Interesting talk with a neighbor

[nadinbrzezinski]

We started with book readers, since I was carrying an IPAD. Then we went into papers. He still subs to the WSJ but has noticed, ahem the change, in the paper. So I softly hinted that if I want to know what is going on in the US... I need to read the Guardian or the Observer, or both... he was surprised.

THen we went on to what happened on Saturday. He is NOT a beck\rush\ et al listener... so he was surprised about the level of talk. He is a vet of WW II... in his mind what these guys are doing is ... not unlike the SS.

He went on to say that this country was not the place he fought for.

Oh and the shooting on Saturday, once I showed him some of Rush's choice quotes... his words... "we are going down the path of civil war."

This is a very apolitical person... there you have it.

[MichiganVote]

1. And he's right.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. It is a nice check to see what

those who are very apolitical have to say.

[MindandSoul]

2. A very wise man!

[DemReadingDU]

4. WWII vets can see where are country is heading

Sad, not many many still living to guide the rest of us.

[brewens]

6. Even a lot of WWII vets went out to fight the bad guys and

never understood the politics behind it all. They came back and were sucked right into all the cold war red hysteria. They never understood that fascism was just as wrong in this country as it was in Europe.

[kestrel91316]

5. The RW declared war on the left and moderates years ago.

I'm the only one who noticed?? I have said for several years now that it's obvious they want us all dead. And that their playbook was The Handmaid's Tale.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. No, but we are very much awake

it is good to check with people who are not...

[tom_paine]

8. If our descendants are lucky, they'll fight a Civil War. But from where I sit

the only kind of Civil War we're going to have is the kind they had in Germany in 1933.

Which is to say none at all. The RW stranglehold, which cannot be broken by anything, not even if the next RW Murderer has a subscription to Free Republic and just came fresh from RNC HQ prior to the murder.

I don't know if you remember this, nadine, but in the old days one of my lines I used to quote a lot is that if Dubya Bush were caught red-handed walking up Pennsylvania Ave. with a bloody Democratic Senator's head in his hands, the RW Lie Machine would figure out a rhetorical and sophist strategy to explain it away using standard RW disinfo and psyops, as well as their massive comunnications network, the lying blast Republican e-mail network, and their millions of glaze-eyed trained parrots repeating talking points over and over and over and over...

My point being, of all the scenarios we face now that this thing is getting closer and closer to whatever the Final Solution to the Liberal Problem is going to be THIS time, a horrific bloody Civil War is one of the better of the choices we face.

What an awful thing to say, and yet it is almost certainly true. Such times we live in.

Know what's worse? Perhaps the best scenario yet possible based on all these trends is that the Rich maintain control over the Crazies.

Nazi Germany or the Khmer Rouge happens when the Crazies get the upper hand on the Rich. More garden variety soul and liberty destroying tyranny for the bottom 90% while the Rich and their henchpersons enjoy an endless cotillion at Sally Quinn's.

It is not fun to contemplate either our nation's future or the human species' future.

The Titanic is going down!

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. History does not repeat itself exactly

but yes I know what you are saying, perfectly well. The US has had these moments... McCarthy comes to mimd... but the mesmerizing broke...

We can hope. Regardless this event on Saturday is having interesting ripples across the body politic.

[tom_paine]

11. The mesmerizing may have broken for a moment, but the RW is furiously swinging the amulet

in front of everyones' eyes to put them back to sleep by cooing to them with the Mighty Wurlitzer.

You can hope. I need to see something, anything to give me a reason to hope.

We can definitely pray that some good will come of this tragedy. And it will. The entire RW Lie Machine is, in addition to their usual casting themselves as victims and squirting squid-ink into the conversation, also speaking in code to tamp down their crazies.

If there's one thing RW Authoritarian Followers are good at, it is hearing the dog-whistles of their Masters, so let us hope it is a good long time until the next RW domestic terror attack.

Considering, of all the long list of RW Domestic Terror attacks against Liberals that have been kept out of the national dialog until this one, I imagine it will just keep perking away as it has been.

But again, we can hope.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Indeed

my only good sign is that pretty apolitical people are talking up.

[tama]

9. It's also good to remember

that predictions can go many ways. Some have great potential to work as self-cancelling predictions, as well as self-fulfilling.

And what if all predictions seem to lead to a dead end (and you don't particularly like those ends)? In that case, I humbly propose, sensible and logical conclusion would seem to be stop creating those predictions and open up to other possibilites. Don't have to know what kind, unknown unknowns are - or have great potential to be - better than fixating to known dislikes.

[Tsiyu]

13. I think we have to bear in mind

that only a small percentage of actual teabaggers can stand up without assistance. Many are elderly and disabled. Yeah, they can all shoot, but their Hoverounds aren't Humvees. The remaining Teabaggers, from what I have seen, are anti-social creeps. A few of them might band together, but there will be so much fighting amongst them they won't hold together long.

Most of the rest of Americans - left right and center - just want peace, enough food to eat, a place to live and some TV. Sure, some are greedier than others, but they don't want war. They don't want to kill their neighbors or to take over City Hall. These are the Americans who are trying to make sense of this weekend and what it means in the larger scheme of things.

The good news about this current issue is that we are talking about it, people are waking up to what politics has become, and the Rightwingers are going to have to tread very gently or they will be seen as the cause of the massacre Saturday whether they like it or not.

They cannot control the spin on this no matter how hard they try. Every time they utter a violent phrase or call for violent action to resolve political problems, people will be attuned and saying "Hmmm."

Their main tactic has been exposed! They have nothing else; no ideas, no goals except destroying government, no work ethic or compassion. If they can't appeal to hate and fear, it's going to be a very difficult year for them in the House.

I believe we are in for a time of more poverty - even though I think the economy will improve overall, more hardship, more environmental disaster, but I am holding out hope that we will not do any death spiral into Civil War.

This morning, my neighbors came to check on me. They know I'm alone and were worried with the cold weather, i suppose. I got to the door too late to chat then, but it means a lot to me that my neighbors care for me and I for them.

Everyone should get to know your neighbors, if they're not dangerous or toxic that is, because that's how we fight dehumanization and polarization and violence. We get to know each other, even if only casually, and we help each other out for the good of all. When we feed each other and each other's kids, when we help build fences and start cars with dead batteries and wave as we pass by, we become more human and less war prone.

So turn off the TV and get out of the house and take a walk. If you live in an area where it's not so safe to take a walk, maybe vow to attend at least one community function a week, maybe start moving among the living rather than staring at a dead TV for a change.

I am holding out hope. :)


If we agree we will not give in to fear and anger and worry, they lose!

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. As to civil war

we may already be there. The shooting led to resignations from Republicans from Party officers in AZ this weekend, fear of Tea Partiers

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x179056

This is NOT a good sign.

After that, I know... and no civil war starts from a majority.

I still hold hope... but not much at this point.

:hug:

[Tsiyu]

16. I saw that earlier. will check it out

and backatcha :hug:

[Kablooie]

15. Rush Limbaugh could be the modern Jean-Paul Marat.