The “Cold Civil War” In
America Deepens, Widens-Support The Pro Football Players (And Now Other Athletes)
Protest-Build The Resistance
By Political Commentator
Frank Jackman
As I have noted on a
number of occasions, many more time lately, over the past decade that I have
been associated with this blog all the ingredients for a classic civil have
been brewing in this country, in America. The social tinder created by the very
unequal class-war that the rich and very rich have been winning for the past
few decades has reached its symbolic fruition in the personage of one Donald J.
Trump, POTUS in tweet speak. The
widening gap between rich and poor the most obvious manifestation of that
brewing conflict has now been joined by other events like Charlottesville where
an armed right-wing demonstration expressed for all who cared to notice that
the cold civil war has begun to get hot. Now we are witnessing protests of a
very different sort from an unexpected quarter. Usually in the past when
dealing with professional athletics it was question of supporting a job action,
a strike or protesting a lock-out but today I am defending the right to free
expression-and welcoming other potential allies to the growing resistance.
A look at history, a
look at American history from the 19th century the last time this
country had a civil shows that beyond the main political disputes (over slavery
and its extension or abolition) that lines were being drawn on all sorts of
other segments of the population which further divided the two sides. For
example, the split between various mainly Protestant religious organizations
between Northern and Southern brethren. And drew in parties, like musicians, one
would not expect to see take a side or get involved.
That is the import of
the recent wave of protest actions (and reactions by one Donald J. Trump, POTUS
in tweet speak, and his dwindling crowd of supporters) by of all people a lot
of professional football players (and as I write other athletes in other sports
are making moves into the protest arena. Now that football has clearly replaced
baseball of the epitome of “American as apple pie” it is almost shocking that
this segment of society would rear up and take a stand. Great. Every serious person needs to support
these intrepid protesters. That is the ABCs of knowing which side you are on
when the deal goes down. Support and defend the righteous players.
More later as the
repercussions of this struggle play themselves out.
I will finish with an
ominous observation. Right now the 15th POTUS (in tweet speak), one James
Buchanan, has been holding down the fort at the bottom of the dung heap of
American President (although my candidate was, and is, Millard Fillmore for the
heap). He can now begin to rest easy in his grave as one Donald J. Trump
stumbles down to take his place (hopefully not taking the rest of us down with
him which is not as unlikely as it sounds). The ominous observation? James
Buchanan was the last POTUS before the Civil War and one who did a fair amount
of work helping push that conflict front and center. Enough said.
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