MasterPo says: This blog is about topics and issues that are of importance to me. I am not one of the countless blogging lemmings that are tripping over each other scurrying down the hill and off the cliff of blogging oblivion trying to write the greatest blog on the latest topic de'jour. Your comments are welcome.


April 16, 2010

Fear of Revolution (or, It's 1789 All Over Again?)


Revolution.

Sometimes one has to wonder if the world stepped into a time machine and stepped out in the late 60's. Not hard to imagine with the current crew in D.C.

Over the last couple of months there has been a low and slowly building grumble by a few on the extremes about – MasterPo can hardly believe this is being said – a second American revolution!

For sure, there have always been extremists and radicals who want to overthrow the government. Just about every nation has these people. Nothing new. And at any point their propaganda states how the legitimate government has sold out the citizens, is evil and corrupt etc etc etc. and the people need to rise up and take the nation back. All the same drum beat. Still nothing new.

Bad economic times is the engine these people need to grow and advance their agenda. And with the current administration there is no lack of fuel for their engine.

In better economic times the vast majority of people would dismiss these revolutionaries as kooks and loonies. Rightfully so. But people who are fearful, even in a panic, will latch on to anyone with a firm message and a stated action plan no matter how extreme.

That is the danger we face now.

So much so that while many conservative commentators are foaming at the mouth with regards to the Obama administration's policies and actions they all are universally going out of their way to stress peaceful change via the voting booth and non-violent protest. So far the message is being heard and accepted, thankfully.

By now readers are probably wonder what 1789 has to do with revolution. The American revolution happened in 1776. But 1789 is when the French revolution began. And that is the frightening problem we face today.

On Yahoo Finance's Tech Ticker site a Yahoo user recently posted this comment in reply to an article:

Stella - Monday April 12, 2010 09:21AM EDT

The German people couldn't stop it, the Italians couldn't and the American people, who helped stopped Fascism 60 years ago are now under the spell of the same thugs and philosophy. The French had it right with the guillotine, the blood letting didn't stop until all of the heads rolled baby. Nothing has changed, the next crash of self masturbation by Wall Street will bring down the house of debt cards once and for all. Americans were warned by the history books, they choose to be wimps.

(Disclosure: This quote has been slightly edited to correct misspellings and punctuation.)

The American evolution was against the British king and government. The fighting was with the British military. Very very few British non-military citizens were specifically targeted for attack once open fighting began.

But not so with the French revolution. Once the French killed the King and Queen along with their court and administration, the attention of the mob turned to the non-government citizens who the great masses of the populous deemed to also be guilty of exploitation. This included affluent and successful businessmen and merchants (and often their families!), bankers and lenders, ship owners, factory owners…in short, pretty much everyone who was deemed what today we would refer to as "the rich".

That's frightening!

See the section of the above quote that is in bold. Add to that at every twist and turn the Obama administration along with Pelosi, Reid, Dodd, Frank et al (all themselves very wealthy and affluent by anyone's measure!) have demonized and vilified bankers, insurance people, investors and investment people, business owners etc as being the cause of America's ills.

Combine this with the polling that 75% of American believe it is possible the American economy could collapse (a recent Foxnews/Opinion Dynamics poll) and the concept of "blood letting" and "heads rolling" seems all to literal and real!

Another financial meltdown, mortgage crisis, some world event etc. and panic can easily ensue.
People who are panicked will do anything. They will direct their fears into anger and direct that anger at who they have always been told is the cause of their problems – "the rich".

MasterPo isn't just talking about smashing bank windows or ransacking offices. That happens anyway whenever there is a WTO meeting.

Imagine an American version of Kristallnacht (Germany, November 9-10, 1938) except this time directed at anyone perceived as being "the rich". Not hard to imagine, is it?

And, just as in 1938 when Jews were labeled as being the source of Germany's ills (social and economic), today "the rich" are equally being blamed for America's social and economic problems.

History repeats itself.

Pray this chapter of history doesn't.

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