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Civil war in U.S. unlikely because grievances don't necessarily translate directly into violence

16 Comments
By Ore Koren

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Despite the ugly Capitol riot of Jan 6, 2021, and anti-racism protests of the past few years, some of which included rioting, violent confrontation, and property destruction

Talk about parsing words. The Jan 6 incident, where protestors murdered nobody and the only property damage was minor damage to a public building, was an "ugly riot." Meanwhile, the numerous riots in various cities, with dozens of innocent murder victims and billions in property damage to small businesses, many of them burned to the ground, is called an "anti-racism protest."

How anyone can believe this is beyond me.

-3 ( +7 / -10 )

commanteer, everything you said was wonrg, yet my post will probaly be removed.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

commanteer, everything you said was wonrg, yet my post will probaly be removed.

What was wrong? Nothing I said - all easily verifiable facts.

a politically inspired assault on a national seat of government on one hand and a series of undirected, unfocused street riots 

Unfocused riots are better than riots focused on a political grievance? How's that? You would diminish the people risking their lives in the streets of Myanmar, Belarus, and other countries. Is there something sacred about a national seat of government? Do you know what goes on in those places? It's pretty far from sacred.

-6 ( +3 / -9 )

What was wrong? Nothing I said - all easily verifiable facts.

5 people died in the capitol insurrection including police officers

1 ( +5 / -4 )

The US is the closest to a Civil War since the first one 150 years ago....

Because one political party has rejected democracy and its foundations outlined in the Constitution, and embraced autocracy and tyranny - attempting to nullify and limit millions of Americans right to vote...

Their rhetoric is filled with violent imagery...and they appeal to the violent fringe in our society...

Jan 6th was just the "warm-up" - as they continue to lose elections, they will once again resort to violence...larger in scope and more deadly...

1 ( +4 / -3 )

The next civil war will not be a shooting war. It will be a clash of ideals. The new segregation, where people who don’t toe the party line are openly discriminated against.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

5 people died in the capitol insurrection including police officers

Wrong. Please check for yourself.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

The US is the closest to a Civil War since the first one 150 years ago....

Because one political party has rejected democracy and its foundations outlined in the Constitution, and embraced autocracy and tyranny - attempting to nullify and limit millions of Americans right to vote...

And this is exactly why Republicans poll better on every major poll to uphold our democracy and Constitution.

Their rhetoric is filled with violent imagery...and they appeal to the violent fringe in our society...

In other words, if you don’t vote Democrat you’re a racist, not helping these people

Jan 6th was just the "warm-up" - as they continue to lose elections, they will once again resort to violence...larger in scope and more deadly...

Hold on to that because after November we turn the page on that.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

I guess the author never heard about the Civil War 1861-1865.

Oh, there is so much pent up frustration on so many issues that I would say it's likely the US will not look the same in less than a generation. Crime is out of control, politics is making people physically and mentally ill, oligarchs are more in control than ever...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Crime is out of control, politics is making people physically and mentally ill, oligarchs are more in control than ever...

Sigh. Compared to when? The 1920s were far more violent in terms of deaths by firearms per 100,000 people than the US is today. We are very far from the worst days of violent crime even with the recent spike. What you say is not a reflection of objective reality but what you are fed by media and some politicians and it is not based on the truth.

If you want to talk about "oligarchs" and outright monopoly study up on the so-called Gilded Age. Find out who the "Robber Barons" were. Read up on people like Cornelius Vanderbilt (dropped out of school at age 11 and built a railroad empire starting in New York), Jay Gould and his partner Jim Fisk, John D. Rockefeller, Andre Carnegie, Edward Harriman, Collis P. Huntington, Mark Hopkins, Leyland Stanford and Charles Crocker (the so-called "Big Four" of the Central Pacific Railroad). Find out what a "Grudge Town" was in reference to the Southern Pacific Railroad and how SP leaned on cities to give then choice municipal assets as the price of a rail head, or how failing to pay their ransom resulted in a nearby SP sponsored "Grudge Town" (examples are Oakland and Colton, where LA paid the ransom and annexed Wilmington and San Pedro to prevent SP from making Santa Monica their port city)

There are anti-trust laws founded in sound economic principals that can address many of todays problems. They are nothing new but most people alive don't read history and as a result don't have a perspective of the past to compare today to.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

I guess the author never heard about the Civil War 1861-1865

Very different situations. The US Civil War had more or less natural boundaries between antagonists, slave holding states and free states. That is not true today in the US as you find the two "sides" living in each state often in each city. There are no natural boundaries for sides to exist. I also do not think most Americans have any stomach for a civil war. It is one thing to argue about policy but an entirely different thing to engage in open warfare. Raise your hand if you want to see your home or business destroyed and maybe lose your life. Ah, thought so. I will give it a pass too. I have no interest in killing my neighbor. Best to settle matters at the ballot box or in a court room.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I also do not think most Americans have any stomach for a civil war. It is one thing to argue about policy but an entirely different thing to engage in open warfare. Raise your hand if you want to see your home or business destroyed and maybe lose your life. Ah, thought so.

Funny thing about wars. Nobody ever seems to want them, but they happen anyway. The decline of the US into civil violence will be quite different from the Civil War. More likely, it will marked by political oppression, jailing of opponents and terrorism. In fact, sometimes that looks like the plan of Biden's bosses, whoever they are.

Me, I'd rather live where people don't hate their neighbors and family because of who they voted for.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

They know they will be dealth with swiftly and with legally efficient, lots of American have lost their mind, and need mental health intervention, foreigners can comment about America, but are unable to do anything about it

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Lots of American cannot deal with the fact, that minorities and women, have made gains in American society, all of those who dream of a violent means to. deal with their insecurities, know the hammer will be brought down on them hard

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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