I am a lifelong student of history, so I was aware of the Dreyfus affair. I had also read Weiss' speech when she posted it on her "Free Press" website.
For the record, I am not Jewish, nor am I liberal (although I grew up that way). I am a redneck by heritage; my ancestry is English and Scots-Irish--my mother was a coal miner's daughter born near Hazard, KY in 1920. I am also on the autism spectrum, at the high-functioning end. While autism was not known of or discussed in the Nazi era of the 1930s and '40s, the eugenics enthusiasts targeted people like us for elimination too. Some went to the Nazi death camps along with the Jews--and Gypsies and other disfavored groups.
This is one more instance of the divisions in our country. I have been hearing talk about a civil war or division into separate countries for some years. But division is not viable. The real divide is not between states. It is mostly between the cities (and their universities) and the countryside. This map of the 2020 election, showing the vote by counties, makes it clear. https://brilliantmaps.com/2020-county-election-map/ This map uses five shades each of red and blue to show not only the vote, but the strength of the vote. There are only 3 completely blue states--Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Hawaii--and only two completely red ones--West Virginia and Oklahoma. There is no workable path to division.
Why did the British, with a powerful army and the world's strongest navy, lose the American Revolution? They lost because they could not control the countryside. They could take any city on the coast, but it was not enough. And if we do end up with a civil war, all those people in our modern cities will no longer be an asset, as they are in elections, but a liability: they will expect to have food, water, electricity, transportation fuel, and more--nearly all of which comes from outside the city limits.
We are on a dangerous path. I hope we can resolve this.
Will there be massive mutiny in the United States Armed Forces? Unlikely. And a warfighting opposition to the United States Armed Forces? Risible.
Could not the U.S. Army control the U.S. countryside *as opposed to the forces at all plausible to be raised against it*? Could it not? Pass me some of that laughing-gas you’re using.
On your first question: it would not take a massive mutiny. Have you ever heard of the term "fragging"? It came into use during the Vietnam War. Officers--especially young, unpopular ones--kept getting wounded or killed by grenades exploding too close to them. They were not coming from the Vietnamese. (I was in high school and college during the Vietnam War; toward the end, my draft status was 1A, but I was not called up.)
Currently, about 20% of the active US military is stationed outside the country. That is a major reduction in their numbers to start with. And a large proportion of the US military are not front-line combat troops; many are administration and logistics personnel.
From an item I saw this week, New York City has 30,000 police officers; yet crime is rampant in the city. 30,000 cops cannot control crime in an area of about 325 square miles. The US military has about 33 times the number of the NYC police; but the land area of the USA is 12,000 times larger than NYC.
On the civil war risk: In 1861, the Confederacy at least looked viable on the map, an area of eleven contiguous states. In my post I linked to a map showing the 2020 election by counties; there is no contiguous Blue country--there are a lot of blue dots surrounded by Red. Look at Indiana on that map: it has five blue dots and the rest of the state is red. Two of those dots are urban areas--Indianapolis and the Gary/Hammond area. The other three blue counties are dominated by college towns--Purdue, Indiana University, and Notre Dame. A lot of the other states are similar. (I lived in Indiana for 17 years, moving away a few months ago.)
I mentioned that controlling the countryside was a problem for the British. In spite of modern technology and weapons, it has been a problem in our modern wars, too. Controlling the countryside was a problem in Vietnam; it was a problem in Iraq; and it was a problem throughout the occupation of Afghanistan, culminating in the collapse of the US-backed government before we could even finish withdrawing our troops.
I am not saying things won't get ugly. I am very concerned that they will get ugly. But separation or civil war are not viable for the long term. We are going to have to work this out.
