Jan 6 Select Committee

mickeyrat

mrussel1 said:

Cropduster-80 said:

mrussel1 said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

For those that thought it couldn’t happen here. People better wake the fuck up.

They are preparing for war’: An expert on civil wars discusses where political extremists are taking this country

Barbara F. Walter, 57, is a political science professor at the University of California at San Diego and the author of “How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them,” which was released in January. She lives in San Diego with her husband.

Having studied civil wars all over the world, and the conditions that give rise to them, you argue in your book, somewhat chillingly, that the United States is coming dangerously close to those conditions. Can you explain that?

So we actually know a lot about civil wars — how they start, how long they last, why they’re so hard to resolve, how you end them. And we know a lot because since 1946, there have been over 200 major armed conflicts. And for the last 30 years, people have been collecting a lot of data, analyzing the data, looking at patterns. I’ve been one of those people.

We went from thinking, even as late as the 1980s, that every one of these was unique. And the way people studied it is they would be a Somalia expert, a Yugoslavia expert, a Tajikistan expert. And everybody thought their case was unique and that you could draw no parallels. Then methods and computers got better, and people like me came and could collect data and analyze it. And what we saw is that there are lots of patterns at the macro level.

In 1994, the U.S. government put together this Political Instability Task Force. They were interested in trying to predict what countries around the world were going to become unstable, potentially fall apart, experience political violence and civil war.

Was that out of the State Department?

That was done through the CIA. And the task force was a mix of academics, experts on conflict, and data analysts. And basically what they wanted was: In all of your research, tell us what you think seems to be important. What should we be considering when we’re thinking about the lead-up to civil wars?

Originally the model included over 30 different factors, like poverty, income inequality, how diverse religiously or ethnically a country was. But only two factors came out again and again as highly predictive. And it wasn’t what people were expecting, even on the task force. We were surprised. The first was this variable called anocracy. There’s this nonprofit based in Virginia called the Center for Systemic Peace. And every year it measures all sorts of things related to the quality of the governments around the world. How autocratic or how democratic a country is. And it has this scale that goes from negative 10 to positive 10. Negative 10 is the most authoritarian, so think about North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain. Positive 10 are the most democratic. This, of course, is where you want to be. This would be Denmark, Switzerland, Canada. The U.S. was a positive 10 for many, many years. It’s no longer a positive 10. And then it has this middle zone between positive 5 and negative 5, which was you had features of both. If you’re a positive 5, you have more democratic features, but definitely have a few authoritarian elements. And, of course, if you’re negative 5, you have more authoritarian features and a few democratic elements. The U.S. was briefly downgraded to a 5 and is now an 8.

And what scholars found was that this anocracy variable was really predictive of a risk for civil war. That full democracies almost never have civil wars. Full autocracies rarely have civil wars. All of the instability and violence is happening in this middle zone. And there’s all sorts of theories why this middle zone is unstable, but one of the big ones is that these governments tend to be weaker. They’re transitioning to either actually becoming more democratic, and so some of the authoritarian features are loosening up. The military is giving up control. And so it’s easier to organize a challenge. Or, these are democracies that are backsliding, and there’s a sense that these governments are not that legitimate, people are unhappy with these governments. There’s infighting. There’s jockeying for power. And so they’re weak in their own ways. Anyway, that turned out to be highly predictive.

And then the second factor was whether populations in these partial democracies began to organize politically, not around ideology — so, not based on whether you’re a communist or not a communist, or you’re a liberal or a conservative — but where the parties themselves were based almost exclusively around identity: ethnic, religious or racial identity. The quintessential example of this is what happened in the former Yugoslavia.

So for you, personally, what was the moment the ideas began to connect, and you thought: Wait a minute, I see these patterns in my country right now?

My dad is from Germany. He was born in 1932 and lived through the war there, and he emigrated here in 1958. He had been a Republican his whole life, you know; we had the Reagan calendar in the kitchen every year.

