A Civil War to Save the Country From What?

Ohio State Senator Says it Will Take A Civil War to Save the Country if Democrats Win 

There are times, in the face of extreme, persistent ignorance, when it is very difficult to be courteous.  

Here we have yet another conservative state legislator opening his mouth and proving to his constituents that he is epically, tragically and cataclysmically ignorant. And, as an elected official, he has no confidence or trust in either the U.S. Constitution, or his state's constitution.  

So why did he bother to waste his time and run for office?  Is he power hungry?  Or money hungry? Because if he has that much disrespect for the constitution, and for the sanctity of all human life, he has no business being a member of the Ohio legislature.  

This is Trump babble.  It's a way to fire up a crowd and get them cheering to claim that Democrats, and specifically President Biden, are "ruining our country."  It gets cheers from the equally uninformed, uneducated, frankly stupid people (sorry, as I said it is difficult to be courteous) cheering as those remarks are made.  And then, waiting for the other shoe to drop, which is exactly why and how Democrats and the President are "ruining" the country, nothing is ever said in support of that statement.  And so, up and down the MAGA line, you have less than imaginative legislators in state government, like this poor chap, Senator George Lang, pop up with the "Civil War" talk.  

You'd think, after an assassination attempt against their party leader and presidential candidate, Republicans would tone down the shooting, killing and civil war talk, since they have accused Democrats of promoting violence, based on a phrase or word here or there spoken by some Democratic official.  They tend to forget the multiple, recorded Trump references to the use of violence if or when Republicans don't get their way when they try to criticize Democrats.  

But what I want to know is the rest of the rhetoric.  I want to know, from their perspective, exactly how Democrats are "ruining" the country.  

I hear the extremist religious right's rhetoric all the time, screaming about rights being taken away and persecution and blah, blah, blah.  I am a Christian myself, an active member of a local church, and I worship corporately every week, and do plenty of Bible reading, studying and even teaching from time to time.  I can't think of a single right I have lost, a single restriction that has been placed on my religious practice or a single imposition that has occurred into my faith practice.  Nothing.  And when I engage in a discussion, and ask about this, specifically, where has the government, during a Democratic Presidency, ever persecuted, interfered with, disrupted or legally restricted your church, your faith practice, or your Christian service?  

Insisting that it has does not prove that it does.  If something specific can't be named, used as an example or a reference, then it's not happening.  And the usual end of such round and round conversations is an angry, frustrated conservative who resorts to name calling and threats.  And what that tells me is exactly what I asked.  There is no persecution, restriction, or interference with the religious liberty of any American.  

So when I look at a stock market that has reached record heights in its growth, which represents the prosperity and economic productivity of the country, an unemployment rate of under 4%, meaning that people who really want to work can find a job, wages that have steadily increased and kept pace with inflation, in spite of complaints of high prices, mostly caused by unnecessary gouging and profiteering, I have to wonder exactly how the President is ruining the country.  How, ruining?  

I also have no understanding as to how it is that not following the social agenda of the far right has anything to do with ruining the country.  LGBTQ persons, black persons, or Latino persons having civil rights like I do has absolutely no affect on my rights whatsoever.  Granting asylum to immigrants fleeing violence, persecution or famine in their home counrty does not affect my rights.  And there is no evidence whatsoever to prove the presence of an immigrant community increases the crime rate.  That's just not true.  

So tell me, Mr. Ohio State Senator, exactly how are Democrats, and President Biden, "ruining" the country?  

I'm willing to bet that neither you, nor your family, suffers from any kind of deprivation, any restriction of rights, and that you very likely are not worried about where your next meal is coming from, or whether you have a roof over your head.  I don't know, maybe you've been a victim of a crime, though in your idyllic rural area, that's probably less of a worry than it is where I live.  But the crime rate was worse when your guys were in the White House, fro 2016-2020, and before that, from 2000-2008.  Crime rates are much more locally focused than a Presidential responsibility but Democratic presidents by nature spend more money on law enforcement than Republicans, who think cuts are the way to run government.  

Of course, the violence you are advocating, sir, would most definitely ruin the country.  And you are the one here advocating for violence as a way to resolve your perceived problems.  Frankly, violence is the result of a combination of a lack of intelligence, a lack of education and is rebellion against God.  So you might want to check the Bible and see what it says about humans who want to solve their problems with violence.  

Have you ever thought about what a Civil War would look like?  Does the thought of perpetrating violence against other human beings because they don't think like you do excite you?  Give you a thrill?  Make you feel good about yourself and who you are?  A civil war would result in the deaths of millions of innocent people, women, children, and very likely the invasion and conquest of the United States by either Russia or China.  A civil war, perpetrated by right wing extremists, is a sure way to ruin the country.  

Politicians who advocate violence as a means of settling differences are pushing for the ruining of America.  They are demonstrating a lack of ability to serve in public office and as a representative of the people, because they are incapable of representing people with whom they do not agree ideologically, politically or religiously.  They are not earning public trust, they are only making enemies.  They should resign from office and apologize for their violent rhetoric. 

I believe in free speech.  Advocating for violence against the will of the people, expressed through the ballot box is not free speech, it's sedition.  And public officials should be held accountable by losing their position immediately when they pull this crap.  When an election is over, and the winners are declared, this is the will of the people expressed in a Republic.  You can have a revolution the next time there's an election.  That's constitutional democracy.  If elected officials are not willing to recognize that, and make statements advocating violence, it is an indication they do not agree with the constitutional provisions under which they were elected.  They should not be allowed to serve.