When the Dow Breaks
Posted on October 10, 2008
The forbidden word is anarchy, though so far we’ve bitten our lips, and treated it in much the same vein as recession was whispered until now. “If we don’t say it, maybe it won’t happen. And if it does, god forbid, nobody will be able to say that we were the ones who did it.”
If only such logic flew. If only we could be five again, and by putting our heads under the blankets, we could make the monsters disappear. But the monsters are going nowhere; these guys have wind at their backs to grow exponentially. How tenuous is the state of our union? We are one bullet in Barack Obama’s head away from a wave of violence like none we’ve seen since the Civil War. And beyond that, on a global level, such anarchy could lead to financial markets cratering, riots worldwide, the overthrow of governments by military juntas, and undemocratic powers like China and Russia stepping in to fill the void.
Take it from a history major, things could get rough. Not only are we facing economic depression, but we’re tip-toeing on the fringes of a serious social breakdown. Worst case scenario? The collapse of the United States into a balkanized confederation of nations, similar to Europe. Doesn’t seem possible? Here’s why it could be.
As we sit here, unhinged voices at McCain/Palin rallies are yelling “kill him” about Barack Obama. The Secret Service has begun investigating Republican campaign events, so angry has their tenor grown, and are doing so while neither McCain nor Palin do anything to diminish the uproar. The Republican ticket has apparently decided the only way to win the election is by making hundreds, if not thousands, of mentally unbalanced Americans violently angry with Obama. Not just crackpots, of course—they’re more of an unintended consequence. Even so, the message is directed to said-homicidal-voter’s swelling patriotism while inferring that Obama is a Manchurian candidate—a Hussein named, terrorist fist-bumping, secret stooge of Al Qaeda. While the vast majority of Republicans might view this as political theater, the insane tend to take such things more literally.
John McCain doesn’t want Barack Obama shot, but he appears increasingly willing to play to the passions of poor, unstable Americans. Voters like Timothy Dale Johnson, a disgruntled Little Rock, Arkansas, man, who earlier this summer stormed Democratic Party headquarters and murdered state party chairman Bill Gwatney. Johnson, who worked maintenance at a local Target, blamed Gwatney and Democrats in general for having a bad job.
Of course McCain doesn’t want to plunge the world into chaos. Yet is he willing to roll the dice that 21st century Secret Service technology will protect his opponent? Apparently, so. The potential payoff, of course, is victory. And the risk? An Obama assassination, coupled with the reeling economy, could push us to the brink, send markets rock-bottom, and set off race riots across America. Financial panic and bank runs, mixed with billowing civil strife, could overwhelm police forces, who might not have the luxury of calling in the state’s national guard. And that doesn’t even take into account the potential of retaliatory political assassinations—Republicans and Democrats growing so bellicose, they’re starting to dance like West Side Story.
Not since the Revolutions of 1848 burned through Europe has such a clusterfuck of converging economic, political and foreign policy disasters hit the world simultaneously. Alexis de Tocqueville wrote of that moment, “Society was cut in two: those who had nothing united in common envy, and those who had anything united in common terror.” Tens of thousands perished in the uprisings, which in some cases lasted years while fanning across the continent, marking among other things the beginning of the end of a teetering Hapsburg Empire.
History is boring until you’re living through the worst of it—and if we’re collectively learning anything through this harrowing experience, hopefully we’re learning that it’s time we got serious. Republicans should demand their candidates stick to why Barack Obama’s policies are wrong for America (or better yet, why they believe theirs are right) and repudiate fire-and-brimstone tactics that they’re ill-able to control. It took one bullet, fired by 20 year old Gavrilo Princip into the neck of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, to start World War One.
To paraphrase a talking point: We can’t afford that risk.
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What kind of country have we devolved into when campaigns run messages that are so vitriolic and untrue that they cause members of their base to shout out “kill him”…”traitor”. This is supposed to be a democracy where we are tolerant of other opinions. In all the years since I started to vote, I thought I had seen virtually everything. What I have seen this election just plain scares me. When the Vice Presidential candidate stands up on a podium and allows members of the crowd to shout such horrific unspeakable comments out and allows it to go unchallenged…it is truly a sad day. And I have to agree, god forbid, should anything happen, this country would go up in flames. I hope and pray that we can make it to election day and that the people will have their say and that this madness will end. As I get older, I truly have started to admire the Parliamentary system as one that is far more stable than our own. They seem to get things done and if there is a vote of no confidence, they can make a change electorally. We have to deal with partisanship, roadblocks thrown in the way of what needs to be done because one party favors it and the other doesn’t. What ever happened to the notion of service to the people and the country…and not to the party or themselves. I guess it’s dead. Thought provoking and downright scary story.
