The threat of civil unrest in America

What will be the future of the civil unrest presently being marketed by the likes of the New Black Panthers, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson? That major civil unrest has been averted thus far in view of Barack Obama’s racial incitements may well be due to the common sense of most blacks to restrain rebellion. First, if revolution should occur it will not happen because of the economic deprivation of any one group, or even the perceived deprivation of such a group. The definition of deprivation has shifted and continues to shift. Has it to do with hunger? Not really. Like the rest of the population, the majority of those classified as economically deprived are overweight, have cars, have cell-phones, and dress pretty well. The needs of the homeless, the hungry, and the jobless are continually being met by government aid and, more importantly, by the kindness of local individuals and the work of local charities. This comment does not understate the pain for many in our current economic downturn, but simply points to the obvious: in America most people in need do get help and can get it quickly.

In my childhood during the Depression of the 1930s, there was no thought or discussion in our ethnic communities of uprising. There was, indeed, much discussion of the triumph of the proletariat, wrongly thought to be modeled in the Soviet Union (which Eleanor Roosevelt also admired), but no uprising to overthrow the government. There were long lines of the unemployed and marching protests against the nation-wide misery of the Depression caused (commonly argued in the streets) by exploitative capitalism. The mantra was: Be patient. Overthrow will soon occur due to the inexorable course of history as Marxists and Socialists interpreted the course of history. What does trigger revolt is accrual of power to central government or to the governing class who exercise the power of central government. This is what drove the Colonists to rise up against the British monarchy, more recently the people of Serbia against Milosevic and, currently, the uprising against the Assad regime in Syria. Our bombing of Serbia did not bring down Milosevic. The Serbian people did that effectively, with dispatch. Key factors that trigger revolt are: Financial mismanagement by the central government and autocratic abuse of power by the head of the central government. These are the two most prominent factors that provoke rebellion. History is replete with examples. Can this happen in America? Americans are thankful that trigger-happiness to foment uprising, while a characteristic of European countries (the uprising in Greece, and the current uprising in Spain) is largely frowned upon in America as a poor way to reach goals. As well, while student uprisings in Europe are taken seriously politically, in America, such incitement is regarded as boys and girls at play unless someone gets seriously hurt in the process … then we call out the troops! Here are factors to consider about America’s situation today:

1. Unsustainable debt combined with ongoing deficit spending which mortgages the future of America’s children.
2. Excessive and unequal taxation – that is why business is fleeing California, where I live, or America, where we all live. The widely celebrated Apple Corporation, now America’s and the world’s largest corporation, manufactures most of its products overseas, not in America.
3. Central government favoring some segments of the economy over others, usually to garner financial and political support.
4. Diminishing opportunity, especially for the middle class, as is the case in America today where multiplied hundreds of thousands will never again find the jobs and pay they once had.
5. The sense that opportunity in America is diminishing; that there is little hope for a prosperous future.
6. The sharpening of racial and social tensions combined with deep-seated conviction that they will never be transcended peacefully.
7. Skepticism that the cycle of the American electoral process will or can make any difference to any or most of the foregoing.

While the media, especially media that report on business and industry, push the opinion that economic recovery has begun -- as registered by recent high values in the stock market -- and that the economic recovery will quicken toward the end of 2012 and throughout 2013, this is viewed as propaganda by those who cannot find work, by those whose houses are underwater, and by young High School and College graduates who cannot find good entry-level jobs. As more and more talk raises the spirit of discontent, more and more of the population look for a way to circumvent the customary political process to bring about needed change, either benignly as adherents of the Tea Party Movement have been advocating, or by force as black radicals advocate. The issue for Barack Obama in this election cycle is how to keep people in line. He says little about his track record thus far, or what he will do about the energy crisis -- except to tiresomely drum out phrases about alternate energy -- nor how jobs will be created. The electorate is no longer mesmerized by his promise of change. He needs another mantra. He can’t come up with one that seems to work, except that what he is doing is for the good of all. He fosters the impression of detachment … it’s the fault of leaders before him … he is above and beyond Congress. All the while he spends most of his time and our money campaigning for re-election, eagerly and quickly forcing tragedy or happenstance into a race or class crisis, such as his unseemly intrusion into the Trayvon Martin death in Florida, or his sneaky appeal to President Putin for patience until his own re-election. The inference is: he will then do whatever he wishes since he no longer will have to pander to the electorate. Is that any way to conduct foreign policy? The video of that conversation is schoolboyish! America is at risk economically and politically so far as world leadership is concerned. Barack Obama has consistently snubbed key allies: The UK with his rude return of Churchill’s bust. Canada, our largest trading partner, by quashing construction of the Keystone Pipeline. Mexico, fecklessness regarding the undermining of Mexico’s government by the drug cartels and their threat to America. Worse still, is America to become hostage to radical Islamic hegemony and the threat of Sharia Law enforcing Islamic traditions in America, as in France, Germany, the Nordic countries, and the UK? Obama’s sidling up to anti-American leaders and his wooing of radical Islam has failed. Iran thinks it has nothing to fear because of Obama’s indecisiveness and bland public utterances. He says nothing about the re-sacralization of Turkish society under radical Islam. He seeks to thwart Israel by leaking classified materials about Israel’s necessary steps for self-defense. The Palestinian/Israel peace process is worsening because the Palestinian radicals believe they can get Obama to squeeze more concessions out of Israel. Let us jettison, once and for all, the nightmare that Barack Obama envisions for America: that America’s future is to become a vassal state among other economies -- a consumer of their goods while our own industrial prowess and wealth drain away. In America we are sitting on top of a capped volcano which is steaming around the edges and is ready to explode. The means to trigger the explosion are now in hand: instant, hand-held communication gadgets. Who will trigger mass access to what message? I do not think that any longer it can be Barack Obama. He has shot that bolt. Confidence in him has evaporated, despite what the polls say about his favorability rating. These are surely inflated because people risk being called racists if they oppose his policies and actions. There is a quiet resignation pervading the country, but the risk of explosion is high. Are the radical New Black Panthers, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson smart enough to capture and exploit the mood by means of mob-generating electronics? I think not, and hope not. Who on the conservative side – the side of the Reagan Republicans, Reagan Independents, Reagan Democrats and Tea Party Faithful – can galvanize the electorate via the media, the internet, Facebook, Twitter, by all that is available for instant communication, to “save” the country? That is the mantra now needed: Save the Country. Take Back the Country. Recover our Heritage. Reclaim World Leadership. Re-affirm our Founders’ Vision. Let us pray that the Supreme Court decision in June fosters a move in that direction. Could Mitt Romney do it? Despite his alleged stolidity, I think so, especially if he chooses a dynamic running-mate, one who could follow him in eight years. We need sixteen years of America’s new lease on life and leadership in the world.