Op Ed: 'Race-War' Coming? What’s Probability? How to Prevent Disaster?

(EUGENE, Ore.) - The most explosive story in U.S. history may be simmering along right under the dark clouds of the coming Presidential election.

The mainstream media have not yet dared to explore what’s obvious in the end-phase of this election: The “Demon-in-the-bottle” has been freed by campaign desperation, to pollute the election atmosphere.

Nobody rational and reasonable in this nation can be unaware of the brewing bloody confrontation almost now sure to erupt in American cities if --once again --more than 40 million Americans are deprived of their Constitutional inheritance for equality of opportunity.

This time --if possibilities now surely apparent do occur-- “a stolen election”, after all due indications of success for an American Presidential candidate of color, will be sure to produce pronounced “rapid push-back”.

Still another rapidly-growing segment of America, millions of voters strong, may just also decide the time has finally come to “hit the streets.”

They will make common cause with those abused by racism because they, too, feel deprived of the American Constitutional “right-to-choose” by stolen and/or plainly distorted vote-total mmanipulation.

How extreme that “push-back” may become -- moving all too easily to violence--is the extreme concern of many more professionals and many hundreds of community leaders than is now evident via surface indications --or in media reports so far.

What they fear is “A return to the Sixties”, very possibly reproducing some of the ‘60s furor and even the flames.

Those confronting these sure possibilities --in too many crowded-city, slum-housing, economically-deprived, and culturally distorted, racism-ridden and large-population areas across the nation-- deplore and denounce the very conditions making this extremely damaging turn-of-events even a possibility.

But they also know the probabilities must be fully contemplated, considered, and confidentially carried into some fair level of preparation --”just in case.”

Confidentiality is demanded in the face of sure charges of causing what they hope to prevent.

That’s their sworn and legal obligation, given their elective or appointed posts; and the very complex demands for peaceful protest actions they know they must face --”just in case.”

Leaders in many of those job-and-duty/enforced circumstance have confided to some media and group leaders that actions have already been taken to produce some sense of readiness in most large cities.

The trigger-circumstance most feared is strong reaction to even perception of stolen elective choice.

That circumstance deeply affects both groups: Those disadvantaged by racism and those denied heir voting rights --and thus their Constitutional choice.

One civil rights advocate stated that reality sharply, if starkly: “After all these decades of waiting, working and worrying, of everyday racial deprivation and ongoing suppression for one, while working hard and fighting economic deprivation and injustice for the others -- why be surprised when the top blows off?”

What will set the fuse sputtering, it is broadly beleieved, is the almost-sure reaction of “warrior-trained leadership.”

To them armed-force action is the very natural military leadership method for dealing with any dissent.

That’s the nearly-universal first, second and sometimes last-resort to which militaristic minds turn, with armed units at ready disposal, triggered with a single word: “Kill!”

After all that is what soldiers are trained to do, instantly, on command of officers --no matter what the surround-situation may be.

Consequences must be considered later, after the event, it is broadly believed. “War demands instant action with no other thought than survival” is a truism embedded in all armed training.

That has become a familiar pattern for persons of one particular political persuasion --as demonstrated over the past forty years: “WIN by ANY Means --But WIN !”.

But for this reality that may not work any better than did the Iraq “preemptive” war and the neocon policies forcing the overwhelming impacts of the credit crisis on the great American middle class.

Anyone with any familiarity with history in the South knows the consequences of racism to be truth.

But now it has also become reality in our large cities, and many rural regions, decades later, even though Civil Rights became law beyond doubt long ago.

Many will recall the revolting results in the Sixties: Primary causation then was reaction from those most affected by racism.

But there was also a strong “we must act NOW to save our democracy” from both younger and older civil rights activists, regardless of skin-color.

That feeling is reflected in depth, detail and deep intensity in many of the classic reports of that time --both young and old driven by a special view of their love for country to defy societal norms and expectations of the time.

