What will history call this dark period in American history?

[mw]

One day, we'll be able to tell our grandchildren that we lived through this period of history, where one party went berserk and tried to snuff out democracy itself, while threatening the good people of the world.

This period of history will have an infamous name, like "The McCarthy Era" has a name, but we don't yet know what the name of this period will be. What do you think?

Our grandchildren will read about this period of time, marvel at the direction our nation took during these dark days, and wonder how Good Americans let these things happen.

[La_Serpiente]

1. good question

I'll think about it

[SlavesandBulldozers]

2. it will be called

the Post-September 11th Era, most likely. Which will likely be replaced by something else, such as the Post-Apocalyptic Era - or the Mad Max Era.

[wtmusic]

3. I nominate

'The Terror Scares'

[tabasco]

17. I like this one

Constant fearmongering by the pathetic republicans. Will make a great contrast to FDR's brave leadership after Pearl Harbor.

[CityZen-X]

38. The Rise And Fall.........

The rise and fall of the "Mushroom Nation."
There once dwelt a Nation of Jingo-Mystics who lived in the dark and thrived on mass quantities of Bush*t. Fearing the light, and clinging to their holy dung, they fell into the abyss never to been seen again. (I hope & pray)

[mmonk]

4. The Dark Ages II

[loudnclear]

5. Dark Ages II - the nadir of American history.

or the Ignoramus Age.

[UTUSN]

43. Yep, "The NEO Dark Ages'

With all the religious Fundamentalism of ALL stripes, I feel like I've awakened in the torturing, witch burning Middle Ages. How can this be, the more we "progress" the more behind we get.

[TennesseeWalker]

6. How about...."The Bad Bush"? n/t

[proud patriot]

The last years before the transition to the era of Enlightenment

:-)

[tom_paine]

10. That's hopeful, proud-patriot!

I like how you think and pray you are right.

[tom_paine]

7. The Fall of the American Republic

or The Rise of the Amerikan Empire

Unless we stop it, and the Republic is saved. Then it will be called something else, but it won't be a nice name.

And yes, it's very possible that this is the beginning of the next Dark Age or even the beginning of the end of the human species.

[wtmusic]

20. It can't really be that bad

All these doomsayers...we have a wonderful country...I can still watch NFL games on TV...sure Iraq is bad but that's so far away...we NEED those people listening on the phone, looking in my window, there's a flash and...

*mushroom cloud"

*thought police*

AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

(when it does go bad it will go bad very quickly)

[tom_paine]

29. That's what they said in 45BC Rome, in 1933 Germany, in 1947 S. Africa

We do (or perhaps did) have a wonderful country.

Yes, our daily lives are still untouched by Imperial Life, but that is not unusual if you stdy the history of Imperial Rme, whom we most resemble.

During the first changes during the Julian and Augustan reign (considering the shifts in mores between that time and ours) not uch reallly changed for the life of a basic Roman citizen. Augustus preserved (or tried to) much of the independant thinking (again, this was a wholly different time and I am sepaking realtive to itself, not a direct comparison of then vs, now, which would be ludicrous, as slavery was accepted, human life was cheap, etc...I am speaking in the broad sense).

It wasn't until Tiberius and Caligula that the daily lives of the "little people" began to feel what the Aristcratic Cl;asses had already been feeling, which was Imperial Domination and Fear.

So it is with us. We are just (and I desperately hope I am wrong) at the beginning of the Amerikan Empire, thus I wouldn't yet expect a change in our daily lives. But our aristocratic classes have already felt the transition. Just ask Clinton or Wellstone or the Senators being denied even basic information that had been provided by the Executive Branch for decades, if not for all of the Republic's history.

THEY are feeling the change. We (Thank God) are not yet feeling it. This is not unexpected.

It will only be after the Imperial Transistion has been secured and oppsotion reduced and the American character even more debased and enslaved and given "lowered expecations" on the fronts of corruption and injustice, that WE will see changes in our dailyt lives.

Read some history. Learn from it. I might be wrong but history say the possibility is there.

"Doomsayers" indeed. Just like 45BC Rome, in 1933 Germany, in 1947 S. Africa...and we all know how great things turned out for the "little people" in those socities in the end.

[goddess40]

32. Lives not untouched

This is Goddess's mother. I have to disagree that our lives are untouched. My financial life has been touched greatly. Because of the poor economy my pension has taken a huge hit. This in turn has limited money I used for travel, gifts for my family, the amount I can give my grandchildren to help with their college expenses, etc. I still have food to eat and a roof over my head but I live with my daughter and her family and would have trouble with the necessities if I were on my own. My other daughter and her family (five children) lost their health insurance and this worries me very much. Our entire extended family has become divided over Bush's policies and we have a difficult time being civil to each other.
My entire mental outlook has taken a huge hit also and I spend a lot of time worrying about the future.