And starting in early 2016, I would go home to visit, and my dad — he doesn’t agitate easily, but he was so agitated. All he wanted to do was talk about Trump and what he was seeing happening. He was really nervous. It was almost visceral — like, he was reliving the past. Every time I’d go home, he was just, like, “Please tell me Trump’s not going to win.” And I would tell him, “Dad, Trump is not going to win.” And he’s just, like, “I don’t believe you; I saw this once before. And I’m seeing it again, and the Republicans, they’re just falling in lockstep behind him.” He was so nervous.

I remember saying: “Dad, what’s really different about America today from Germany in the 1930s is that our democracy is really strong. Our institutions are strong. So, even if you had a Trump come into power, the institutions would hold strong.” Of course, then Trump won. We would have these conversations where my dad would draw all these parallels. The brownshirts and the attacks on the media and the attacks on education and on books. And he’s just, like, I’m seeing it. I’m seeing it all again here. And that’s really what shook me out of my complacency, that here was this man who is very well educated and astute, and he was shaking with fear. And I was like, Am I being naive to think that we’re different?

That’s when I started to follow the data. And then, watching what happened to the Republican Party really was the bigger surprise — that, wow, they’re doubling down on this almost white supremacist strategy. That’s a losing strategy in a democracy. So why would they do that? Okay, it’s worked for them since the ’60s and ’70s, but you can’t turn back demographics. And then I was like, Oh my gosh. The only way this is a winning strategy is if you begin to weaken the institutions; this is the pattern we see in other countries. And, as an American citizen I’m like, These two factors are emerging here, and people don’t know.

Continues

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/03/08/they-are-preparing-war-an-expert-civil-wars-discusses-where-political-extremists-are-taking-this-country/

CIA manual referenced:

https://irp.fas.org/cia/product/insurgency.pdf

The difference between Germany 1932 and the US isn't that 'democracy is strong', it's that we are economically healthy.  Germany in 32 was bankrupt.  

I would say the economy is healthy, that’s not true of MAGA hardcore base.  A lot of this is people who feel left behind being angry. 

Most trump rallies aren’t made up of economically healthy individuals 

burning down the house isn’t that big of a risk when you feel like you’ve got nothing to lose 

I feel like that’s generally true of most extremists.  Its economic primarily.  Religion, politics etc is what they gravitate to but it’s fundamentally economic at the end of the day.  

All true, but people aren't going to revolt when they are comfortable.  Are these MAGA people going to take over Chicago, Miami, LA?  What are they going to do?  What are they fighting for?  They don't even know.  

making america great again, helllloooooo!!!!!!

brianlux

I have absolutely zero interest in being involved in such a conflict, so at the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, I want to know what this Civil War is going to look like.  Who will be shooting whom, and where?  That sort of thing. 
I don't have much of a warrior type personality and the only warrior types I have a lot of respect for are a certain number of eco-warriors.  If a peaceful resolution cannot be found to preserve democracy, I want out of this loony bin.

But will there really be a civil war.  A lot of people talk about it, but only in general and vague terms.  What does this supposed war look like?

Halifax2TheMax

brianlux said:

I have absolutely zero interest in being involved in such a conflict, so at the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, I want to know what this Civil War is going to look like.  Who will be shooting whom, and where?  That sort of thing. 
I don't have much of a warrior type personality and the only warrior types I have a lot of respect for are a certain number of eco-warriors.  If a peaceful resolution cannot be found to preserve democracy, I want out of this loony bin.

But will there really be a civil war.  A lot of people talk about it, but only in general and vague terms.  What does this supposed war look like?

Violence against those who oppose the tyranny of the minority and dare to speak up and out. You’ll see armed militias firing on peaceful protesters. You’ll see law enforcement taking sides, not always on the side of the law or constitution. You’ll see red states, counties, cities and towns declaring and enforcing “their” laws. You’ll see the “other” being persecuted for being “other.”

The question will become whether the federal government can hold us together or will it be complicit.

