How close do you guys think we are -

[TexasLefty29]

- to an actual civil war? What do you think it would look like? I mean ... wasn’t around for the last one, and I’m admittedly no history buff - do civilians fight civilians? Do armed forces like militias fight each other? Does another country step in?
Just curious about other people’s input - how big of an, “oh shit” moment does this feel like to you guys?

[Shell_Seas]

1. Seeing the right wing violence in Texas this last year makes my surprised it hasn't happen sooner

[regnaD kciN]

2. It won't be like the last one...

...because it won't be one bloc of states against another -- no state is homogeneous enough. Instead, I fear, it will be more like the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s, with neighbors taking up arms against neighbors in "purple" areas of each state, and lots of low-level conflicts that could amount to the ideological equivalent of "ethnic cleansing."

The one big problem, for us, is that, in the Balkans, most sides were armed equally, whereas, right now, it's pretty much only one side that has all the guns here.

[Turin_C3PO]

11. I live in NM

and tons of liberals and Democrats have guns. The difference is they don’t go armed to Walmart, protests, etc.

[Wednesdays]

20. NONE of that would matter if the military decides to shut it down

AR-15s? AK-47s?


See how long they last against M1 Abrams battle tanks, Apache helicopters, and cruise missiles. Not to mention tactical nukes if it comes to that.

[zaj]

3. It's a matter of the definition...

Are we talking collapse of the federal government? Not close. Wednesday made that less likely.
Are we talking about increasing acts of Trump MAGA terrorism? Wednesday was just the beginning. It's going to get much worse.

[JHB]

4. A real civil war? Not very. But...

...to an ongoing campaign of terrorist acts by delusion-drunk zealots?

That's all too likely. Not guaranteed, but much too likely for anyone to get comfortable and think this is all finally behind us.

[RiverbendsJoe]

5. Not really sure, but the Trumpsters ought to start showing us how serious they really are

...by engaging in self-immolation. I'll bring the marshmallows.

[El Supremo]

6. It is just a Putch (I hope).

The Beer Hall Putsch, also known as the Munich Putsch,[1][note 1] was a failed coup d'état by Nazi Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) leader Adolf Hitler, Generalquartiermeister Erich Ludendorff and other Kampfbund leaders in Munich, Bavaria, on 8–9 November 1923, during the Weimar Republic. Approximately two thousand Nazis marched on the Feldherrnhalle, in the city centre, but were confronted by a police cordon, which resulted in the deaths of 16 Nazi Party members and four police officers.[2]

Hitler, who was wounded during the clash, escaped immediate arrest and was spirited off to safety in the countryside. After two days, he was arrested and charged with treason.[3]

The putsch brought Hitler to the attention of the German nation for the first time and generated front-page headlines in newspapers around the world. His arrest was followed by a 24-day trial, which was widely publicised and gave him a platform to express his nationalist sentiments to the nation. Hitler was found guilty of treason and sentenced to five years in Landsberg Prison,[4] where he dictated Mein Kampf....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_Hall_Putsch

[JHB]

15. Well, on the 6th they tried the Bonehead Putch.

Since it looks like they want to try again, let's hope it's even more unsuccessful and has less bloodshed.

I think the former is a better bet than the latter.

[Hekate]

23. A Beerbelly Putsch is still an insurrection, Part 1...

Hitler & Nazis were in no way stopped by the failure of the one in Munich.

[handmade34]

7. the first Civil War

had family members fighting against each other...

[Lady Freedom Returns]

18. It might be that way again. If it happens.

I'm a yellow dog libral Democrat. Father was a knuckle headed republican. Looks like one of my sisters is as well. Even got one for an aunt,her whole family is.

[handmade34]

19. today on VPR (Vermont Public Radio)

that had a segment on just that... the serious divisions between family and friends here in Vermont

https://www.vpr.org/post/where-line-gets-drawn-between-politics-and-personal-relationships

[MicaelS]

8. Not close at all.

The 6th opened the eyes of a lot of people to what actual insurrection looks like. I do not think they want that at all. Many of those being turned into the authorities are being turned in by those that know them.

[hadEnuf]

9. I don't think a real civil "war", most likely terrorist activity because that's all they have.

These fascists have clearly shown America who & what they are and the majority of Americans are repulsed by them. (what sane person wouldn't be?)

Some formidable fire power is with a few of the extremist militias and other groups, but they are still no match for the Federal government or the state's National Guard units. Organized force would be met with organized force and they would lose badly.

[JI7]

10. There will be no civil war, not even close to it. But there will be terrorist attacks

[Hekate]

12. Too damn close. For an idea of what can happen, look up Bosnia Herzegovina...

Look up Sarajevo. Look up Jordan. Look at us, with millions of idiots worshipping the 2nd Amendment and thinking that is the whole of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Lots of countries can be destabilized and fall into civil war, and once middle-class neighborhoods can be laid waste. Universities, governments at all levels.

So yes, it CAN happen here, and someone is trying to make it so.

And who the hell will step in to help us if we do this to ourselves?

[Raine]

13. No where near. nt

[Turin_C3PO]

14. Not likely.

Continued right wing agitation and possibly terrorist attacks? Yes. A movement that threatens the federal government? No.

[David__77]

16. What I want is to complete reconstruction from the last one.

There are big injustices to address.

[Tommymac]

17. Insurrection Yes. Civil War...not so much.

Riots, armed militias attacking civilian and government facilities, chaos.

Just stay home and shelter in place. Kinda like what most sane folks are doing now.

[JonLP24]

21. I don't rule anything out at this point

This year certainly feels like the beginning of something. We have had clashes between left & right protestors. Shootings in Kenosha & Portland. The Whitmer riots and insurrection. These are all very troubling trends.

I think before last week most people would say breaching the Capitol is impossible and I would have agreed with that. I didn't think it was possible.

I will say our institutions are stronger than a lot of countries though Trump weakened a lot of them. There are so many norms he violated and he set a lot of dangerous precedents.

[IsItJustMe]

22. Who the hell knows. Haters will hate. Take life one day at a time, it's the only time you can live

anyway.

[Progressive Jones]

24. A maga clean out. That's what it would look like. nt