US is agreat democracy. The voter is matured. The candidate for any office has before him given target. He will use all the means ,fair or foul,enabling him to carry through. In India, we firmly believe tnat promises made by an individual or a party shall not be fulfilled. Things might happen in a different wy depending upon the needs of the hour. If the voter is matured,I mean,if he understands the political system,he will ignore the untruth and judge the candidates or a political party, the Nation’s over all interests should be kept in mind. The unsrupulous and the selfish has a short life. I wish the great nation, the voter,keeps in mind the interests of the nation and interests of those whohave not yet gained the right to vote. God help all to use prudence.
This is a powerful and scary article. When I watched John McCain on last night’s news even he looked nervous about the tone of his followers.
So much for two gentlemen from the Senate having an honest debate about real issues.
One bullet. Yikes. It rings in my ears…no pun intended.
Being an eternal optimist, I have to believe in the American people as a nation and know in my heart that the few crazies do not represent us all. Though I will not vote for McCain or the dumb woman he is running with, I believe in their right to say what they want throughout this painfully long campaign. Though they think they are saying and doing what they need to say and do, what they are truly doing is UN-doing their chances for a win. The American people are smart enough to see through it. We will prevail. We will get through this difficult time. WE ARE A NATION OF THINKERS. After all, this country was built on ideals. So shall we continue to be idealistic people, a proud people, and, for the most part, an incredibly tolerant people.
I would love to be the eternal optimist; however, given that much of the McCain/Palin campaign lately has been geared toward personally attacking the integrity of Obama, challenging who he is, what his heritage is, who he associates with and further fanning the flames that he is “different” from you and me. We are just plain “American folks”. Yes. And he…is “different”. If Palin had any character at all, and she was supposed to be on a Political Ethics committee in Alaska, she would put a stop to this, realizing how dangerous a message it sends. But obviously for her, politics has become the only thing. Forget ethics and morality. I hope that the American public does see through this all and can see Obama for who he is - a patriotic American who wants to do right by this country (as McCain does as well). However, cultivating hatred against your opponent is like opening up Pandora’s Box and we all know how that worked out. As children we are all taught not to play with fire; McCain/Palin should learn that lesson as well. Heaven forbid, should anything happen. I hope that they regain their perspective and realize that winning does not mean totally abandoning your principles (but cynic that I am…maybe they really didn’t have any principles in the first place). Here’s to November 4th…may it come soon and mark a new change, a positive change for this country. This piece really hits home on how much our system needs to change or we will find ourselves in total chaos.
Well, I guess the long post didn’t work, so I will re-post it in the Forum, and just mention the first few paragraphs here. My comments are in [brackets].
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment
Steps to Fascism in an Open Society:
The first comment starts out relating to recent agitations, especially the crack-down last year in Thailand by the military, but then we see the transition to what is happening in the United States:
“They were not figuring these things out as they went along. If you look at history, you can see that there is essentially a blueprint for turning an open society into a dictatorship.
… It is very difficult and arduous to create and sustain a democracy - but history shows that closing one down is much simpler. You simply have to be willing to take the 10 steps.
As difficult as this is to contemplate, it is clear, if you are willing to look, that each of these 10 steps has already been initiated today in the United States by the Bush administration.
Because Americans like me were born in freedom, we have a hard time even considering that it is possible for us to become as unfree - domestically - as many other nations.
Because we no longer learn much about our rights or our system of government - the task of being aware of the constitution has been outsourced from citizens’ ownership to being the domain of professionals such as lawyers and professors - we scarcely recognise the checks and balances that the founders put in place, even as they are being systematically dismantled.”