Cropduster-80

Halifax2TheMax said:

brianlux said:

I have absolutely zero interest in being involved in such a conflict, so at the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, I want to know what this Civil War is going to look like.  Who will be shooting whom, and where?  That sort of thing. 
I don't have much of a warrior type personality and the only warrior types I have a lot of respect for are a certain number of eco-warriors.  If a peaceful resolution cannot be found to preserve democracy, I want out of this loony bin.

But will there really be a civil war.  A lot of people talk about it, but only in general and vague terms.  What does this supposed war look like?

Violence against those who oppose the tyranny of the minority and dare to speak up and out. You’ll see armed militias firing on peaceful protesters. You’ll see law enforcement taking sides, not always on the side of the law or constitution. You’ll see red states, counties, cities and towns declaring and enforcing “their” laws. You’ll see the “other” being persecuted for being “other.”

The question will become whether the federal government can hold us together or will it be complicit.

Basically just watch The Handmaid’s Tale 

that’s  about it 

Lerxst1992

mrussel1 said:

Cropduster-80 said:

mrussel1 said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

For those that thought it couldn’t happen here. People better wake the fuck up.

They are preparing for war’: An expert on civil wars discusses where political extremists are taking this country

Barbara F. Walter, 57, is a political science professor at the University of California at San Diego and the author of “How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them,” which was released in January. She lives in San Diego with her husband.

Having studied civil wars all over the world, and the conditions that give rise to them, you argue in your book, somewhat chillingly, that the United States is coming dangerously close to those conditions. Can you explain that?

So we actually know a lot about civil wars — how they start, how long they last, why they’re so hard to resolve, how you end them. And we know a lot because since 1946, there have been over 200 major armed conflicts. And for the last 30 years, people have been collecting a lot of data, analyzing the data, looking at patterns. I’ve been one of those people.

We went from thinking, even as late as the 1980s, that every one of these was unique. And the way people studied it is they would be a Somalia expert, a Yugoslavia expert, a Tajikistan expert. And everybody thought their case was unique and that you could draw no parallels. Then methods and computers got better, and people like me came and could collect data and analyze it. And what we saw is that there are lots of patterns at the macro level.

In 1994, the U.S. government put together this Political Instability Task Force. They were interested in trying to predict what countries around the world were going to become unstable, potentially fall apart, experience political violence and civil war.

Was that out of the State Department?

That was done through the CIA. And the task force was a mix of academics, experts on conflict, and data analysts. And basically what they wanted was: In all of your research, tell us what you think seems to be important. What should we be considering when we’re thinking about the lead-up to civil wars?

Originally the model included over 30 different factors, like poverty, income inequality, how diverse religiously or ethnically a country was. But only two factors came out again and again as highly predictive. And it wasn’t what people were expecting, even on the task force. We were surprised. The first was this variable called anocracy. There’s this nonprofit based in Virginia called the Center for Systemic Peace. And every year it measures all sorts of things related to the quality of the governments around the world. How autocratic or how democratic a country is. And it has this scale that goes from negative 10 to positive 10. Negative 10 is the most authoritarian, so think about North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain. Positive 10 are the most democratic. This, of course, is where you want to be. This would be Denmark, Switzerland, Canada. The U.S. was a positive 10 for many, many years. It’s no longer a positive 10. And then it has this middle zone between positive 5 and negative 5, which was you had features of both. If you’re a positive 5, you have more democratic features, but definitely have a few authoritarian elements. And, of course, if you’re negative 5, you have more authoritarian features and a few democratic elements. The U.S. was briefly downgraded to a 5 and is now an 8.

And what scholars found was that this anocracy variable was really predictive of a risk for civil war. That full democracies almost never have civil wars. Full autocracies rarely have civil wars. All of the instability and violence is happening in this middle zone. And there’s all sorts of theories why this middle zone is unstable, but one of the big ones is that these governments tend to be weaker. They’re transitioning to either actually becoming more democratic, and so some of the authoritarian features are loosening up. The military is giving up control. And so it’s easier to organize a challenge. Or, these are democracies that are backsliding, and there’s a sense that these governments are not that legitimate, people are unhappy with these governments. There’s infighting. There’s jockeying for power. And so they’re weak in their own ways. Anyway, that turned out to be highly predictive.

