If Trump pardons the Jan. 6 rioters, outraging law enforcers and liberals, there’s a big historical precedent for it: Lincoln pardoned the millions of southerners who rioted against his 1860 election win for four long, bloody years. In the spring of 1865, as that violent demonstration was wrap[...]
Posts Tagged ‘civil war’
August 10th, 2024 - 6:50 am § in Politics
What if the governed no longer consent?
A democratic system depends on consent of the governed. Our Founding Fathers created a system of government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It spelled out that “the people” were to choose our rulers and lawmakers through election. True, under that system as originally c[...]
Is the Supreme Court sowing political violence?
It has happened before. Some historians believe the 1857 Dred Scott decision, “the worst decision in Supreme Court history,” precipitated the Civil War (see Wikipedia article here). It certainly would be hard to outdo that one for inflaming passions, or identify an issue more likely to p[...]
July 3rd, 2024 - 2:59 pm § in Misc.
Medal of Honor awarded to two Andrews Raiders
In April 1862, a group of 22 Union commandos known today as the “Andrews Raiders” made their way behind Confederate lines, stole a train in Georgia, and headed for Chattanooga cutting telegraph lines, tearing up tracks, and burning bridges as they went. The episode became famous as ̶[...]
June 11th, 2023 - 11:44 pm § in America, Biden, Christianity, Democrats, Donald Trump, Economics, Law and Courts, Politics, Racism, Religion, Republicans
What’s at stake in Trump’s trial
Now that he’s been indicted, Trump is entitled to a presumption of innocence, and a fair trial. Those are bedrock principles of the U.S. legal system. Trump “has a lot at stake” in the case, a New York Times writer says. “He could, in theory, go to prison for years.” Bu[...]
What U.S. Civil War 2.0 would be like
Not at all like the 1861-1865 conflict, but potentially just as destructive and bloody. We don’t have to guess how it would play out; Prof. Barbara F. Walter (profile here), who studies political violence, points out that “far-right groups such as the Proud Boys have told us how they pl[...]
These Republicans are threatening violence if they lose the midterms
Steve and Karen Slaton, who run a Trump paraphernalia store in Arizona, told a BBC News reporter they “don’t want to take up arms. But if Republicans lose in November this elderly Arizona couple say a civil war is coming and, yes, they will fight. They have discussed it between them, and[...]
What did Grant eat for breakfast?
Cucumbers soused in vinegar, washed down with coffee. No, this isn’t a “who’s buried in Grant’s tomb” joke, it’s a historical fact which I found in a book by highly reputable historian. Grant, the Civil War’s greatest general (sorry, Lee fans, but he was), w[...]
Canadian political scientist foresees a “coming storm from the south”
A Canadian political scientist has warned his government the U.S. might descend into civil unrest and come under a rightwing dictatorship by 2030. In an op-ed in The Globe and Mail, Thomas Homer-Dixon, director of a think tank affiliated with a British Columbia university, said Canada should prepare[...]
I know how rightwing militias could eliminate liberals but won’t tell you
This article contains liberal commentary. I had a flash of inspiration this morning (I get my bright ideas in two places, both in the bathroom). Rounding up liberals is cumbersome, hit-and-miss, prone to mistakes (they might attack each other), and would take more manpower than they’ve got. Th[...]