America is broken and the hatred grows.

[Cyrano]

The Republican Party, blue dog Democrats, tea baggers, militia groups, and crazies of every sort, are doing everything possible to destroy democracy in America.

We are called the “United States,” but we are as badly divided as we have ever been.

It’s possible that there is more hatred today that at any other time since the end of the Jim Crow South in the 1960s. And I believe this is generated by hate radio, Fox “News” and politicians who refuse to denounce the hatred and violence that have become a clear and present danger.

How long before the next Timothy McVeigh/Oklahoma City?

Am I being overly dramatic? Or a bit paranoid? It’s possible, but I don’t think so.

Sarah Palin, Glen Beck, Limbaugh, wingnut blogs, and every irresponsible Republican politician are putting in overtime whipping up the lunatics in this country. And when anything disastrous happens, they shrug it off and say they had nothing to do with it.

So here’s my question. What can we do about it without destroying what’s left of our Constitution?

[butterfly77]

1. Since someone ...

already unrecommended my recommend.

K&R:kick: :kick: :kick:

[Go2Peace]

29. We are *being* divided. Even our party is playing games with us

[xultar]

2. I don't thinnk you can lump bluedogs in with the teabaggers and militia groups sorry.

[Cyrano]

9. blue dog Dems are just a different variety of whores than the Republicans

Most blue dogs are from districts that are conservative and they are interested in only one thing -- getting reelected.

So what about the issues of the day that most of us here on DU care about? They don't give a damn. Staying in office/power is the name of their game.

Do you really think these people (or most politicians for that matter) give a damn whether you have a job or not, can pay your mortgage or not, or even care if you live or die?

Most of them have one priority. REELECTION. Anything that happens to all the rest of us is just coincidental. It's called "collateral damage" by the military when they end up killing civilians by accident.

I have no idea what politicians call it.

[L0oniX]

24. +¹°

[omega minimo]

3. Get in your time machine and go back to fight for your rights when it mattered.

:hi:

[RKP5637]

4. In a very twisted way the country protects what is tearing it apart in the name of freedom

and democracy. The framers of the Constitution well might have framed the wording a bit differently if they had known what is happening today... a complete disregard for responsibility and integrity in freedom of speech.

[DJ13]

5. What can we do about it?

Probably little with our current broken government.

The only things I can think of (that doesnt involve wrecking the Constitution) would be a crash program to bring manufacturing jobs back to alleviate the anxieties of the low income people that comprise the tea party, coupled with a willingness by our government to favor the average person over the wealthy.

People feel disenfranchised due to government policies of the last 30 years that have torn apart the hopes for many people that they could join in the middle class lifestyle, and theres no fixing that without being willing to try to fix it.

More draconian laws, increasing the armaments of police, more restraints on rights isnt the answer.

Well, it IS an answer, but its the cowards way out that wont improve our nation one bit.

[mmonk]

6. I thought the airways or airwaves were ours but I have been informed here

they aren't and dishonest hate speech without equal access or time to dispute or defend from those that are targeted is free speech under the 1st amendment (I disagree of course). In my opinion, bring back the fairness doctrine and break up media monopolies or continue to suffer the consequences.

[SargeUNN]

7. Fairness Doctrine, Let's reform instead

what is passed off as news and what is commentary. We have stuff being called news that isn't anything but propaganda and yet it is now called News. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 opened the door to this and Reagan got rid of the Fairness Doctrine, which proves that if we define what is news and hold the networks to such then we will be better off than even with the Fairness Doctrine. Clinton signing that act really is what we should work on.

[Go2Peace]

30. No reason for fairness doctrine when we are using the oppositions talking points

practically every day. "More drilling get's us energy independence", no "government in your health care". There is no opposition. Just a little variance in application of the same ideas.

[mmonk]

33. That's what I meant by breaking up the media monopolies

and going back to the way we used to do it before Clinton signed that into law.

[struggle4progress]

8. Frankly, I think it's always been an uphill two-steps-forward, one-step-back fight

Forty years ago, I believed in the inevitability of progress; thirty years ago, I thought progress was impossible; twenty years ago, I thought progress was just a matter of finding the proper tactical compromises with the establishment; I spent much of the last ten years wondering if fascist dictatorship were just around the corner; now I'm back to thinking that the needed changes are possible but can only be won by dedicated hard work and won't fall into our laps if we approach the issues of our time as mere hobbyists

[jotsy]

10. Division by design to see us fall, as long as we spend our time yelling at and about

each other, we fail to sense the depth of the pocket picking. Those maniacal megaphones you mention are employed by a single minded media that works for a mega machine who views the masses as expendable. Between the dumbing down and the drumming up, we are seen as a Pavlovian public who will on command and it is on us to prove that is not the case.

Paranoid and dramatic are handy insulators when dealing with such duplicitous dark uberlords.