And then the second factor was whether populations in these partial democracies began to organize politically, not around ideology — so, not based on whether you’re a communist or not a communist, or you’re a liberal or a conservative — but where the parties themselves were based almost exclusively around identity: ethnic, religious or racial identity. The quintessential example of this is what happened in the former Yugoslavia.

So for you, personally, what was the moment the ideas began to connect, and you thought: Wait a minute, I see these patterns in my country right now?

My dad is from Germany. He was born in 1932 and lived through the war there, and he emigrated here in 1958. He had been a Republican his whole life, you know; we had the Reagan calendar in the kitchen every year.

And starting in early 2016, I would go home to visit, and my dad — he doesn’t agitate easily, but he was so agitated. All he wanted to do was talk about Trump and what he was seeing happening. He was really nervous. It was almost visceral — like, he was reliving the past. Every time I’d go home, he was just, like, “Please tell me Trump’s not going to win.” And I would tell him, “Dad, Trump is not going to win.” And he’s just, like, “I don’t believe you; I saw this once before. And I’m seeing it again, and the Republicans, they’re just falling in lockstep behind him.” He was so nervous.

I remember saying: “Dad, what’s really different about America today from Germany in the 1930s is that our democracy is really strong. Our institutions are strong. So, even if you had a Trump come into power, the institutions would hold strong.” Of course, then Trump won. We would have these conversations where my dad would draw all these parallels. The brownshirts and the attacks on the media and the attacks on education and on books. And he’s just, like, I’m seeing it. I’m seeing it all again here. And that’s really what shook me out of my complacency, that here was this man who is very well educated and astute, and he was shaking with fear. And I was like, Am I being naive to think that we’re different?

That’s when I started to follow the data. And then, watching what happened to the Republican Party really was the bigger surprise — that, wow, they’re doubling down on this almost white supremacist strategy. That’s a losing strategy in a democracy. So why would they do that? Okay, it’s worked for them since the ’60s and ’70s, but you can’t turn back demographics. And then I was like, Oh my gosh. The only way this is a winning strategy is if you begin to weaken the institutions; this is the pattern we see in other countries. And, as an American citizen I’m like, These two factors are emerging here, and people don’t know.

Continues

https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/03/08/they-are-preparing-war-an-expert-civil-wars-discusses-where-political-extremists-are-taking-this-country/

CIA manual referenced:

https://irp.fas.org/cia/product/insurgency.pdf

The difference between Germany 1932 and the US isn't that 'democracy is strong', it's that we are economically healthy.  Germany in 32 was bankrupt.  

I would say the economy is healthy, that’s not true of MAGA hardcore base.  A lot of this is people who feel left behind being angry. 

Most trump rallies aren’t made up of economically healthy individuals 

burning down the house isn’t that big of a risk when you feel like you’ve got nothing to lose 

I feel like that’s generally true of most extremists.  Its economic primarily.  Religion, politics etc is what they gravitate to but it’s fundamentally economic at the end of the day.  

All true, but people aren't going to revolt when they are comfortable.  Are these MAGA people going to take over Chicago, Miami, LA?  What are they going to do?  What are they fighting for?  They don't even know.  

Going to?

They already did.

Cropduster-80

brianlux said:

I have absolutely zero interest in being involved in such a conflict, so at the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, I want to know what this Civil War is going to look like.  Who will be shooting whom, and where?  That sort of thing. 
I don't have much of a warrior type personality and the only warrior types I have a lot of respect for are a certain number of eco-warriors.  If a peaceful resolution cannot be found to preserve democracy, I want out of this loony bin.

But will there really be a civil war.  A lot of people talk about it, but only in general and vague terms.  What does this supposed war look like?

To me it’s not being alarmist. It’s logically following the steps out to the logical conclusion.  I think this path is in no way sustainable and we have missed several off ramps along the way. No one took them.  Where else would it end? 

