What is a Patriot?
The conditions for civil violence these days may be the worst since the years leading up to the start of the American Civil War in 1861.
“As heavily armed, anti-lockdown protestors and far-right militias take to the streets to counter the thousands of left-wing protesters railing against police brutality and racial injustice, an already traumatized American public and others are wondering if the U.S. finds itself on the brink of another civil war.”
The talk of civil war, serious or not, is more heated than ever. Unbelievably, I have listened to a number of people over the last few months who are hoping for a civil war and armed conflict. These people who threaten or hope for armed conflict are not patriots. This is nothing short of insanity. Anyone who has been in combat knows that it’s not glamorous and it’s not noble. It’s just suffering, pain, destruction and death. It is hell.
The thing about civil disobedience and protests changing from civil unrest into civil war is that it happens slowly at first, then erupts without warning. A seemingly unimportant incident can transform a public protest into a violent confrontation. The situation escalates and before you know it, you have a war. In retrospect, it is a progression of events, but at the time, the events change in the blink of an eye. Just like an out-of-control forest fire that starts from a single spark then suddenly explodes into an uncontrollable inferno.
Just a few weeks ago in Kenosha Wisconsin, we saw what happened when an untrained individual with a gun was confronted with a confrontational situation. People on both sides were primed and ready for violence. Regardless of who you believe was right or wrong, it would have only taken a few armed individuals in opposition who were equally willing to use deadly force, and the whole affair could have spun into armed conflict, resulting in serious and potentially enormous casualties. What started when protestors morphed into rioters could have ended in a mass casualty event if rioters had morphed into armed combatants.
As one writer stated “As the election nears, the tone of predictions are darkening. Both Republicans and Democrats see a loss as a cataclysm — not just a setback, but the end of America. Four more years of Trump would 'destroy democracy', one side says. The other claims that Biden would destroy the economy as well as 'law and order'. "There's a real risk that, if the election is close, whichever side loses will be strongly motivated to mobilize people to challenge the result.". . . "Social tensions will likely continue to grow as we move to November." The election could be the spark that causes the explosion.
“Unlike the civil War in the 1860s, our current divide isn’t between North and South, or East and West. It is one that pits a way of life that’s largely ascribed to by those who live in urban and suburban locations against those who live in rural communities, with left-leaning politics largely aligned with the former and the right with the latter. We can expect armed conflict to take place in those areas where the identifiable liberal and conservative ideologies collide.”
Pouring gasoline on these woes are politicians on both sides who have proven themselves unfit to lead and put the interests of our ailing country before their own. We need true leadership from all the politicians. Both sides need to tone down the rhetoric. Let’s stop stoking the fires of hate and violence, step back and take a deep breath. Right and Left, we need to work to de-escalate the division and violence. Instead of speaking of a civil war, how about we speak about restoring civility?
The fact that anyone today is discussing civil war in the United States is obscene. No good can come of it. 618,000 Americans died in the Civil War, and all they had were single shot muskets. Can anyone even imagine the scope of the violence and death given the amount and types of weaponry in the hands the American public today?
There was a time when the media gave us the facts and we formed our own opinions. Now, the media gives us an opinion and we are left to our own devices to find the facts.
How about we simply open a dialogue with each other? I am not saying the Right is wrong and I am not saying the Left is wrong. I am not for or against either side. I stand for the United States as a free and fair country.
If you want to, blame the politicians on both sides of the aisle, who line their own pockets and sow discord instead of putting America first. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are inflaming passions rather than calming nerves. Realize that we have all been manipulated, then fight to understand one another and work together. Let's put as much energy into preserving the Union as we all seem to be expending to divide it. There is no future in a divided United States and none of us will win should this continue. We have external enemies seeking to destroy us; they are most certainly watching the events unfolding with great joy. Don't give them the satisfaction of watching us destroy our own country from within.
It is time to listen to the voices of our better angels and realize we are all Americans and we need to work together, before it is too late. Whether you consider yourself right-wing or left-wing, we are all part of the same bird.
Instead of worshipping a certain politician, pay homage to the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Join the ACLU and support the Constitution of the United States.
A true American Patriot is not someone who threatens to take up arms against other Americans. A true Patriot is someone who works, by words and deeds, to keep this country together; who seeks to open dialogue and is willing to compromise for the sake of all of us.