[rock]

8. Normal

[La_Serpiente]

9. I do not think

that we can ignore all the social and economic factors that have occured these past years. I mean, we have had a lot of firsts and seconds: Impeachment, Electoral College beats popular vote, Supreme Court Intervention in a presidential election, Senators dying, Sept. 11th, Roaring economy during the 90s, the rise of born again Christianity, invasion against Iraq, filibustering of judicial nominees. I think it is going to have to be something that sums up all of that really.

[mw]

19. Agreed.

My question has a tongue-in-cheek quality to it, but I believe it a serious one.

This period WILL one day have a name. And, I believe, an infamous one.

And it will take into account all that you just said, and more.

[wuushew]

11. Pox Amerikana

or

Pre-Civil War 2 Era

[mw]

12. Well, I'm hoping it's not called:

"Democracy's Death Rattle"

I'm still optimistic that we will one day put this whole Bush mess behind us.

And gee, when our grandkids ask "How did this happen?", how will we answer?

[Blaukraut]

13. Hopefully the "republican era"

Indicating that at one point the republican party will self-destruct.

[AverageJoe]

14. Emergent fascism

n/t

[Bok_Tukalo]

15. The Awful Aughts

The Slightly Silly Singles

The Blight

The Overreach

The Lost Years

[Vogon_Glory]

23. The Double Naughts

That was was what I was going to call the 2000's but it didn't catch on. :(

[Iverson]

16. the Second Gilded Age

but that's only if people are being nice. It might also be called the American Sorry Segment of Fascism Undermining the Constitution, or ASSFUC for short.

[tom_paine]

30. LOL, Iverson!

[Iverson]

35. Hey, I'm just glad somebody noticed.

Now I can go do my real work in peace. Thanks, tom_paine.
:toast:

[RichM]

40. That was very good, Iverson. I noticed too,

after tom_paine drew my attention to it! :toast:

[sendero]

41. It's pretty hard to not notice...

... ASSFUC :)

[9215]

18. Depends on who writes it.

Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present, controls the past.
George Orwell (from '1984')

[Vogon_Glory]

21. Different Names If the Bad Guys/Good Guys Win

If the Republicans succeed in snuffing out true representative government in this country, their court historians will doubtlessly call this era the Great Renewal or some similarly bombastic title. I suspect that the rest of us will call it the Fall of the American Republic.

If the good guys win, I suspect we'll lift a line from Futurama and call this time period the Stupid Ages.

[LiberalTradition]

22. The age of fevered imagination. NT

NT.

[leftofthedial]

24. The Age of Disinformation

The Age of Unreal Reality

[Gin]

25. The Bush Administration...aka.... The gang that can't shoot straight!

History will show what a disaster this misadministration was.

[JailBush]

26. The 4th Republic

The 1st Republic was the U.S. up to the Civil War, when it was a true republic.

The 2nd Republic was the U.S. transformed into a nation by the Civil War.

The 3rd Republic saw the U.S. transformed into an empire by the Spanish American War.

The 4th Republic saw the U.S. taken over by corporations, with a shadow democracy fighting a sinister new shadow government.

What will the 5th Republic be like?

[caledesi]

27. Bush Dark. nt

[Capn Sunshine]

28. People will say " The Bush Years"

and everyone wil know what they mean.

[PlanetBev]

31. While America Slept

or, "Sheep to the Slaughter"

[SeattleRob]

33. my take

We are in the end of the era of the Modern Corporate Hijacking of Democracy.

Eisenhower was absolutely correct when he warned us about the negative influence of the "Military Industrial Complex" on our democracy. Other industries, when they saw that they too could corrupt the system for financial gain, also jumped on board. These powers have gained control of much of our government.

More and more people, are and will become more aware of this corruption and we will reform our laws and real democracy will break out.

[MercutioATC]

34. Stealing from Heinlein, "The Crazy Years"

.

[Military Brat]

36. The Age of Outrage

Speaks for itself, on both sides.

[hatrack]

37. Hard to say - the perspective of time will be useful

However, I'm willing to make two suggestions.

1) Antediluvian

2) "The Shitty Years"

[BurtWorm]

39. "This Dark Period" has a nice, accurate ring to it.

I nominate that!

:toast:

[JanMichael]

42. "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on the...

...human face -- forever... and remember that it is forever."

That's a quote by Orwell.

I like using the London name for the US Oligarchy: THE IRON HEEL

That would be the boot on a human face.

[Cat Atomic]

44. I doubt there'll be a word for it in Newspeak.

And besides, the records will all be burned anyway.

:P

[cally]

45. The Power of the Religious Right..nt

.