The very narrowness of the loss is cause enough for concern. Because the loss was to a point of view with which there is little or no chance of compromise.
John Edwards was much more astute than he knew, when a few years ago he announced there were “two Americas”. But he read the division wrongly, the “two Americas” were not along class lines or wealth, they were split along the division of persons with one point of view that was irreconcilable with the other, of either a broad-based and reasonably educated populace aware of its history and ethical standards, or the polarized society of the ruling elite standing over a passive mass of subjects obedient to the whim of its largely self-appointed leaders.
America has reverted to the kind of rule by the elite that characterized every republic that has chosen to become an hereditary kingdom or empire, with centralized control of most aspects of its subjects’ lives. Fortunately, throughout most of human history, the administration of this centralized rule was so inefficient, it was difficult to impose it with much consistency or force except in very specialized situations. But with emergence of new forms of technology, a much more directed and much firmer degree of control of just about every subject is becoming possible, and old concepts of privacy and individual initiative are pretty much out the window.
If a road to compromise cannot be found, then secession is an option that should be exercised. Just because the South chose the wrong principle to support as the basis for its breaking away from the Union to form the Confederacy, does in no way invalidate the principle that was but the exercise of declaring independence, when compromise became impossible. The Union only prevailed over the Confederacy because of superior technology and the force of arms, not because of some divine right.
In most southern states, at least after shooting started, a majority of probably 90%+ supported the CSA.
In today’s South, it is unlikely attempts at secession would be able to draw even a bare majority. How do you run a secession/revolution when most of the people are opposed?
America is based on rule by the people. A revolution of the type proposed would have to be based on some other principle, overriding the vote, and would therefore by definition by anti-American.
How did the Romanians ever rid themselves of Chowcheesecurl? And how did the Polish people ever break free; or the Czechs? WE aren’t as enslaved as they were....yet.
WHAT or WHO caused the turn-around, both mental and spiritual, that resulted in the dictators being thrown off and sent to their eternal reward? Military coup? If THAT turns in the wrong direction we could suddenly find that we’d escaped the skillet, but were now in the fire.