Once the gap gets this wide between the two americas reconciliation becomes impossible 

one group hates Biden so much they are willing to overthrow the government because of it.   middle of the road Joe Biden.  We didn’t elect Fidel Castro or Stalin.  The fact they think we did says a lot 

Go Beavers

What republicans want is a corrupt plutocracy similar to Russia. And I haven’t heard there’s a civil war brewing there. What’s needed is the right combination of cynicism, belief in misinformation, and a heavy police state. The police state would side with the right wing fascists any left wing violence would be snuffed out pretty quickly. What it would amount to is episodes of group violence here and there, but I din’t think it would be anything on level with a civil war. 

cblock4life

Cropduster-80 said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

brianlux said:

I have absolutely zero interest in being involved in such a conflict, so at the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, I want to know what this Civil War is going to look like.  Who will be shooting whom, and where?  That sort of thing. 
I don't have much of a warrior type personality and the only warrior types I have a lot of respect for are a certain number of eco-warriors.  If a peaceful resolution cannot be found to preserve democracy, I want out of this loony bin.

But will there really be a civil war.  A lot of people talk about it, but only in general and vague terms.  What does this supposed war look like?

Violence against those who oppose the tyranny of the minority and dare to speak up and out. You’ll see armed militias firing on peaceful protesters. You’ll see law enforcement taking sides, not always on the side of the law or constitution. You’ll see red states, counties, cities and towns declaring and enforcing “their” laws. You’ll see the “other” being persecuted for being “other.”

The question will become whether the federal government can hold us together or will it be complicit.

Basically just watch The Handmaid’s Tale 

that’s  about it 

I’ve thought that as well.  When the show started we were like “no way”.  Now we just wonder how much longer till it happens.  It’s not a matter of if, but when.  I screamed at the tv every episode, riled me up for hours.  

I won’t last 15 minutes if it happens, but you can guarantee I’ll go down fighting.  

brianlux

Halifax2TheMax said:

brianlux said:

I have absolutely zero interest in being involved in such a conflict, so at the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, I want to know what this Civil War is going to look like.  Who will be shooting whom, and where?  That sort of thing. 
I don't have much of a warrior type personality and the only warrior types I have a lot of respect for are a certain number of eco-warriors.  If a peaceful resolution cannot be found to preserve democracy, I want out of this loony bin.

But will there really be a civil war.  A lot of people talk about it, but only in general and vague terms.  What does this supposed war look like?

Violence against those who oppose the tyranny of the minority and dare to speak up and out. You’ll see armed militias firing on peaceful protesters. You’ll see law enforcement taking sides, not always on the side of the law or constitution. You’ll see red states, counties, cities and towns declaring and enforcing “their” laws. You’ll see the “other” being persecuted for being “other.”

The question will become whether the federal government can hold us together or will it be complicit.

This seems like a plausible outcome.  If this is how it plays out, I'll need to either move or become as invisible as possible. 

Cropduster-80 said:

brianlux said:

I have absolutely zero interest in being involved in such a conflict, so at the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, I want to know what this Civil War is going to look like.  Who will be shooting whom, and where?  That sort of thing. 
I don't have much of a warrior type personality and the only warrior types I have a lot of respect for are a certain number of eco-warriors.  If a peaceful resolution cannot be found to preserve democracy, I want out of this loony bin.

But will there really be a civil war.  A lot of people talk about it, but only in general and vague terms.  What does this supposed war look like?

To me it’s not being alarmist. It’s logically following the steps out to the logical conclusion.  I think this path is in no way sustainable and we have missed several off ramps along the way. No one took them.  Where else would it end? 

Once the gap gets this wide between the two americas reconciliation becomes impossible 

one group hates Biden so much they are willing to overthrow the government because of it.   middle of the road Joe Biden.  We didn’t elect Fidel Castro or Stalin.  The fact they think we did says a lot 

It sure seems like things are heading that way.  I agree, reconciliation seems unlikely. 

Go Beavers said:

What republicans want is a corrupt plutocracy similar to Russia. And I haven’t heard there’s a civil war brewing there. What’s needed is the right combination of cynicism, belief in misinformation, and a heavy police state. The police state would side with the right wing fascists any left wing violence would be snuffed out pretty quickly. What it would amount to is episodes of group violence here and there, but I din’t think it would be anything on level with a civil war. 

