Confederate Flag Insanity

[Tallpine]

I hear you. Its especially disheartening when its a place you know and used to like

Had never been to SD until 2012, or since for that matter.

But I sometimes wonder if I really want to visit some of my home places in the Colorado mountains again

Actually, it changed a lot before we left.  

[Jocassee]

The Matt Bracken CW2 murder-cube is pretty prescient.

It's a crap-sandwich for sure.

http://westernrifleshooters.blogspot.com/2010/07/bracken-cw2-cube-mapping-meta-terrain.html

And that's a simplification of course, because there's still political Left vs. Right to varying degrees in each of those corners still, and then there's authoritarian/libertarian axis to consider too.

So it's really a fragmented four dimensional matrix.

Bolded for emphasis. I *really* don't like studying the Bracken Cube too hard, because it makes me depressed.

The key issue is that the nation is incredibly fragmented, but that the Hard Left are the only ones with enough moral authority within their various key fragments to actually make progress on their front. The collapse of the leftist coalition has been predicted for years: However it continues to evolve and grow, even having lost sections of key constituencies.

My chief opinion as to why that is, comparatively speaking, is that right wingers are easily inflamed but not easily managed. Whereas leftists not only enjoy being riled up but eagerly await what you tell them to do with that negative emotion. That's why Democrat email GOTV efforts and special interest cataloging have such riotous success while Conservatives trail behind.

All this to reiterate my point: short of a total collapse (which I view as possible, but unlikely), we're all *expletive deleted*ed. I'm young enough where I don't feel like I have to stick around and see, as CSD said, the US taken by its creditors (or their minions)like a distressed property.

I would say "Watch Greece" to see our future, but the Greeks continue to be weaselly little bastards. I am actually quite impressed with how they have strung the Euro along: of course that may say more about the Euros than the Greeks.

Not to mention that if our economy, or currency, goes completely under, no one is going to bail us out. Maybe halfway.

Maybe they'll drop food for us.

[Tallpine]

I'm just glad that I'm old enough (or not that young anymore, anyway) not to see it that much longer. 

[Monkeyleg]

Has anyone considered that the flag brouhaha may be another distraction from a more serious story? How about the disclosure that the IRS destroyed 442 backup tapes containing 23,000 to 24,000 emails--including Lois Lerner's--after the tapes had been subpoenaed by Congress? Or the revelation that the State Department is doing the same thing with Benghazi-related emails?

The "watch the rabbit while the magician's other hand" trick is as old as Caesar.

[AJ Dual]

Not to mention that if our economy, or currency, goes completely under, no one is going to bail us out. Maybe halfway.

Maybe they'll drop food for us.

It's actually the bright spot too.

Because if we go under, balkanize, SHTF, CW2... whatever, the whole world is going to go into a depression. And add to that our food/fuel off the market and a ton of critical exports nobody will realize were America's until they're gone, and regional tensions will go through the roof.

Nobody's coming to act as a "peacekeeping force" like they did in "Patriots: surviving the coming collapse" a.k.a. "Triple Ought". They're going to stay home and guard their own borders, and protect local regimes from their own citizens. Further, we have no idea who will drive across who's borders around the world in full scale invasion, or decide that it's a good time to engage in local genocide/ethnic cleansing because the U.S. and the rest of the mostly-stable world won't intervene, and/or won't even apply sanctions.

That's important. Because if the American military's nominal center-right political bias is enough to override "following orders", especially among combat-arms units, and either sits things out, or aligns with the loose Right/Libertarian/Constitutionalist side of things, the statist/Left's only hope is foreign intervention.

My gut feeling is if the candle is lit, and CW actually goes rodeo, the Left's going to lose. Well... we'll all "lose", but the Left is going to "Lose more".

I think should CW2 happen, it's more a risk of balkanization, or the authoritarian right combined with some sort of corporatist oligarchy getting control. I don't see outcomes where the Left wins.  Their "base" is largely useless as anything other than votes.

Has anyone considered that the flag brouhaha may be another distraction from a more serious story? How about the disclosure that the IRS destroyed 442 backup tapes containing 23,000 to 24,000 emails--including Lois Lerner's--after the tapes had been subpoenaed by Congress? Or the revelation that the State Department is doing the same thing with Benghazi-related emails?

The "watch the rabbit while the magician's other hand" trick is as old as Caesar.

You say that as if it matters if there was a distraction or not.    Trey Gowdy could nail Hillary with some sort of smoking gun 10,000x better than anything Nixon had on him, and it would... not... matter... 

The 4th estate would still downplay the news, and the DoJ wouldn't do anything.

[Jocassee]

That's important. Because if the American military's nominal center-right political bias is enough to override "following orders", especially among combat-arms units, and either sits things out, or aligns with the loose Right/Libertarian/Constitutionalist side of things, the statist/Left's only hope is foreign intervention.