Despite its clear connection to American rights for dissent --sometimes so intense as to provoke violent suppression-- that time now stands revered in American history for what it founded in strong continuing activism.

Millions more in this nation, now, after two Presidential elections “driven by confrontational politics of descending and destructive nature”; and “documented evidence of stolen-elections” obviously destroying the wit, wisdom and will of the public, will now react again --and perhaps as violently, too.

After all “twice is too much”, as many deprived voters now declare. A third time may surely be decisive and demanding of “radical action”-- whether reality or only widspread perception of insupportable suppression occurring again.

Severe consequences have long been sure to come from private-interest influences on our governance system. Many events at economic, social and cultural levels have long been leading on to this current confrontation.

The rumored situation of government-provided armed troops in strategic positon around the nation this time surely increases these dangers of violent confrontation.

Surely “just in case” is now highly stregnthened in probabilty: Given a President with proven militaristic attitudes driving anti-democratic actions, firmly on the international record.

A Presidential candidate himself a lauded veteran whose whole life --and now his second-shot Presidential campaign-- has been built on his military record cannot but strengthen that reality, as viewed by millions now.

No matter how loud the false charges of “Anti-Americanism” ring out re any dissent whatsoever to the neocon-shaped policies and promises from both the current President and his would-be successor, the wit, wisdom and will of the American electorate will separate the true grain from the distortions and distractions provided by such chaff.

But the question still remains: What IF this one is again stolen ? IF voters are so barred from the polls as to permit further distortion/perversion of some kind, action to reverse that “absolutely unacceptable” outcome may well become certainty, at any and all levels required for remedy.

Repeated-pattern from past years of attacks not only on Obama but on ACORN, with a solid record of vote-registration accomplishment threatening the GOP dynasty, makes it imperative that states control the vote process from registration throuough to the final tallies.

It was not for nothing that a Russian despot reputedly stated that “the vote by whom and how many means nothing.”

For may millions in America, the day of street front force against continuing desperately distorted and wrongful defeat at the polls may well come as the only consequential action left in defense of the democracy they truly demand --”just in case” for the 21st Century.

John F. Kennedy put it as strongly as possible when confined to words rather than actions: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable".

Remember Kennedy’s wisdom when you vote in this inescapably turning-point election.

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Proud American October 30, 2008 12:34 pm (Pacific time)

Karl Marx was also very successfull in bringing millions of people together (he called them "useful idiots"). Those of you under 50 probably didn't get the kind of teaching on this Marx matter like previous (older ) people did. Consequently over 60 million were killed (Stalin admitted to 30 million) and we ended up with the Soviet Union, which is trying to reconstitute itself under Putin. Obama's buddy Ayers, is on record that his Weathermen pals had in mind of killing at least 25 million Americans if they took over. Well folks, these are the kind of monsters that never give up, so start doing some research and start asking questions. As far as Obama's complicated roots, nothing complicated about listening to Jerimiah Wright for 20 years, nothing complicated about that at all. As far as the great success of community organizers in Chicago, well look at their very high murder rate. Nothing complicated about that either. Nor their illigitimate birthrate, or HIV rate, or the rate of those on entitlement programs (some are 5th generation welfare). Open thine eyes and think! Real leaders with lots of good experience also have a track record of success. There are those who talk, and some are remarkable at talking (or writing), but that's all they can do. What are Obama's accomplishments? Bringing thousands of people together for what purpose? Change is always happening in this dynamic world of ours, and you want to have people who know how to harness that change via experience. That is a skill-building type of ability, you do not want to have "on the job training for people" (as per Biden) who have already proven that talking is their only accomplishment. We are at war people, and it will be getting very intense once again as per my sources. They are excellent and accurate sources.

Henry Ruark October 29, 2008 8:06 am (Pacific time)

To all: Sorry, ol' fumblefingers did it again..."AnoN" is ME -for what that may be worth or NOT! Never, ever have knowingly hidden behind tree for any stuff published anywheres...albeit sometimes with client-name for whom written as by-line !!

