(From the files of 2025, a look back at some of my controversial thoughts on this hell on earth.)

In 2024, Hollywood declared that the Civil War had arrived. The trailer teases you with flurries of out-of-context dialogue, 
“There's some kind of misunderstanding here,” 
“What?” 
“We're American, okay?” 
“Okay, what kind of American are you?” 
“You don't know?" 

and plenty of clutching of pearls, soldiers, militias, blowing stuff up, fire, and the occasional apathy or denial: 

“Are you guys aware there's like a pretty huge civil war going on all across America?” 
“We just try to stay out of it. With what we see on the news, it seems like it's for the best." 

Yeah, seems about right

Forget Hollywood

Masked men (and some women), camouflage gear, guns, marked vehicles, unmarked vehicles, war vehicles, ID not required, apparently warrants also not needed, fanning out across America (‘tis of thee, sweet land of misery) to scoop up the tired, the weak, the brown, the pillars of our economy and families and community to send them all back from whence they came because we don’t want to impregnate our culture with any of that 

¿Cómo lo dices? 

Non-American Cinco de Mayo, salsa dancing, taco-eating, sombrero wearing (oh wait, can we keep the Cinco de Mayo, salsa dancing, tacos, and sombreros for Halloween?)

Everything else gotta go. 

Are you an American citizen? Doesn’t matter, you’re Brown

Keep America White

I’ve been talking about a coming civil war in this here United States since 1964, or was it 1968

Wait a minute, I’m sure it was 2008

Let me check my calendar

2016   2020
Okay, January 6, 2021

Yeah, that didn’t turn out well
So I’m not sure that counts

(It did scare the bejesus out of normal people)

No, I got it, January 20, 2025

People of all political persuasion are pissed
Well, at least on social media

Board of Education meetings
and 
the United States House of Representatives floor

I like it when people express themselves forcefully
As long as they’re not shooting each other over religion or ideology
Then I guess we’re fine

Okay, there’s shooting, threatening, and arresting going on
But at least there’s no international war going on to distract from the other stuff

Oh wait

While a close friend argues otherwise, evidence of a civil war is everywhere, stretching back to the fifties and sixties—and even earlier

Business Insider released a poll in October 2020 showing that a majority of Americans believed the U.S. was already in a "cold" civil war. This was three months before the January 6 insurrection. How prescient.

A University of Virginia Center for Politics poll reported that a 
“…majority of people who had voted to reelect former President Donald Trump in 2020 now wanted their state to secede from the Union.”

In a nation where (58.8%) of the population identifies as descendants of European settlers
the demographic changes
now and continuing back for several generations
have upset a few of those Euro-descendants

(because they think they were here first)

The Pew Research Center published an article titled 
“In GOP Contest, Trump Supporters Stand Out for Dislike of Compromise,” which is supposed to explain something about his voters 

(I’m confused)

However, this article in The Guardian caught my attention: “To beat Trump, we need to know why Americans keep voting for him. Psychologists may have the answer” 

The piece's author, George Monbiot, claims, “Trump is king of the extrinsics” 

What the hell is that you say?

The extrinsic group is “more attracted to prestige, status, image, fame, power and wealth.” This group is moved by “the prospect of individual reward and praise”

Here’s the best part: 

“They are more likely to objectify and exploit other people, to behave rudely and aggressively and to dismiss social and environmental impacts.”

Oh my, how so American

“They have little interest in cooperation or community.” 

Sounds about right. Wait, there’s more. 

According to this article, these people have some other downsides, including suffering “from frustration, dissatisfaction, stress, anxiety, anger and compulsive behaviour.” 

Damn, call psych. This all sounds serious.

Monbiot describes the opposite, intrinsic values: 

“People…inclined towards empathy, intimacy and self-acceptance.” These folks are the usual liberal suspects. They’re more open to “challenge and change, interested in universal rights and equality, and protective of other people and the living world.” 

Nice

You would think that with people screaming, 
“We’re going to kill our fellow citizens,” 

building a bunker in our backyard stocked full of guns, bullets, food, and water for at least five years, is not such a bad idea

Revolution and civil war are grand ideas
until everyday reality hits

Gotta pay the rent
If I don’t show up, 
my job is going to that illegal alien whom I already hate

People are revved up and are eager to join up

Let’s save time and meet at the Walmart parking lot on Friday at 11 a.m.

(I hear they have beer on sale)

There's a message at 6 a.m. on Thursday

We need to reschedule
I have to get my rifle cleaned, 
and my car was booted

Life seems to get in the way of revolutions and civil wars

Honestly, some people—okay, many people—can’t seem to handle demographic change and the resulting cultural and political shifts

Sorry folks, we’re not going back to some other time, whether it’s 1954 (before Brown v.) or 1983 (the Reagan Years)

Truly, there was never a great time when all Americans— and I mean all of us—didn’t face some hardships at home, in the workplace, or in society at large

There has always been exploitation by one class against another, or one racial group against, well, every other

And there’s always the 1% looking down on the other 99% 
while grinning and counting their money

Forget civil war
Think Revolution
the 99% versus the 1% war

Now, that’s a war I would meet you at Walmart to see.