This too seems like a plausible outcome. 

I too don't see an all out civil war being a thing.  People on both sides get angry and violent (more so on the radical right), but at the end of the day what typical Americans want to do more than anything is go home, eat their garbage food, and watch their stupid TV shows.  Those thing appeal more to the vast majority than going out and shooting up the town.

cblock4life said:

Cropduster-80 said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

brianlux said:

I have absolutely zero interest in being involved in such a conflict, so at the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, I want to know what this Civil War is going to look like.  Who will be shooting whom, and where?  That sort of thing. 
I don't have much of a warrior type personality and the only warrior types I have a lot of respect for are a certain number of eco-warriors.  If a peaceful resolution cannot be found to preserve democracy, I want out of this loony bin.

But will there really be a civil war.  A lot of people talk about it, but only in general and vague terms.  What does this supposed war look like?

Violence against those who oppose the tyranny of the minority and dare to speak up and out. You’ll see armed militias firing on peaceful protesters. You’ll see law enforcement taking sides, not always on the side of the law or constitution. You’ll see red states, counties, cities and towns declaring and enforcing “their” laws. You’ll see the “other” being persecuted for being “other.”

The question will become whether the federal government can hold us together or will it be complicit.

Basically just watch The Handmaid’s Tale 

that’s  about it 

I’ve thought that as well.  When the show started we were like “no way”.  Now we just wonder how much longer till it happens.  It’s not a matter of if, but when.  I screamed at the tv every episode, riled me up for hours.  

I won’t last 15 minutes if it happens, but you can guarantee I’ll go down fighting.  

I guess I should pick an evening when I don't mine being depressed and watch this.  I've read about the movie and the book, know the gist of the story, but haven't held my hand over the flame yet.  Egads. 

Cropduster-80

I think you’ll find gun sales among liberals is skyrocketing.  It’s ironic but several  I know have gotten to the point they give up and are buying guns. I don’t think it’s a particularly isolated observation.  

they aren’t doing it because they are afraid of burglars. They aren’t comfortable though being at that big of a disadvantage. 
 
Both sides are armed or in the process.  That’s a new thing.  Liberal prepping, also a new thing. That’s always been the realm of the survivalists on the right 

I think if people ask their left leaning friends, a lot would say yes, they have guns now or are seriously considering it.  Something is going on and each side views the other as the enemy. Literally, the enemy. It’s not technically war, it’s definitely a Cold War already though, just with each other.  It’s a Civil Cold War.

cblock4life

brianlux said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

brianlux said:

I have absolutely zero interest in being involved in such a conflict, so at the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, I want to know what this Civil War is going to look like.  Who will be shooting whom, and where?  That sort of thing. 
I don't have much of a warrior type personality and the only warrior types I have a lot of respect for are a certain number of eco-warriors.  If a peaceful resolution cannot be found to preserve democracy, I want out of this loony bin.

But will there really be a civil war.  A lot of people talk about it, but only in general and vague terms.  What does this supposed war look like?

Violence against those who oppose the tyranny of the minority and dare to speak up and out. You’ll see armed militias firing on peaceful protesters. You’ll see law enforcement taking sides, not always on the side of the law or constitution. You’ll see red states, counties, cities and towns declaring and enforcing “their” laws. You’ll see the “other” being persecuted for being “other.”

The question will become whether the federal government can hold us together or will it be complicit.

This seems like a plausible outcome.  If this is how it plays out, I'll need to either move or become as invisible as possible. 

Cropduster-80 said:

brianlux said:

I have absolutely zero interest in being involved in such a conflict, so at the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, I want to know what this Civil War is going to look like.  Who will be shooting whom, and where?  That sort of thing. 
I don't have much of a warrior type personality and the only warrior types I have a lot of respect for are a certain number of eco-warriors.  If a peaceful resolution cannot be found to preserve democracy, I want out of this loony bin.

