I've been a civil war reenactor for 25 years. My husband and I have an extensive library of books about different aspects of life in 1860s North America, not just the war, not only the battles or generals or tactics. I focus on the history around the war. The politics. The people involved, and those trying not to be involved. Anyway - arguments about allowing slave owners to bring slaves into US territories and maintain the right to own another person in newly created states were going on since the 1840s. As our country expanded west, the fight over 'Free state' or 'Slave state' heated up (btw - the only 'state rights' anyone in that time period ever fought over was the right to own and keep slaves in new states and territories, period.). Senators attacked one another with their canes, exchanged insults, threatened each other. However, at that time, the geography of our country was different. The population and their distribution was different. The socio-economic situation was much different. The South's leading economy was agriculture. The North was a combination of economies - shipping, farming, manufacturing. By the 1780s, the Mason-Dixon line had been established and those areas south of the line wanted to maintain slavery. Those above that line were mostly against slavery. That separation of opinion continued into the next century. The point being that geographically, there was a definite division between north and south when it came to slavery, and each geographic area chose a 'side'..
A lot of people are talking about a second Civil War, but I wonder how it would really play out. Because of changes in our country, in the demographics of our population, in the growth of major cities, there are no clear cut borders. There really isn't a 'North' and 'South' when it comes to political parties. You can find plenty of democrats in Texas and Georgia. There are lots of republicans in Los Angeles (esp. Orange County). So if there is an armed rebellion, how is it supposed to work? In areas where the majority are supporting the GOP, those people will defend their neighborhoods, probably establish a command base in the nearest Dairy Queen (hey, revolution and free blizzards! Win-lose). Same goes for the Democrats - and plenty of them own guns, too. But instead of entire states, we'll have counties, or even just neighborhoods where most of the residents are on one side or the other. Will one neighborhood invade and take everyone on the next three blocks prisoner? Is one city going to declare war on another city? What if a place isn't 100% GOP or Democrat? Will the majority just kill the minority? Even if the minority is their local minister or dentist or the lady who does their nails?
We're talking 'Murica here. Home of the overfed, hypnotized masses, streaming Netflix or fox news all day long. What happens when people get hungry and decide to use the Burger King drive through? Whaddya mean it's closed?! The freeway is blocked by armed people! Call the police! Why am I only getting a dial tone when calling 911? Will SOMEONE get me the manager!?!!
Don't get me wrong, I am very concerned that there will be outbreaks of violence throughout our country after the elections next week. But any actual take-over of our country by the GOP isn't going to happen in the streets. They're not going to have the entire military on their side. (Except maybe the AF, because their academy in Colorado Springs has been full of evangelical white nationalists for a long time.) They're not going to control all the police forces or all the national guard in every state simultaneously. The US is a bit too diverse for that to happen. Followers of the Orange Shitgibbon will drive around in their trucks shooting up the place (as if that isn't scary enough), but it will only happen in pockets. The entire state of Alabama will NOT rise up in one collective, cohesive army to fight for stupidity and grift and invade New York (Can you envision the traffic jams?). The Arizona National Guard will not attack California. There will be shoot outs, extended raids, stalemates. But, this being America, people will want to watch 'it' on TV and order a pizza to be delivered. We've all seen that happen before. Rodney King, anyone? A lot of people will sit on their haunches because talk is cheap, brandishing guns in front of a group of teenagers makes them feel tough, but when faced with someone else who also has a gun and is shooting at them, cowardice will be the way to go. I have faith in the essential lack of character in my fellow Americans. I also think a lot of them are really, really stupid. (SAV has made me realize just how stupid many of them are, so, uh, thanks?)
I could be totally off-base with this. I'm definitely not a political, nor military strategist. I suspect that there are other SAV members who have better informed opinions than I do on this topic. (Let's hear it, people.) I dunno if I am asking for reassurance, offering it, or fishing for a reason to jump off a bridge. I'm just a crabby old lady who really wants to focus on my garden and my bumblebees. They're tucking in for winter and I'd like to be around when their children hatch out next spring.
America no longer fights wars with large armies of men with guns. Those who believe they can take over a podunk town somewhere are going to last about 24 hours or less. If they had tear gassed those people on January 6 it might have been a significantly different outcome. Nixon had no such qualms.
This should be a national topic and the introductory posting is an excellent foundation for further discussion in a larger forum... like MSNBC. As a retiree I saw the fascist disease, which in my view had come out of remission during the Karl Rove years after the turn of the century, finally gain the upper hand with the election of Trump and have been worrying about having to live through the coming "interesting times". The grifters will loot our 401K's and undermine social security while the MAGA crowd doubles down on trolling libtards and persecuting anyone who sets off their hair trigger xenophobia, becoming ever more vicious as they suffer a declining quality of life that they are mentally incapable of seeing as a consequence of their own actions. A major fear for me is that the military WON'T step in and kill 'em all,
Whoever controls fuel production and distribution would ultimately control the country.