You say you want a revolution?

[IDemo]

By Tom Foreman, CNN Correspondent
December 10, 2010 7:40 a.m. EST

Washington (CNN) -- In case you didn't notice, London is on fire. Rioters are setting blazes, hurling stones, beating up famous statues and some of them kicked Prince Charles' car. Which is a little like beating up a statue, but still...

Students have come unhinged over a plan to triple university fees. The government says it had to approve the increase to fight soaring budget problems.

Which has me wondering if maybe we're setting the stage for similar unrest here on the American side of the pond.

We have a deficit problem. We're talking about hefty cuts of services and/or tax increases. And we always seem to have reasonable numbers of disaffected youth, no matter how many iPhones we buy for them.

edit to add link:http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/12/10/foreman.london.riots/?hpt=C1

[Jackpine Radical]

1. The Europeans--especially the French--

have some idea of how to scare the crap out of their respective governments. That just doesn't happen here any more.

[Slit Skirt]

4. i believe it will..not yet though...when it happens the damage

will already be done

[old mark]

2. The republicans just had a revolution in November....we lost. nt

[tavalon]

3. I'd like to say yes, but

There is no sign of this. Would be nice.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

5. If the british government really wanted, they could squash the uprising there.

It's one of the little perks of government sponsored disarmament of it's people.

For the time being, the government has decided it will simply tolerate the hissy fits.

[MedicalAdmin]

12. If you think the brits are disarmed...

I have a bridge I want to show you.

But I get your point. The people, in small numbers, cannot compete with the military. That is clear.

[kctim]

6. Will not happen here

until Americans share a common 'enemy,' as they do in Europe.

[krabigirl]

10. I wouldn't be too sure about that.

[Loge23]

7. The tax cuts have potential.

It's not just "disaffected youth" that will bear the brunt of these extended upper-level tax cuts.
We all know that the next shoe to drop will be significant cuts to social programs, including the Kahuna - Social Security.
Look at the situation already:
Wacko right-wingers dressed up in costumes advocating the overthrow of the government.
Disenchanted lefties, like myself, who are just entering the five stages of grief over this latest betrayal from the President we helped elect.
Now we pull the rug out from under the TV crowd (aka Silent Majority).
Add this to the already started cutbacks in education and enter the disaffected youth.

There's a lot of hate out here right now.

[Wednesdays]

8. The biggest revolution in America we'll see in our lifetimes

will be the livingroom battles for the remote...the big issue: whether to switch the channel to Faux News, Survivor, NASCAR, or American Idol. Oh, and whether there's enough cold beer stocked in the fridge.

[MountainLaurel]

11. That's pretty much it

Our country is like a big Circus Maximus.

[33Greeper]

9. The Filthy Rich

...Off with their heads.

[Stuckinthebush]

13. OK, can we all agree to stop calling the Atlantic Ocean "the pond"?

That became annoying years ago.

As for a revolution, you won't see one here. We have a population that will gladly vote against their best interests and feed their corporate masters. Why would they get rilled up enough to actually revolt? There is nothing to revolt against for them.

[MedicalAdmin]

14. It won't matter if there is a revolution here.

The experiment to see if capitalism will flourish in a totalitarian state have been successful what with the access to slave labor. TPTB don't need democracy anymore.

So they won't give a shit if we die burning in the streets. They'll just fly to one of their other houses and be done with us. The time is too late.

[Curmudgeoness]

16. The time is never too late. In fact, it has to get really bad

before people are willing to actually revolt. Don't give up hope that changes can be forced.

[tom_paine]

15. At this point, the only revolution possible now will be like the RW Nazi revolution of 1933 Germany

Trust me, no one who thinks for themselves, is a little bit different, or yearns to breathe free will like that, no matter how much kinder and gentler than the original version this time around, AT ALL.

[jimlup]

17. Things may be becoming unhinged but...

I think it will only happen if the other shoe drops economically. This may happen, I'm not sure. I think big change may be just over the horizon but the American people are not even aware of what they believe so if they are finally forced to take to the streets the outcome could well be stirred by the most cynical among us into a ultra-right wing death spiral/global catastrophe.