"The American military is a giant, lumbering system. Those guys with the guns who look so cool, kicking-in doors and going upstairs with their little laser pointers, are simply the tip of a very long and fat spear of support systems. There’s never just a few helicopters or tanks. There are a bunch of helicopters or a bunch of tanks, and they’re backed up by a bunch of artillery systems, communication systems, electronic warfare systems, maintenance systems, logistical systems, medical systems, personnel systems, other systems, additional systems, and more systems. The military is a system of systems. It’s not a small group of guys with neat-o rifles...And that’s why turning the military on Americans is a real challenge. It’s not just that the military is outnumbered, by like 50 to 1, though that’s pretty damn important. It’s that for the military to work, the system of systems has to work...Yet, our normal military members are probably not going to be so excited about being used as tools to kill the people who raised them, or who they grew up around, for the crimes of dissenting and misgendering. And that’s not even addressing the fact that the military’s been hollowed-out by the gross incompetence of a military leadership that hasn’t won a war in three decades...."
I know, Schlichter is not very diplomatic, not a congenial voice. But as a career Army officer, he does have experience in how it works.
Thanks for another powerful history lesson with great insights. Thanks also for taking Ms. Weiss's exhortation to heart and following through on Step 4 with this essay.
Thank you for this post. Our family is dealing with a teenager who believes what he reads on Tik-Tok. Some days I wish the Internet had never been invented. I feel as though I’m losing the battle, but I will try harder to reach him.
Robert, this is what is meant by the term "stepping up to bat." As far as I am concerned, this is essential reading prior to listening or reading her speech. With all the sorrow, isn't it nice to have such a person being heard? She is a treasure.
Perhaps a closer analogy to today's moral cretins toward Hamas terrorists would be the useful idiots who condoned the mass terrorism of the CPSU in the 1920's and 1930's. Time has removed them from the scene but there still are people alive today who applauded the crimes of Mao Tse-Tung and condoned those of Pol Pot. Hollywood still supports many halfwit celebrities who admired Fidel Castro, including Steven Spielberg and Ed Asner. Oliver Stone: "(Castro) is “very selfless and moral. One of the world’s wisest men.” Chevy Chase: "Sometimes socialism works… Cuba might prove that." Harry Belafonte: "“If you believe in freedom, if you believe in justice, if you believe in democracy, you have no choice but to support Fidel Castro!”
A whole lot of Walter Durantys around. The Cuba thing is mind-bending. Years ago, on my first trip to Canada, all the newspapers and radio were filled with Cuba adulation. Plus large numbers of Canadians flying down as volunteers to help out in various ways.
About “Queers for Palestine” and the like in every leftist and DIE corner: there is no substitute for “This Is Not a Drill” by Abigail Shrier in the December 2023 Commentary Magazine.
“They aren’t stupid, and they aren’t suicidal.
“Here’s what they are.”
She says. It isn’t pretty. Even Bari Weiss (for whom I have tremendous respect) needs to read this.
Thank you for a well thought out piece. The history of hate doesn’t repeat exactly each time but close enough to know the ending. I have read and followed Bari for a while and I think that she would put me in the category of a non-ally of hers. I, to this day do not think the government should recognise same sex marriage but I never took a position that would have prevented her from living her fullest life with the one she loved and her child. I am very glad that she and many of my co- religionist are waking up to who the real enemy is. I recall that my high school history teacher drew two lines on the board. On was a straight line the other was almost a circle. He explained that most people believe that the “right” and the “left” are at opposite ends of the line but in fact they are at the ends of the almost circle. Very close to each other and separated by a small gap. Bari in her book about Antisemitism talks about the danger from both the right and the left. I would say that they are very close to each other. I was also surprised by a number of people I know who were surprised that there was any danger from the left. I suppose they have woken up.
The Jews are the tripwire on the way to societal collapse. When we are hounded and hunted it is a sign that the strings that hold society together are breaking. It is such because Jew Hated never goes away but it is not socially acceptable. When it becomes normative then there are no boundaries left. Look at the breakdown of the law in many cities. That breakdown is a symptom of the underlying social bonds breaking.
I am a lifelong student of history, so I was aware of the Dreyfus affair. I had also read Weiss' speech when she posted it on her "Free Press" website.