My gut feeling is if the candle is lit, and CW actually goes rodeo, the Left's going to lose. Well... we'll all "lose", but the Left is going to "Lose more".

I think should CW2 happen, it's more a risk of balkanization, or the authoritarian right combined with some sort of corporatist oligarchy getting control. I don't see outcomes where the Left wins.  Their "base" is largely useless as anything other than votes.

I agree with all of these as possibilities. I've even prepared for them as far as training and materials that I can gather.

That said, I believe a slow decline, perhaps with occasional or widespread LROL situations, is more likely as the cultural divides become more pronounced and we slide further into Africa-style politics--the weaponization of one tribe against another to keep the base motivated.

That is, essentially, what we have seen already in Ferguson and Baltimore. I was pleasantly surprised we didn't see a worse iteration in Charleston: When I saw the headline and fired it off to some of my crew, my line was "this could be the big one."

[brimic]

It's actually the bright spot too.

Because if we go under, balkanize, SHTF, CW2... whatever, the whole world is going to go into a depression. And add to that our food/fuel off the market and a ton of critical exports nobody will realize were America's until they're gone, and regional tensions will go through the roof.

Nobody's coming to act as a "peacekeeping force" like they did in "Patriots: surviving the coming collapse" a.k.a. "Triple Ought". They're going to stay home and guard their own borders, and protect local regimes from their own citizens. Further, we have no idea who will drive across who's borders around the world in full scale invasion, or decide that it's a good time to engage in local genocide/ethnic cleansing because the U.S. and the rest of the mostly-stable world won't intervene, and/or won't even apply sanctions.

That's important. Because if the American military's nominal center-right political bias is enough to override "following orders", especially among combat-arms units, and either sits things out, or aligns with the loose Right/Libertarian/Constitutionalist side of things, the statist/Left's only hope is foreign intervention.

My gut feeling is if the candle is lit, and CW actually goes rodeo, the Left's going to lose. Well... we'll all "lose", but the Left is going to "Lose more".

I think should CW2 happen, it's more a risk of balkanization, or the authoritarian right combined with some sort of corporatist oligarchy getting control. I don't see outcomes where the Left wins.  Their "base" is largely useless as anything other than votes.

You say that as if it matters if there was a distraction or not.    Trey Gowdy could nail Hillary with some sort of smoking gun 10,000x better than anything Nixon had on him, and it would... not... matter... 

The 4th estate would still downplay the news, and the DoJ wouldn't do anything.

The left has time on it's side. In a generation or two we could look exactky like the Soviet Union, political purges and gulags included, all it has to do is wait untul enough people who remember the idea of America to die off. Push their agenda too hard and too fast, they face their own extinction. The obama admin has done a good job of really pushing the agenda hard while walking a fine line.  The daily scandals and corruption are out in the open for everyone to see, but noone has stepped forward yet and said "enough is enough." Americans are still in the delusion that we can vote our way out. That could change.

[roo_ster]

Has anyone considered that the flag brouhaha may be another distraction from a more serious story? How about the disclosure that the IRS destroyed 442 backup tapes containing 23,000 to 24,000 emails--including Lois Lerner's--after the tapes had been subpoenaed by Congress? Or the revelation that the State Department is doing the same thing with Benghazi-related emails?

The "watch the rabbit while the magician's other hand" trick is as old as Caesar.

There are more than enough such issues to crowd each other out.  Who has time to get informed on them all, especially when the MSM won't broadcast the condensed version?  It doesn't have to be deliberate distraction. 

[RoadKingLarry]

If I'm gonna live in a banana republic it just as well be one in the tropics.

[dogmush]

If I'm gonna live in a banana republic it just as well be one in the tropics.

*expletive deleted*it, I live in FL.  I'm good to go.*

*I know, technically above 23.whatever*, but it's close enough this time of year.

[Andiron]

*expletive deleted*it, I live in FL.  I'm good to go.*

*I know, technically above 23.whatever*, but it's close enough this time of year.

Hell, you've probably got genuine Cubans to complete the effect .

[dogmush]

And, more importantly, their coffee.

[Andiron]

And, more importantly, their coffee.

And most excellent sammiches.

[MechAg94]

Has anyone considered that the flag brouhaha may be another distraction from a more serious story? How about the disclosure that the IRS destroyed 442 backup tapes containing 23,000 to 24,000 emails--including Lois Lerner's--after the tapes had been subpoenaed by Congress? Or the revelation that the State Department is doing the same thing with Benghazi-related emails?

The "watch the rabbit while the magician's other hand" trick is as old as Caesar.

It may be a distraction, but that could be front page news right alongside and the media wouldn't care.  The leadership on both sides is unwilling to actually punish anyone and too many voters are unwilling to vote them out.