But will there really be a civil war.  A lot of people talk about it, but only in general and vague terms.  What does this supposed war look like?

To me it’s not being alarmist. It’s logically following the steps out to the logical conclusion.  I think this path is in no way sustainable and we have missed several off ramps along the way. No one took them.  Where else would it end? 

Once the gap gets this wide between the two americas reconciliation becomes impossible 

one group hates Biden so much they are willing to overthrow the government because of it.   middle of the road Joe Biden.  We didn’t elect Fidel Castro or Stalin.  The fact they think we did says a lot 

It sure seems like things are heading that way.  I agree, reconciliation seems unlikely. 

Go Beavers said:

What republicans want is a corrupt plutocracy similar to Russia. And I haven’t heard there’s a civil war brewing there. What’s needed is the right combination of cynicism, belief in misinformation, and a heavy police state. The police state would side with the right wing fascists any left wing violence would be snuffed out pretty quickly. What it would amount to is episodes of group violence here and there, but I din’t think it would be anything on level with a civil war. 

This too seems like a plausible outcome. 

I too don't see an all out civil war being a thing.  People on both sides get angry and violent (more so on the radical right), but at the end of the day what typical Americans want to do more than anything is go home, eat their garbage food, and watch their stupid TV shows.  Those thing appeal more to the vast majority than going out and shooting up the town.

cblock4life said:

Cropduster-80 said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

brianlux said:

I have absolutely zero interest in being involved in such a conflict, so at the risk of sounding incredibly selfish, I want to know what this Civil War is going to look like.  Who will be shooting whom, and where?  That sort of thing. 
I don't have much of a warrior type personality and the only warrior types I have a lot of respect for are a certain number of eco-warriors.  If a peaceful resolution cannot be found to preserve democracy, I want out of this loony bin.

But will there really be a civil war.  A lot of people talk about it, but only in general and vague terms.  What does this supposed war look like?

Violence against those who oppose the tyranny of the minority and dare to speak up and out. You’ll see armed militias firing on peaceful protesters. You’ll see law enforcement taking sides, not always on the side of the law or constitution. You’ll see red states, counties, cities and towns declaring and enforcing “their” laws. You’ll see the “other” being persecuted for being “other.”

The question will become whether the federal government can hold us together or will it be complicit.

Basically just watch The Handmaid’s Tale 

that’s  about it 

I’ve thought that as well.  When the show started we were like “no way”.  Now we just wonder how much longer till it happens.  It’s not a matter of if, but when.  I screamed at the tv every episode, riled me up for hours.  

I won’t last 15 minutes if it happens, but you can guarantee I’ll go down fighting.  

I guess I should pick an evening when I don't mine being depressed and watch this.  I've read about the movie and the book, know the gist of the story, but haven't held my hand over the flame yet.  Egads. 

It really is a good show.  It definitely pulls you in and makes you wonder, gets under your skin.  If the Roe decision upset you then you’re in for a wild ride for sure.  Some of it seemed so far fetched all those years ago when it started but now, not so much.  Definitely worth your time.  

cblock4life

Cropduster-80 said:

I think you’ll find gun sales among liberals is skyrocketing.  It’s ironic but several  I know have gotten to the point they give up and are buying guns. I don’t think it’s a particularly isolated observation.  

they aren’t doing it because they are afraid of burglars. They aren’t comfortable though being at that big of a disadvantage. 
 
Both sides are armed or in the process.  That’s a new thing.  Liberal prepping, also a new thing. That’s always been the realm of the survivalists on the right 

I think if people ask their left leaning friends, a lot would say yes, they have guns now or are seriously considering it.  Something is going on and each side views the other as the enemy. Literally, the enemy. It’s not technically war, it’s definitely a Cold War already though, just with each other.  It’s a Civil Cold War.

Take this for what it’s worth, especially coming from me, but I think you’ve got this whole civil disobedience figured out and I agree with you so far on why, how, and where we’re going from here.  

