I think many of us are scared to look over our shoulder, afraid of what we might see. And as more evidence of the denial we are in (IMO), here's what nobody dares say out loud: Our country is crumbling before our very eyes. And worse, violence may not be far behind.
Things are near a boiling point. For years the approval rating of Congress has been less than 10%. Republicans and Democrats will almost never sit down and find common ground. Republicans say "no" to President Obama before even hearing what he has to say, and if a President Trump is in our future, I'm sure Democrats will treat him the same.
African Americans feel they are being profiled and abused by the police, and many are quick to take to the streets. The Donald has said, and apparently many agree, that Mexicans are thieves and murderers and rapists and should be kept out by a tall wall. The threat of Islamic terrorism has us willingly (?) giving up our civil liberties. Remember the Occupy Wall Street movement?
Police are ambushed and killed somewhere almost every day. It is becoming increasingly difficult for them to protect us when they must first think of protecting themselves. There is little respect left for "law and order". "Patriots" are occupying Federal property at gunpoint in Oregon. The Second Amendment is sacred; guns are bad, blah, blah, blah. There is no tolerance, and the chasm is getting wider.
Americans don't normally think in terms of armed revolutions. Those things only happen in Argentina, Eastern Europe, and some of those far-away countries that end in "stan". We're above all that, right?
I say "don't be so sure."
"Oh Scott, you're paranoid. You watch too much TV, and you know how the media sensationalizes."
Really? I live in Ted Cruz country, where 1.2 million people voted for him just yesterday. He's brilliant and totally without scruples, I don't care how much Scripture he quotes. I'm around many of his believers every day, and I can tell you that far too many of them are pissed-off knuckle-dragging zealots. They are emblematic of the underlying anger simmering everywhere.
While it might be good politics to preach love and tolerance, it's unlikely to dissuade the guy hurling a Molotov cocktail at you or taking pot-shots at your car.
Sure, most of us just put in our 40 hours at work, watch a little TV, and coach the kids little league team. We're not the problem. But there seems to be no shortage of anger across the country, and it doesn't take many malcontents to set a few fires, randomly kill a few innocents, and intimidate the majority to send our society into a tailspin. (Then multiply by 10 when you figure in the copycats and the publicity sicko's.) That's what mobs do, and it works!
I'm just advising you to stay alert and take nothing for granted. And hope I'm wrong.
S
