Michele expresses her worries about the coming year: possible violence, using historical patterns as her basis. I cannot help but agree. In the year (or so) that I have been blogging, we have been slowly, but surely polarized.

Pieces are falling into place. Roles are being assumed, and the sheep are being gathered into neat little flocks.

Soon enough the chilling effect on societal and political debate will reach a point where the ideologues feel they have a voice and enough support behind them. The reasonable ones would fear saying something different, for fear of being branded many, many things.

If you are a [insert religion here], and say the un-[insert corresponding religious adjective here] thing, you go to [particular religion's version of hell].
If you are a Republican, and say something that leans left, you are a Communist, liberal fuckwit.
If you are a Democrat, and say something that leans right, you are a Fascist, Capitalist puppet.

Slowly and surely free minds and free thought are being sacrificed in the name of “getting along,” when all I could see with this kind of “getting along” is polarization.

You pull on the slingshot long and hard enough and it will either break, or snap back into place.

I agree, hun. Some conflict is coming, and I think it is long overdue. When the dust settles in this one, I think we all stand to lose something.