[Hawkmoon]

In other words, the Union needs to be split in such a way that is economically, culturally, and politically sound. I believe it could be done, without too much headache. With the level of rancour that is currently extant in the country, I think both sides would say "good riddance to bad rubbish." Hopwever, no one on the national stage has yet been bold or stupid enough to suggest something along those line.

RevDisk disagrees with me--he believes attempting to do so would lead to a shooting match.

I recommend a series of books by the late William W. Johnstone, called the Ashes series.

[BlueStarLizzard]

I recommend a series of books by the late William W. Johnstone, called the Ashes series.

Those are good. :) I like the son.

[Perd Hapley]

Has anyone considered that the flag brouhaha may be another distraction from a more serious story? How about the disclosure that the IRS destroyed 442 backup tapes containing 23,000 to 24,000 emails--including Lois Lerner's--after the tapes had been subpoenaed by Congress? Or the revelation that the State Department is doing the same thing with Benghazi-related emails?

The "watch the rabbit while the magician's other hand" trick is as old as Caesar.

This reminds me of when people said that Obama wouldn't/shouldn't prosecute Bush & Co. for whatever they allegedly did wrong, as that would lead to a vicious bloodletting every time the office changed hands. I think now I wouldn't mind the bloodletting, if it meant that politicians were actually held accountable. 

[SADShooter]

I recommend a series of books by the late William W. Johnstone, called the Ashes series.

As a true Cold War Kid I'm familiar. The first few were awesome, but the shark eventually got Evil Knievel level jumped. Sort of like where we are as a civilization this week.

[Monkeyleg]

It's not a distraction when the MSM doesn't cover it. When conservative columnists and talk show hosts are focused on the Confederate flag issue and not issues like the 422 destroyed tapes, it's a distraction.

[MechAg94]

Conservatives and libertarians are more likely to be individualists that prefer to go their own way.  More of the liberals are the type who find self worth in joining a group and adopting the ideas and goals of the group as their own.  I am sure that doesn't apply to all, but I think it holds true in general.

Bolded for emphasis. I *really* don't like studying the Bracken Cube too hard, because it makes me depressed.

The key issue is that the nation is incredibly fragmented, but that the Hard Left are the only ones with enough moral authority within their various key fragments to actually make progress on their front. The collapse of the leftist coalition has been predicted for years: However it continues to evolve and grow, even having lost sections of key constituencies.

My chief opinion as to why that is, comparatively speaking, is that right wingers are easily inflamed but not easily managed. Whereas leftists not only enjoy being riled up but eagerly await what you tell them to do with that negative emotion. That's why Democrat email GOTV efforts and special interest cataloging have such riotous success while Conservatives trail behind.

All this to reiterate my point: short of a total collapse (which I view as possible, but unlikely), we're all *expletive deleted*ed. I'm young enough where I don't feel like I have to stick around and see, as CSD said, the US taken by its creditors (or their minions)like a distressed property.

I would say "Watch Greece" to see our future, but the Greeks continue to be weaselly little bastards. I am actually quite impressed with how they have strung the Euro along: of course that may say more about the Euros than the Greeks.

Not to mention that if our economy, or currency, goes completely under, no one is going to bail us out. Maybe halfway.

Maybe they'll drop food for us.

[Angel Eyes]

Apparently WalMart won't even make a Confederate flag cake.

But they will make an ISIS flag cake:

http://clashdaily.com/2015/06/walmart-refuses-confederate-flag-cake-but-has-no-problem-making-this-one/#

[Boomhauer]

Apparently WalMart won't even make a Confederate flag cake.

But they will make an ISIS flag cake:

http://clashdaily.com/2015/06/walmart-refuses-confederate-flag-cake-but-has-no-problem-making-this-one/#

But of course. The Confederate flag flying on some monuments is RRRAAACCCCCCIIIIIISSSSSTTTTTTT but a bunch of terrorist *expletive deleted*s who toss gays off of rooftops, burn captives alive, and murder people in other various and sundry ways, well those guys are A-OK because they belong to the Religion Of Peace.

[Perd Hapley]

Apparently WalMart won't even make a Confederate flag cake.

But they will make an ISIS flag cake:

http://clashdaily.com/2015/06/walmart-refuses-confederate-flag-cake-but-has-no-problem-making-this-one/#

Did he tell them it was an "ISIS battle flag"? Do people know what that is?

[RocketMan]

Apparently WalMart won't even make a Confederate flag cake.

But they will make an ISIS flag cake:

http://clashdaily.com/2015/06/walmart-refuses-confederate-flag-cake-but-has-no-problem-making-this-one/#

I would imagine your average Wally World bakery worker is pretty clueless when it comes to current world events.  Most wouldn't know what an ISIS flag represents if it wasn't explained to them.  And even then, they probably wouldn't care.

[Perd Hapley]

Moving on, can we introduce that guy to a barber or something?