For the record, I am not Jewish, nor am I liberal (although I grew up that way). I am a redneck by heritage; my ancestry is English and Scots-Irish--my mother was a coal miner's daughter born near Hazard, KY in 1920. I am also on the autism spectrum, at the high-functioning end. While autism was not known of or discussed in the Nazi era of the 1930s and '40s, the eugenics enthusiasts targeted people like us for elimination too. Some went to the Nazi death camps along with the Jews--and Gypsies and other disfavored groups.
This is one more instance of the divisions in our country. I have been hearing talk about a civil war or division into separate countries for some years. But division is not viable. The real divide is not between states. It is mostly between the cities (and their universities) and the countryside. This map of the 2020 election, showing the vote by counties, makes it clear. https://brilliantmaps.com/2020-county-election-map/ This map uses five shades each of red and blue to show not only the vote, but the strength of the vote. There are only 3 completely blue states--Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Hawaii--and only two completely red ones--West Virginia and Oklahoma. There is no workable path to division.
Why did the British, with a powerful army and the world's strongest navy, lose the American Revolution? They lost because they could not control the countryside. They could take any city on the coast, but it was not enough. And if we do end up with a civil war, all those people in our modern cities will no longer be an asset, as they are in elections, but a liability: they will expect to have food, water, electricity, transportation fuel, and more--nearly all of which comes from outside the city limits.
We are on a dangerous path. I hope we can resolve this.
Incredible quote, Phil. Thanks so much I share your fears and your hopes.
Will there be massive mutiny in the United States Armed Forces? Unlikely. And a warfighting opposition to the United States Armed Forces? Risible.
Could not the U.S. Army control the U.S. countryside *as opposed to the forces at all plausible to be raised against it*? Could it not? Pass me some of that laughing-gas you’re using.
On your first question: it would not take a massive mutiny. Have you ever heard of the term "fragging"? It came into use during the Vietnam War. Officers--especially young, unpopular ones--kept getting wounded or killed by grenades exploding too close to them. They were not coming from the Vietnamese. (I was in high school and college during the Vietnam War; toward the end, my draft status was 1A, but I was not called up.)
Currently, about 20% of the active US military is stationed outside the country. That is a major reduction in their numbers to start with. And a large proportion of the US military are not front-line combat troops; many are administration and logistics personnel.
From an item I saw this week, New York City has 30,000 police officers; yet crime is rampant in the city. 30,000 cops cannot control crime in an area of about 325 square miles. The US military has about 33 times the number of the NYC police; but the land area of the USA is 12,000 times larger than NYC.
On the civil war risk: In 1861, the Confederacy at least looked viable on the map, an area of eleven contiguous states. In my post I linked to a map showing the 2020 election by counties; there is no contiguous Blue country--there are a lot of blue dots surrounded by Red. Look at Indiana on that map: it has five blue dots and the rest of the state is red. Two of those dots are urban areas--Indianapolis and the Gary/Hammond area. The other three blue counties are dominated by college towns--Purdue, Indiana University, and Notre Dame. A lot of the other states are similar. (I lived in Indiana for 17 years, moving away a few months ago.)
I mentioned that controlling the countryside was a problem for the British. In spite of modern technology and weapons, it has been a problem in our modern wars, too. Controlling the countryside was a problem in Vietnam; it was a problem in Iraq; and it was a problem throughout the occupation of Afghanistan, culminating in the collapse of the US-backed government before we could even finish withdrawing our troops.
I am not saying things won't get ugly. I am very concerned that they will get ugly. But separation or civil war are not viable for the long term. We are going to have to work this out.
Nice analysis!