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[In fact, things have gotten so bad, that the US Government told judges that they do NOT have to advise Juries that they are the 4th branch of government, and can rule to acquit anyone, regardless of whether they broke “a law”, if the Jury believes this is a “bad law”. This is an English common law right called the “writ of quo warranto”, and it may be the ONLY right Americans have left, especially if Bush declares martial law, before or after the elections, and usurps all power, dismissing or imprisoning Congress and the Courts [where protection for Justices, so they can deliberate freely to make a decision, has already been stripped away].
www.proliberty.com/observer/20061217.htm www.constitution.org www.proliberty.com/observer/20061203.htm www.fija.org ]
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The original article continues - “Because we don’t learn much about European history, the setting up of a department of “homeland” security - remember who else was keen on the word “homeland” - didn’t raise the alarm bells it might have.
It is time for us to be willing to think the unthinkable - as the author and political journalist Joe Conason, has put it, that it can happen here. And that we are further along than we realise.
Conason eloquently warned of the danger of American authoritarianism. I am arguing that we need also to look at the lessons of European and other kinds of fascism to understand the potential seriousness of the events we see unfolding in the US.
The Blueprint Steps are:
1. Hyping an internal and international threat - DONE
2. Creating a secret prison system , outside the rule of law, with torture - DONE
3. Creating a paramilitary force not answerable to the people - DONE
4. Starting a surveillance apparatus and so on - DONE
5. Harass citizens groups - DONE
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release - DONE
7. Target key individuals - DONE
8. Control the press - DONE
9. Dissent equals treason - DONE
10.Suspend the rule of law - DONE
I’ll post another with some worthwhile links.
Below are the first 5 steps of some of the links I have found to support the fact that all of this is really happening in the USA:
Lots of examples for each step in the original Manchester Guardian article: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/24/usa.comment
extra background:
www.proliberty.com/observer/20061217.htm
www.constitution.org
www.proliberty.com/observer/20061203.htm
www.fija.org
Step 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaG9d_4zij8
Step 2: I have examples but have to look for the links.
Step 3: ditto for 2
also see: violation of Posse Comitas, another ancient right of the people struck down:
http://www.alternet.org/rights/101958/thousands_of_troops_are_deployed_on_u.s._streets_ready_to_carry_out_%22crowd_control%22/?page=entire
and http://www.alternet.org/rights/102220/is_posse_comitatus_dead/
Step 4: Use general news re: the wiretaps. I didn’t get links for this one yet.
Step 5: www.alternet.org/election08/102002/top_5_things_that_might_keep_you_from_voting
and this one may not have been a faux pas (maybe it was a moment to shed light on Truth). It would explain a lot about a “changed” McCain, especially since 2004, when Bush really literally held him on stage to “promote” Bush:
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/election08/102198/mccain_loses_it%3A_calls_americans_%27my_fellow_prisoners%27/ ]
see next post for 6 - 10.
Step 6 and 7: Many examples in original MG article. I did not look for links.
Step 8: [happening, for sure. Paul Warburg, who initiated the (illegal) (unconstitutional) private, Federal Reserve system in 1913, said in 1950, that this journalistic acquiesence was a necessary part of the over-all Plan, and he thanked the New York Times, Washington Post and a list of others. Now, we also know corporate globalism is the Press’ master, and I don’t think there is a free press, of any size, left in America.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHijdPM3Rjs ]
Step 9: [ www.proliberty.com/observer/20070227.htm ]
[how insidious and multi-generational this Plan is and who you are dealing with:
www.proliberty.com/observer/20070405.htm
and www.tarpley.net/bushint.htm ]
Step 10: www.alternet.org/rights/100378/will_the_new_president_give_back_the_powers_bush_has_grabbed/
www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/sociopol_top25censoredstories2007a.htm#2%20-%20Bush%20Moves%20Toward%20Martial%20Law
www.proliberty.com/observer/20070608.htm
and index: www.proliberty.com/observer
See the author (interviewed by Manchester Guardian for this article), in her own interview at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XgkeTanCGI ]
This is one scary election. I don’t remember one this hateful in my memory. The Swift Boat Veterans were bad enough, but I think McCain/Palin has sunk to a new low and when McCain did not take responsibility for allowing such hatred to spew, I lost all respect for him. As someone who loves history, I can really see your point about how hatred is at the core and one small action can start something so much more devastating. When you brought up World War 1, I remembered that it did take one bullet for the world to fall apart. Let’s hope that there is no repeat of this and that everyone just cools down.