America is, unfortunately, ripe for civil war. Everyone is angry and scared, and so many “leaders” are making things worse.
I’m reaching out to the congressional Problems Solvers Caucus, and any other politicians who care more about America than they do about winning elections, to take the steps I prescribe at the end of this article.
Over the past few years, many liberals I know have called me a hater, racist, xenophobe, and other easy/hurtful labels on social media; many former friends have blocked me. They are angry at a level I’ve never seen before.
Over the past nine months of lockdown, conservatives have seen double standards in which peaceful protests and violent riots were allowed, excused, and often encouraged by Democrat mayors and governors. Prominent Democrats contributed to funds to bail out rioters. At the same time, churches and synagogues were shut and congregants threatened with jail time, while peaceful protests against the lockdown were condemned as “super spreader events.”
President Donald Trump made some remarks last week that prompted a protest at the Capitol. He specifically called for a peaceful march, but it turned into something worse. Then, he was banned permanently from Twitter and Facebook. This move is inflaming his supporters and many others on the right.
I’ve seen threats against Israel and calls for the destruction of the Jewish people on Twitter and Facebook by U.S. professors and Iranian rulers whose accounts were never shut down. I’ve seen Democratic politicians on Twitter and Facebook excusing the burning of buildings and attacks on police, but their Facebook and Twitter accounts weren’t shut down.
Yet, Trump’s account was shut down permanently.
Then, the big tech companies conspired to shut down their competitor Parler, which represents free speech to many people. This is an anti-competitive, anti-free market, anti-conservative, anti-American move. Other controversial free-speech sites that aren’t particularly popular among conservatives, such as Reddit and Tumblr, are going strong without any similar threats against them.
Liberals are angry; conservatives are angry and scared. This isn’t a good situation. Most, if not all, of my moderate conservative friends have purchased weapons last year for fear that their inalienable rights are being denied, while the police are being defunded and unable to protect them. Conservatives value their constitutional rights deeply, and these restrictions over the past year, in particular, are taking a toll.
I don’t want to see a civil war. I would rather see right and left coming together to understand each other’s concerns. I want civil dialogue and compromise in areas that aren’t fundamental to our beliefs. This isn’t happening. I don’t believe the mainstream media is willing or able to help.
- Make a statement against impeachment. Don’t make Trump a martyr. An impeachment will inflame the extreme and the not-so-extreme on the right. More violence will occur. Just ignore him until Jan. 20.
- Condemn both the Capitol riots and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots. A bipartisan message condemning the attacks on the Capitol, if not done correctly, will inflame rather than heal. There must be a similar condemnation of the riots throughout America and ongoing in Portland and Seattle. Those on the right, even the moderates, see our cities being destroyed and the destruction encouraged by many Democrats. Otherwise, any condemnation will be seen as simply self-serving—caring about their own safety but not that of the American public.
- Get President-elect Biden to talk to the nation. He needs to comfort the American public and ask for calm. He should condemn the Capitol attack and also the BLM riots. He must not attack Trump or his supporters. He should also assure conservatives that all voices must be heard—liberal and conservative—and that America under his leadership won’t tolerate censorship of any opinions or any speech.
- Stop the Democrats’ rhetoric altogether. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in particular must be prevented from getting to a microphone or TV camera anywhere to spread more dissent. Stop Democrats from attacking Trump and his supporters. It feels good to attack Trump on his final days, but true leaders can keep their mouths shut for a few days to allow calm if they want to save this nation.
- Hope and pray.