I know this thread is getting old, but I ran across a column this morning that has something to contribute on this issue. Kurt Schlichter is a retired US Army infantry colonel, who served in Desert Storm and Kosovo, and has a master's in Strategic Studies from the Army War College. Some might find this morning's column obnoxious. https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2023/12/18/leftists-civil-war-fantasies-are-not-going-to-work-out-the-way-they-think-n2632522
But I will enter the most relevant quotes here:
"The American military is a giant, lumbering system. Those guys with the guns who look so cool, kicking-in doors and going upstairs with their little laser pointers, are simply the tip of a very long and fat spear of support systems. There’s never just a few helicopters or tanks. There are a bunch of helicopters or a bunch of tanks, and they’re backed up by a bunch of artillery systems, communication systems, electronic warfare systems, maintenance systems, logistical systems, medical systems, personnel systems, other systems, additional systems, and more systems. The military is a system of systems. It’s not a small group of guys with neat-o rifles...And that’s why turning the military on Americans is a real challenge. It’s not just that the military is outnumbered, by like 50 to 1, though that’s pretty damn important. It’s that for the military to work, the system of systems has to work...Yet, our normal military members are probably not going to be so excited about being used as tools to kill the people who raised them, or who they grew up around, for the crimes of dissenting and misgendering. And that’s not even addressing the fact that the military’s been hollowed-out by the gross incompetence of a military leadership that hasn’t won a war in three decades...."
I know, Schlichter is not very diplomatic, not a congenial voice. But as a career Army officer, he does have experience in how it works.
Thanks for another powerful history lesson with great insights. Thanks also for taking Ms. Weiss's exhortation to heart and following through on Step 4 with this essay.
Step 4 matters! Thanks for reminding me.
Thank you for this post. Our family is dealing with a teenager who believes what he reads on Tik-Tok. Some days I wish the Internet had never been invented. I feel as though I’m losing the battle, but I will try harder to reach him.
Scary. TikTok really is poison.
Robert, this is what is meant by the term "stepping up to bat." As far as I am concerned, this is essential reading prior to listening or reading her speech. With all the sorrow, isn't it nice to have such a person being heard? She is a treasure.
I agree! She's great.
Perhaps a closer analogy to today's moral cretins toward Hamas terrorists would be the useful idiots who condoned the mass terrorism of the CPSU in the 1920's and 1930's. Time has removed them from the scene but there still are people alive today who applauded the crimes of Mao Tse-Tung and condoned those of Pol Pot. Hollywood still supports many halfwit celebrities who admired Fidel Castro, including Steven Spielberg and Ed Asner. Oliver Stone: "(Castro) is “very selfless and moral. One of the world’s wisest men.” Chevy Chase: "Sometimes socialism works… Cuba might prove that." Harry Belafonte: "“If you believe in freedom, if you believe in justice, if you believe in democracy, you have no choice but to support Fidel Castro!”
A whole lot of Walter Durantys around. The Cuba thing is mind-bending. Years ago, on my first trip to Canada, all the newspapers and radio were filled with Cuba adulation. Plus large numbers of Canadians flying down as volunteers to help out in various ways.
About “Queers for Palestine” and the like in every leftist and DIE corner: there is no substitute for “This Is Not a Drill” by Abigail Shrier in the December 2023 Commentary Magazine.
“They aren’t stupid, and they aren’t suicidal.
“Here’s what they are.”
She says. It isn’t pretty. Even Bari Weiss (for whom I have tremendous respect) needs to read this.
I haven't read it yet. I will.
Thank you for a well thought out piece. The history of hate doesn’t repeat exactly each time but close enough to know the ending. I have read and followed Bari for a while and I think that she would put me in the category of a non-ally of hers. I, to this day do not think the government should recognise same sex marriage but I never took a position that would have prevented her from living her fullest life with the one she loved and her child. I am very glad that she and many of my co- religionist are waking up to who the real enemy is. I recall that my high school history teacher drew two lines on the board. On was a straight line the other was almost a circle. He explained that most people believe that the “right” and the “left” are at opposite ends of the line but in fact they are at the ends of the almost circle. Very close to each other and separated by a small gap. Bari in her book about Antisemitism talks about the danger from both the right and the left. I would say that they are very close to each other. I was also surprised by a number of people I know who were surprised that there was any danger from the left. I suppose they have woken up.
The Jews are the tripwire on the way to societal collapse. When we are hounded and hunted it is a sign that the strings that hold society together are breaking. It is such because Jew Hated never goes away but it is not socially acceptable. When it becomes normative then there are no boundaries left. Look at the breakdown of the law in many cities. That breakdown is a symptom of the underlying social bonds breaking.
Let us hope we wake up before it’s too late.
Great comments.