Anonymous October 28, 2008 3:14 pm (Pacific time)

To all: One of great strengths of open, honest dialog is the diversity it provides for "the wisdom of crowds". Here's "see with own eyes" excerpt surely relevant to this thread: "Frankly, I was planning to vote for Ralph Nader. I live in a state that will, almost certainly, go Red. Rather than vote for a losing mainstreamer, I wanted to vote for a voice of integrity that I have admired throughout my entire adult life. Now I have changed my mind. Not because of anything that transpired between Common Dreams readers and myself, but because I thought long and hard about the historicity of the upcoming election. Barack Obama is dragging the Left (kicking and screaming) back to its community organizing roots and creating the public space that is needed to enact truly progressive change in the United States. His campaign has trained hundreds of thousands of organizers, giving them a skill set that enables them to bring people together to act collectively on behalf of their common interests. No matter how one may feel about his individual policies, and no matter which policies we, on the far Left espouse, Obama's campaign is showing the way to get it done. He has put together the first tremendously organized, grassroots, populist, winning presidential campaign in modern American history. His campaign has the support of more than three million contributors, an unprecedented number. I think I want to be able to tell my grandchildren and great grandchildren that I voted for Barack Obama, the first non-Caucasian person, the first person from my generation, the first person with the kinds of complicated roots that give him a perspective of American life and politics that no other president has ever, ever had. It's about damned time." ------------- From strong woman writer, left unidentified to allow your own evaluation with own mind. Link later !

Henry Ruark October 28, 2008 9:01 am (Pacific time)

George P.: Sorry, friend George, but you are far wrong on all counts. First, I'm 5'6", near-bald, now stooped-over, but still able to think. Second, O has NOT avoided Iraq as public record clearly shows in many statements on all main issues. Third, S. Chicago is damned strong school for realities in life today in U.S. Too bad you never got to learn, there. Can speak to its solid impacts via 12 yrs. in Chicago, including visits to some areas where O. later got in damned good work. BUT enjoy Nov. 4; then we'll see via action what can be done with good will, honest faith, and American people's wit, wisdom and will.

Henry Ruark October 25, 2008 8:41 am (Pacific time)

To all: Here's relevant NYT Edit today, emphasizing from whence cometh the destructive forces many have cited and fought ever since the Reagan era: (Excerpt at www.nytimes.com) "Even Alan Greenspan, the high priest of unfettered capitalism and a former chairman of the Federal Reserve, conceded this week that he had “found a flaw” in his bedrock belief of “40 years or more” that markets would regulate themselves. “I made a mistake,” he said. "The question is what new direction capitalism should take. In a globally interconnected world, the United States cannot simply march back to the gray flannel capitalism of the 1950s and 1960s when regulations were tough and coddled monopolies dominated the corporate world. Still, the next president will have a chance, not to be missed, to re-evaluate some tenets of the freewheeling, deregulated version of a market economy that has dominated America since the Reagan administration." -----------

Henry Ruark October 24, 2008 10:37 am (Pacific time)

To all: Here's "See with own eyes" link to Robert Parry report re Op Ed content: www.consortiumnews.com McCain Enflames 'Partisan Rancor' By Robert Parry October 24, 2008 "Perhaps the biggest lie of John McCain’s campaign – from a list that is long and growing daily – was his claim during his acceptance speech in early September that he would be the leader who would end “partisan rancor.” "The statement already sounded odd coming after the McCain campaign had spent weeks mocking Barack Obama as a celebrity on par with Paris Hilton and after a Republican convention filled with ridicule of Obama as a “community organizer.” "But what wasn’t known then was that McCain’s end-partisan-rancor pledge would precede a fall campaign that may go down as one of the nastiest in American history. "Also, what’s been remarkable is that some of the ugliest smears are coming personally from McCain, Sarah Palin and other Republican officeholders, not from arms-length 527 groups or anonymous political operatives." ------------- Parry is famed for breaking Iran/Contra/Reagan debacle for AP and NEWSWEEK. "Rest of story" here details McCain's own actions creating dilemma and coming deep debacle.

