Neil Howe: 'Civil War Is More Likely Than People Think'

[noway2]

(11-09-2016, 09:12 AM)Warren Dew Wrote: I agree it doesn't have to be a civil war.

I don't think it has to be a civil war, either, but I do think that something needs to fundamentally change.  I think that the current geographical alignment - "leftist / democrat / liberal / blue" territories sandwiched into "right wing / republican / conservative / red" territories raises the stakes and costs of a civil war should one occur.  Still, it seems to me that this geographical arrangement is a large contributor to the perceived problem as both sides do not see the other as "my people", they do not share the same culture and identity, and it can be argued that by extension that they are not really the same nation in the classic sense of the word.  In short, we have groups in close proximity to each other that have fundamentally different outlooks and desires for way of life that are coming into conflict via trying to use government as a club to beat the other with.

If war is not to be the outcome, what would it take to avoid it?  How about national secession? Could the nation be broken up into different factions that are allowed to go their own way and establish mutual cooperation agreements?  What would this mean for the liberal elements contained in the conservative regions? I know that around here I am hearing lots of talk about letting CA form their own nation in response to their threat to secede following the Trump election and taking the NE along with it as being good riddance to bad rubbish.  Clearly, the people here do not want to be part of the same nation.


Recently, I've been hearing fear talk from the left about how the right and especially the white population has been arming themselves up for war.  I know that I, myself, am getting really tired of government intrusion into my life and being told I have to pay even more so that someone else who made bad choices can have a financial break via things like affordable housing and Obamacare subsidies while I get the financial shaft.  Recently, I bought property in a rural part of a red state that had no restrictions on it and was unzoned.  Part of my plan was to establish a small business for my spouse along with establishing a lifestyle of self sufficiency.  Since commencing, the county commissioners achieved a 3-2 majority of Democrats because of a population influx into an overcrowded portion of the county that outvoted 90% of the rest of the region through sheer numbers and proceed to implement county wide zoning over the objections of the people and recommendations of the planning board because it is what they wanted.  The leader of this D coalition is a black woman from NJ - i.e. a (fill in the blank) carpetbagging (fill in the blank) as they say around here.  This is the sort of thing that does lead to violence because it is messing with people lives and livelihood.    As I said, using government as a club to bludgeon the other side.