ALSO - did you wear your pro-choice shirt to church? 😂

Cropduster-80

cblock4life said:

Cropduster-80 said:

I think you’ll find gun sales among liberals is skyrocketing.  It’s ironic but several  I know have gotten to the point they give up and are buying guns. I don’t think it’s a particularly isolated observation.  

they aren’t doing it because they are afraid of burglars. They aren’t comfortable though being at that big of a disadvantage. 
 
Both sides are armed or in the process.  That’s a new thing.  Liberal prepping, also a new thing. That’s always been the realm of the survivalists on the right 

I think if people ask their left leaning friends, a lot would say yes, they have guns now or are seriously considering it.  Something is going on and each side views the other as the enemy. Literally, the enemy. It’s not technically war, it’s definitely a Cold War already though, just with each other.  It’s a Civil Cold War.

Take this for what it’s worth, especially coming from me, but I think you’ve got this whole civil disobedience figured out and I agree with you so far on why, how, and where we’re going from here.  

ALSO - did you wear your pro-choice shirt to church? 😂

Ha. No

i compromised with my wife.  We took the kids to support that radical, gay agenda,  buzz light year movie the right is so pissed off about

i was disappointed, I was expecting a full on lesbian sex scene.  All I got was a family friendly age appropriate gay character  

she didn’t want to get thrown out of church. 

brianlux

Cropduster-80 said:

I think you’ll find gun sales among liberals is skyrocketing.  It’s ironic but several  I know have gotten to the point they give up and are buying guns. I don’t think it’s a particularly isolated observation.  

they aren’t doing it because they are afraid of burglars. They aren’t comfortable though being at that big of a disadvantage. 
 
Both sides are armed or in the process.  That’s a new thing.  Liberal prepping, also a new thing. That’s always been the realm of the survivalists on the right 

I think if people ask their left leaning friends, a lot would say yes, they have guns now or are seriously considering it.  Something is going on and each side views the other as the enemy. Literally, the enemy. It’s not technically war, it’s definitely a Cold War already though, just with each other.  It’s a Civil Cold War.

YEah, that all sounds very plausible.  Only thing I would change would be to call it an "Un-Civil Cold War".

Cropduster-80

Trump is “letting” Bannon testify now.  He waved executive privilege  that wasn’t his to wave 

They shouldn’t take the bait.  He’s just going to lie as the timing is very suspicious.  They need someone to tell a story that the far right can cling to as the truth and/or a witness to create misdirection and chaos. 

The hearings are going well enough without him. It’s only downside IMO 

mickeyrat

Cropduster-80 said:

Trump is “letting” Bannon testify now.  He waved executive privilege  that wasn’t his to wave 

They shouldn’t take the bait.  He’s just going to lie as the timing is very suspicious.  They need someone to tell a story that the far right can cling to as the truth and/or a witness to create misdirection and chaos. 

The hearings are going well enough without him. It’s only downside IMO 

where is doj at in relation to the bannon contempt case? think that may have something to do with fuckstick waiving privilege that belongs with a sitting president?

mrussel1

Cropduster-80 said:

Trump is “letting” Bannon testify now.  He waved executive privilege  that wasn’t his to wave 

They shouldn’t take the bait.  He’s just going to lie as the timing is very suspicious.  They need someone to tell a story that the far right can cling to as the truth and/or a witness to create misdirection and chaos. 

The hearings are going well enough without him. It’s only downside IMO 

Well the trial is set to begin July 18th, so I think that's part of the change in mind.  Now if he declared that he wants to testify but the committee won't talk to him,  a jury might become sympathetic. 

Cropduster-80

To me it’s more curious trump is pushing the testimony 

if bannon changed his mind or was worried about his own trial that’s one thing.  

This seems like trumps agenda not bannons.  I can’t imagine anything good is going to come out of it 

static111

I predict a sworn testimony that negates everything ,that could be construed as evidence against Trump, that has been collected thus far.

mrussel1

static111 said:

I predict a sworn testimony that negates everything that could be construed as evidence against Trump that has been collected thus far.

Impossible because he wasn't in the room on Jan 6th to my knowledge, was he?  If not, it can't negate anything that happened that day.