Yes, We Have No Revolution

I am NOT a political person. I place no great trust in politicians to fix me, and I am not invested in a political party. On September 7, 1972, I took an oath which stated, in part, that "I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same." It has no expiration date. And THAT'S the beginning and the end of my politics. (I hope.)

That may mean that I become stone tone-deaf, when it comes to political things. So, a special THANKS to daughter Tobhiyah for previewing this, to make sure I didn't sound political.

I don't go to places where politics are discussed, because it has, at best, no interest for me, and is likely to aggravate me. Even so, TWICE this morning I have encountered people I respect who believe that the US is about to descend into chaos. They point to the mass protests/riots over the summer, and the rhetoric that the world will end if _________ (fill in the blank with whatever name you prefer) is elected. 

I beg to differ. I am disinclined to believe that mass uprisings are going to take place, either as a result of the November elections, or in the near term.

I think it INEVITABLE that there will an amplification of the whining we saw after the November 2016 election, and I think it LIKELY that those who are advocating and performing street-level violence will also escalate.

BUT: folks ain't hungry. The communications net is still up. And the weather is getting cooler. And the COVID-19 restrictions have eased. As long as we have bread and circuses (a classical reference), and we have some freedom to travel, and it's not roasting inside our dwelling,  we aren't going to have an uprising. 

Here's another factor: there IS no organization with power to move large groups of people to violence, on ANY side. 

I live in Georgia; within my lifetime, there was Klan activity. Now? Zip. Nada. Nothing. There has been NO organized reaction against black folks, protesting or not, and to me, that speaks volumes about the potential for violence. The Klan was the PRIMARY collection point for the extremists who killed people trying to get out the black vote, such as Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney in 1964. And for you young people out there: Yes. That sort of thing really happened. 

Michael Schwerner, 24; James Chaney, 21; Andrew Goodman, 20

They died working to bring YOU a better country.

Now? There IS no corresponding rally point like the Klan, because there IS no monolithic power base being threatened by an organized opposition. Back then, you had a solid white establishment, with a lock on political power. That isn't true today! Now, not only black folks but LOTS of different kinds of folks are in positions of power; even the ranks of us white folks include SOME people who aren't vile.

As for the forces trying to burn it all down: those doing violence in our cities have primarily been opportunistic thugs, with absolutely NO shared revolutionary ideology. Sure, there are loud voices of those WITH an ideology, and some of them have deceived themselves into believing they are providing leadership to the thugs. However, the thugs do not give a rip for revolutionary zeal; the thugs are motivated by individual benefit, and NOT some classist rhetoric. As the weather gets cooler, the streets will get empty, and there goes the 'revolution.'

Just my opinion; I do not claim to be a prophet. Except to predict this: my gift-from-God, happily-ever-after trophy wife Vanessa, the elegant, foxy, praying black grandmother of Woodstock, GA, is going to whop me upside the head for publishing this. She prefers that I keep such opinions to myself. I accept this action on her part; it's part of the package.

Peace be on your household. (And on mine, too!)