Could there ever be a Civil War II?

[KamaAina]

All this defiance of federal authority from Roy Moore, Joe Arpaio, etc. makes me wonder. Who would arm the new Rebels? Russia?

[dissentient]

1. Sure, why not. As to who would arm them, think closer to home

Fox news, for one. And many other right wing corporations.

[KamaAina]

2. Makes you wonder what would have happened if the Copperheads had had newspapers

in the North.

[dissentient]

4. Fox news would be the perfect propaganda outlet for a new civil war

They would love it! Their viewership would spike, and all the right wingers would eat it up.

[world wide wally]

3. The Emporer of Texas, Rick Perry, would be my guess

[H2O Man]

5. Sure.

Even from a conservative estimate, this nation was splitting apart at the seams in the 1960s. The police-intelligence agencies believed we were on the verge of civil war.

It could happen again. Not in the same north vs south context, but it could happen.

[chrisa]

6. Nope. Internet pipedream from the "Wolverines!!1!" contingent.

They're kind of like the "If America were invaded, I would (X)" crowd. The US isn't divided enough into factions.

[sadoldgirl]

7. Somehow I doubt it.

The powers that be will not allow for it to happen.
Remember the OWS groups? They were crushed
very efficiently and the MSM attacked them right
away. Besides, it would not be regional, which
would make it into a totally chaotic rebellion.

[KamaAina]

8. I was thinking more about a new Confederacy.

Tea Party, militia, etc.

[Paladin]

9. I think a second civil war is a depressing likelihood. (nt)

[appalachiablue]

15. +1. I think we've already entered it, unofficially sorry to say.

[Lurks Often]

10. Possibly, let's hope not

The two most likely things to start it could be:
States refusing to obey or enforce an objectionable Federal law and actively preventing Federal law enforcement from enforcing that law within the state.
A President declaring martial law without sufficient cause and the states rebelling.

The wild card is the active duty Army and Marines and whether they will back the Federal government, back the state government, remaining out of it completely or splinter with units going to both sides.

My expectation is that the Air Force and Navy would remain out of it, I can't see either branch ordering missile strikes or air strikes against U.S. citizens and neither branch has enough trained people or equipment to engage in significant ground combat.

[One_Life_To_Give]

11. Insurgency maybe

What would it take for you to be willing to lay down your life? A mass uprising where say 20% of the populace took up arms in an area requires a significant grievance. Look to the founding of this country for the level of grievance required to urge people to action.

The people who would arm the insurgency are those whom are positioned to benefit most. Likely China would have a huge windfall from strife within the US.

[ladjf]

12. No. nt

[edhopper]

13. No

because this time we should just let them go.

Without federal subsidies they would all wither.

[safeinOhio]

14. Would not be between the states

It would be rural vs urban.

[meow2u3]

17. It would be an ideological civil war

Tea Party types vs. enlightened Americans.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

33. Which side gets to keep the MIC?

[glasshouses]

19. That would be bad

[meow2u3]

16. I think we're on the brink of another civil war

All it will take is for HRC to be elected President and the sexist pigs on the right would completely go off the rails to the point of kidnapping, raping, and killing women, a la Boko Haram and ISIS.

[glasshouses]

18. What makes you think anyone would need to arm them?

[William769]

20. no. nt

[markpkessinger]

21. I'm not sure we ever really ended the first one n/t

[jwirr]

22. Especially when we look at race relationships today.

[KamaAina]

24. That was the slogan of a socialist party back in the mid-'80s

"Finish the Civil War!"

[hollowdweller]

23. Possibly, but the rebel song will be "Freebird" not "Dixie"

[KamaAina]

25. I'd think it would be something by Nugent.

[IDemo]

26. Or "Sweet Home, Alabama"

[n2doc]

27. There aren't enough people to do it

We hear from a small, very vocal minority constantly. Considering that the conservanuts poll about 30%, and that most of them are too lazy/unmotivated to do anything but watch fox propaganda and yell "ditto", there just aren't enough to fight a 'war'. Every time one of their so called leaders gets up and says 'we gonna take back washington', their efforts end up being a farce. Remember when they were going to shut down the interstates with their mighty truck fleet?

[bluedigger]

28. Not likely.

Information moves too fast, and organization and mobilization would be problematic for the rebels. Antigovernment sentiment is widespread and geographically diverse. I could see anarchy and dissolution of the Republic, however.

[tabbycat31]

29. Possibly

Personally I wish the teabaggers and their ilk would pick a state and completely take it over (there's several almost there, pick one) and form their own country. Leave the rest of us alone.

[cordelia]

30. No n/t

[brooklynite]

31. States don't have the same military resources they had in the 19th Century

State Militias used to be real State Armies; today the National Guards are under over-riding Federal control.

[Lurks Often]

35. I don't know where you got that idea

The Army National Guard has the same equipment as the Regular Army and of the 8 National Guard infantry divisions, maybe 1 is completely made up of units in "blue" states. (the 40th Infantry Division which is made up of units from California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii).

What do you base your statement that "today the National Guards are under over-riding Federal control."?

While it's been almost 20 years since I got out, I would say that the average National Guard soldier is probably going to follow the lead of their platoon leader and platoon sergeant and company commander and first sergeant, not some stranger from out of state.

[davidn3600]

32. Potentially if the economy destablizes

The economy is the big thing... right now people make enough money and have enough liberty to be content with the status quo.

But if the middle class continues to disintegrate, we go into depression, and the economic future looks dim, that's when radical elements begin to gain traction.

Reality is also that the US is sort of set up for civil war. We maintain pretty strong state governments. So an alternative leadership infrastructure is already in place to oppose the federal government.

[Initech]

36. If? I think we're already there.

The fact that 400 people control 90% of the world's wealth and a Harvard study proving that we've reached unstable economic levels is really just a powder keg waiting to happen.

[Hekate]

34. They're already armed; the Holy 2nd Amendment and all that. No need for outside help.

There are a minority of white Americans who fantasize all the time about the Apocalypse, whether religious or political. On some level, they WANT the world around them to die in fire, and it's all a matter of semantics as to how it happens. Psychologically they must be extremely angry and extremely fearful. The world around them is dangerous all the time.

Sucks to be them.

I believe that some of them believe they could overthrow the government, but it's mostly a fantasy because Uncle Sam has a bigger penis -- sorry, a bigger army.

They do have terrorists among them -- people who bomb women's clinics and murder/maim doctors and nurses; or Ted Kaczynski and his ilk. And terrorists, as we have seen, are capable of destabilizing otherwise stable nations if they organize in sufficient numbers.

So yeah, sure, but only on the terrorist level and not on the army with a general level. And they would be white.

[cherokeeprogressive]

37. Nnnnnnope