Henry Ruark October 23, 2008 3:14 pm (Pacific time)

Sallie:
Yr insights perhaps sharpened by current events, but the point is historic fact.
Tactic long embraced by GOP, forcefully employed in Deep South for decades, using myth of racism as extender, leading to Nixon "Southern strategy" as further driving engine in key election, leading to Reagan era and Bush I, then II, neocon cabal, and PNAC proposal which was root of Iraq "unnecessary war".

Henry Ruark October 23, 2008 6:14 pm (Pacific time)

T0 all: Nation's premier newspaper has made up its Editorial mind: Breaking News Alert The New York Times Thursday, October 23, 2008 -- 8:43 PM ET ----- New York Times Editorial Board Endorses Obama for President The New York Times editorial board has endorsed Senator Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, stating: "We believe he has the will and the ability to forge the broad political consensus that is essential to finding solutions to this nation's problems." Read More: http://www.nytimes.com/?emc=na --------------- Have YOU made up your own mind yet ? If still in doubt, review the facts as developed over past several months and past 7 very sorry years for this nation. THAT is bound to help you see what's really needed and why.

Henry Ruark October 23, 2008 4:06 pm (Pacific time)

To all: Echoing that overwhelmed feeling on all the issues and critical choices for Nov. 4? Here's "see with own eyes" to help make up your own mind: www.publicagenda.org Time's Running Out: Get The Facts It's never been more important to get the facts on the big issues in this election, figure out what you want and which candidates in the national and local races are most likely to act on that vision. If you're still undecided, we're here to help: with our nonpartisan Voter's Survivor Kit tools for making up your mind - guides to understanding the choices we face on the Economy, the Budget Deficit, Immigration, Climate Change, the push for Health Care reform, and Foreign Policy, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus our Take It To The Next Level links to candidate web sites and polling place information. Too busy making a living to have watched the debates? You're not alone, but it's not too late: our Debates 2008 page has video of the debates, along with our frame-by-frame comments, transcripts of what the candidates said, and many other great resources."

Sallie October 23, 2008 2:09 pm (Pacific time)

I'm feeling a little hungover with all the political rhetoric and am willing go out on a limb. At the heart of race, class, and religious wars, and the polarization of people, is religion. The seeds are planted and sowed by religious groups who engage in political warfare and derisive tactics to retain power and control over the masses. They use and manipulate the uneducated, the vulnerable and innocent as pawns to carry out their slimy agenda, all in the name of God. all these religious sinners, gives one pause in the bigger scheme of our existance.

George Patton October 23, 2008 1:38 pm (Pacific time)

It's so unfortuante that our state department and the Iraq leaders could not have had the input that Henry Ruark made so clear for us to see. Makes you wonder why Obama has not been talking about Iraq for the last several months, he does not want it brought back up as an issue that demonstrates that he knows nothing of the world outside of south Chicago, and it appears both he and Ruark have a lot more in common than both being tall with full heads of hair.

Henry Ruark October 23, 2008 10:59 am (Pacific time)

To all: One of main drives for conflict pointed out in Op Ed is the waste of lives and U.S. treasure and influence in the unnecessary war vs Iraq. Here's "see with own eyes" on current "victory" (!) status there, making McC. demand for 100-yr. occupation a very bad joke: POLITICS: Final Text of Iraq Pact Reveals a U.S. Debacle Analysis by Gareth Porter* www.tompaine.com WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (IPS) - The final draft of the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces agreement on the U.S. military presence represents an even more crushing defeat for the policy of the George W. Bush administration than previously thought, the final text reveals. The final draft, dated Oct. 13, not only imposes unambiguous deadlines for withdrawal of U.S. combat troops by 2011 but makes it extremely unlikely that a U.S. non-combat presence will be allowed to remain in Iraq for training and support purposes beyond the 2011 deadline for withdrawal of all U.S. combat forces. Furthermore, Shiite opposition to the pact as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty makes the prospects for passage of even this agreement by the Iraqi parliament doubtful. Pro-government Shiite parties, the top Shiite clerical body in the country, and a powerful movement led by nationalist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr that recently mobilised hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in protest against the pact, are all calling for its defeat."

