ANYMORE. The world was different and there were more important things to spend class time on.
Most blacks today don’t know who Booker T Washington was or what he believed. They know Maya Angelou, Barack Obama, Colin Kaepernick and the black rappers but not blacks of substance who thought/think differently than the DNC has approved.
Then we get into the influx of Mexicans and South Americans who don’t want to BE Americans and muslims who want to conquer the world for islam.
No, I am not optimistic.
The glass is half full because it is cracked and leaking.
Just look at how unhinged the left became over the election of President Trump.
We are too far down the rabbit hole for easy exit.
lots of betrayals coming.
“3. “If most Americans wanted to live like people in San Francisco, theyd live in San Francisco.”
Nope, those all think your city should be like (their favorite ideal prog crap-hole), they get on the city council by a 6-1 prog margin, and they’re just getting started at that point.
Especially if they’re infiltrators from any p.rog crap-hole.
BTTT
12: And only paid at 50% of the median income of the lowest-income county in the US.
No limos.
No perks.
No pension.
No dining rooms,
No barbers.
No airline flights on the taxpayer dime.
Work from home (use the modern video technology) and stay available to constituents 24/7. No bankers hours.
Meet in the geographic center of the 50 states.
The Texas legislature meets for 140 days every 2 years. I hear that most Texans prefer the reverse of that.
Trump is the only thing holding off the inevitable dissolution of the country and the descent into violence. It gives us more time to prepare. For this, we should be grateful.
Liberals dont believe in the Constitution. Typically they deny this...That's not been my experience. They believe there is a Constitution but that it is a worthless piece of paper to be ignored.
... Typically they deny this, but thats exactly what a living Constitution means. You make it up as you go along. The Founders foresaw the instability and danger that would be created by this approach, which is why they wanted us to be a constitutional republicYou are conflating two separate things. The Founders foresaw the need to 'adjust' the Constitution by the process of amendment, making it somewhat 'living.' They opted for a Republic to keep majority (mob) rule within limits.
If most Americans wanted to live like people in San Francisco, theyd live in San Francisco.Well no. I don't have to move to Dallas to live like people in Dallas.
ineffective politicians and our amusing ourselves to death population, there are no guarantees our republic will survive.Probably true. But that is not the nature of civil wars. Pitting one group of snowflakes against another is a wash.
Over the long haul, there has be something more to hold a country together than, We wear Nikes, like pop music and play golf.An external existential threat usually does the trick, only not for the long haul. That requires a dictatorship, which is another way of making sure everyone else lives like I think they should. See the notion of religious liberty as opposed to freedom of religion. The latter is of a personal nature, the former is making everyone else conform to the latter. There are a large number of Americans whose desires converge onto dictatorship.
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