Support the rule of law by demanding the EQUAL application and enforcement of justice. Right now folks at the higher end of the economic ladder and a lack of accountability are feeding the frustration of a public rooted in the perception of fairness. Restore some faith in that and we stand of chance of mending the fences, and along with it reaffirm constitutional principles.

edited to add just a couple of letters: k and r

[county worker]

11. I think the Vietnam war era and the civil rights era were much worse.

[L0oniX]

25. At least people had the balls to march and demonstrate back then.

[KonaKane]

28. Marching and demonstrating don't make an impression anymore

I wish they did. But that era is gone, and that form of fomenting change is impotent. Look at the millions who took to the streets to stop the Iraq War. It did nothing.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. No you are not paranoid

and I have said in the past that we need to strive to BUILD local community.

These days I am not so sure.

Perhaps another OKC will be enough to wake up all sides, but I doubt it.

[Oregone]

13. Destroy the constitution already

Its not as sacred as Jesus now, is it?

Im not sure what all the blathering about it is for most of the time. Im not sure why people are so intent on keeping that huge landmass together as one country either

[CommonSensePLZ]

14. You must not be American

Yeah, I heard that the partisaning began under the first Bush administration and it's been one of the right's tricks they've been using ever since. They're so evil and arrogant that even as Obama tries to be moderate and appeal to all sides they just CHOOSE to be more and more partisan.

But you know what is fun? If you bump into a teabagger somewhere, tell them If you don't like America you can GET OUT! Send that crap right back at them from the pre-Iraq war era and see if they like it!

America's not going anywhere and soon I think most people are gonna get tired of being angry at everything for no reason and realize that the people they listen to like Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Limbuagh (did he leave yet? Tell him everything he own's in a box to the LEFT lol) are just jackasses and that they're not gonna solve any problems by listening to them, it just takes too much energy to be angry ALL THE TIME, especially once you've forgotten why you were in the first place.

[Oregone]

15. Incorrect

I just dont see the continued value of unifying this heterogeneous hodge podge of different economies, people & beliefs together. Small countries do fine on their own (and large ones can concentrate power and resources in disasterous ways). Lines drawn on some map hundreds of years ago aren't universally true. Sometimes, its more effort than its worth it seems. I just don't know anymore

[DonCoquixote]

27. India and China

Won't plan to breakup soon, and while Russia has slimmed abit from the USSR days. it is still large. You would need a means in place to protect small from big.

[Cyrano]

16. Can we get back to the issue of hatred and a broken country?

Some of the posts on this thread have distracted us from the main issue.

So let me restate is as simply as possible.

Hatred is a deadly disease. And it's destroying our country.

Does anyone have an answer as to how we fix our country?

Or have we reached the end of the "American Empire?"

[jdlh8894]

18. If you went around the country

And asked every person if they "hat*d" someone or thing,I think you would find that most people do not even use that word. They may dislike or be appalled at certain things,but reasonable people won't use that word.JMHO

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[librechik]

20. that is vile

[Leftist Agitator]

22. Which part, exactly?

I see that we are unfamiliar with sarcasm. That being the case, I shall assist you.



:sarcasm:

[librechik]

26. always helpful to include that--too easy to get the wrong idea

[Odin2005]

19. All change starts in our local communities.

[Vidar]

21. You've summed up the situation nicely.

[troubledamerican]

23. Divide & Conquer. Works every time.

[NuttyFluffers]

31. i empathize. yet it raises the question: have we Americans ever not been at each other's throats?

thinking back on it we've been a very violent and contentious society, even during our peaceful lulls. perhaps this is the price for the experiment of a liberal, libertarian foundation for a heterogeneous cosmopolitan society. we've always been pretty loud and intense with each other, which might explain why we have a higher normative threshold for violence in our society than many others.

just a thought...

[seabeyond]

32. i dont think it is just the right. though they are a excellent conduit to feed the nation in

discourse.

i think the net has allowed us to learn to be mean and ugly without the consequences of a face to face that may prevent our mean and ugly. i think we have become desensitized and continue to push it further.

[Kablooie]

34. Oh, i'ts just a phase, It'll pass -- Just like the Civil War.

[Cyrano]

36. In much of the South, as well as many other areas of the country,

the Civil War isn't over. No one is wearing blue or gray anymore, but the war goes on.

I think that Lincoln was a bit too charitable when that horrible war "ended." He did everything possible to push the country in the direction of "forgiveness."

But those who thrive on hatred never forgive, never forget, and are dangerous as hell. We shrug them off or ignore them at our own peril.

The problem is that I don't have a clue as to what can be done to put a stop to it. But stop it we must before our country is torn apart beyond repair.

[Kablooie]

37. Yeah, when Lincoln put up that Mission Accomplished sign he was 150 years too early.

[phantom power]

35. Arguably it already started: A guy recently flew his plane into a building.