Joseph October 21, 2008 10:23 pm (Pacific time)

I overheard someone say the below and I'm paraphrasing as best as my memory will allow: "What’s very funny is that McCain and his racist tactics typify the republican party as a whole." I was in a very bad wreck some years ago and received brain damage. It left me in kind of a stupor. Either way, I still have enough sense to know that McCain is a dishonest old geezer and he has no biz trying to ram this country farther into a hole than he already has. I liked George W. Bush at first, I thought he had brain damage too and I related, but he has a different kind as it turns out. Me, I didn't have money for cocaine like that guy did! I understand he is still a drinker but a "closet" drinker/snorter/smoker.

Henry Clay Ruark October 21, 2008 2:37 pm (Pacific time)

To all: Here's "see with own eyes" link for yr check to evaluate with own mind, on one main point in Op Ed: ACLU Demands Information on Military Deployment Within US Borders Deployment Erodes Longstanding Separation Between Civilian and Military Government NEW YORK - October 21 - The American Civil Liberties Union today demanded information from the government about reports that an active military unit has been deployed inside the U.S. to help with "civil unrest" and "crowd control" - matters traditionally handled by civilian authorities. This deployment jeopardizes the longstanding separation between civilian and military government, and the public has a right to know where and why the unit has been deployed, according to an ACLU Freedom of Information request filed today. "The military's deployment within U.S. borders raises critical questions that must be answered," said Jonathan Hafetz, staff attorney with the ACLU National Security Project. "What is the unit's mission? What functions will it perform? And why was it necessary to deploy the unit rather than rely on civilian agencies and personnel and the National Guard? Given the magnitude of the issues at stake, it is imperative that the American people know the truth about this new and unprecedented intrusion of the military in domestic affairs." According to a report in the Army Times, the Army recently deployed an active military unit inside the United States under Northern Command, which was established in 2002 to assist federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities. This deployment marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to Northern Command. Civilian authorities, not the military, have historically controlled and directed the internal affairs of the United States. This rule traces its origins to the nation's founding and has been reaffirmed in landmark statutes including the Posse Comitatus Act, which helps preserve the foundational principles of our Constitution and democracy." ================== www.commondreams/org.newswire.

Henry Ruark October 21, 2008 11:24 am (Pacific time)

Peacenik et al: Unfortunately what appears here is only partial version intended for editor overview but not finished and fully verified for publication. Re "stolen election", reference is to public perception rather than to proven fact, albeit that doth exist, and can be fully cited. Supremes handed decision to Bush on technicality as widely understood then and now. Re WHO is responsible for the public perception of role for both parties and campaigns, that is also obviously public perception, reported here from many sources and from writer's background. On examination will stand on this as published, with full version upcoming for proper conclusion missing here. We do best we can, sometimes with error,which only proveth we're human, too !

Peacenik October 21, 2008 10:06 am (Pacific time)

The riots of the 1960's were started by who? In 1968 by who? If riots start after future election,who will start them? And while we're at it, other than Cook County of Illinois in 1960, who has definitive proof of any presidential election being stolen? I'm not talking about "I feel" opinions, but proof? And if one does, how come no one pursued formal legal action that prevailed? My prayers are that no violence starts after this next election, but we will be a divided nation no matter who wins, but I know exactly what I'll do if riots break out.

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Op Ed: 'Race-War' Coming?
What’s Probability?
How to Prevent Disaster?

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