The last days of America...
Is America finished? Could the United States break up? Goodbye Uncle Sam?
One of the lessons of history is that people learn nothing from history.
Or... History repeats itself... It has to, because nobody listens.
An inconvenient truth of history is that great powers and empires do not last forever. They rise... enjoy a longer or shorter time of power and glory... then fade away. In the distant past Egypt, Assyria and Persia were great powers... but where are they now? More recently, Great Britain was the world's superpower... for hundreds of years, nobody could challenge the might of the British Empire... but in only a few years, that Empire collapsed and Britain became just another minor power.
America is a very young country, in historical terms. From 1776 to 2009 is only 233 years... And America's time as a superpower... from 1945 to 2009 is only 64 years... Yet most Americans just assume that things will go on and on and on as they have done. Because they were born into a powerful and important America, they have never seen anything else... and cannot imagine an America that is not rich and powerful. For them, what is coming upon America will be shocking and unbelievable.
Apart from the example of the rise and fall of Great Britain, consider what happened to the mighty Soviet Union. Back in the 1970s, the USSR was seen as a superpower... an evil empire... but most people could not imagine that the Soviet Union might soon collapse. There were a few lone voices who predicted the demise of the Soviet Empire. But for most, it was hard to accept. Pity the poor Russian astronauts who were launched into space from the Soviet Union in 1991... only to return to a broken and fragmented Russia and 'Commonwealth of Independent States' .
Could America also collapse?
Let's consider what keeps a nation united.
1. A Common Language
One of the main characteristics of a nation is unity in the use of one single or main language. In France, they speak French... the Germans have German, the Russians have Russian, the Chinese have Chinese etc etc.
It should not be controversial to point out that English is the language of America.
Should not... Until recently, English would have been assumed to be America's official language. It is shocking to realise that in reality, unlike most countries, America does NOT have an official language. After the British fought off the French for supremacy in North America, the Founding Fathers assumed that English would be the automatic national language of the United States. During all the waves of immigration into America, this assumption worked. People came from many many countries... and made the effort to learn English... Russians, Poles, French, Germans, Koreans, Chinese, Africans, Italians, Greeks and every group of immigrants coming to America remained proud of their mother tongue... but understood and accepted that to live and prosper in America, they and their children needed to learn to speak and read and write English... the common language of America.
In the past few years, America has abandoned the sensible foundation of insisting on English as its common language and has allowed, even encouraged a major division which is producing two separate and different Americas... which speak different languages... have different cultures, different histories, different values... and in general do not understand each other.
There is the 'traditional' English-speaking America... this is the America those born here recognise, along with those who immigrated to America and assimilated into the English-speaking culture of the United States... And then there is 'America Espanol'... The Mexican based, Spanish-speaking version of America which has no need or interest to learn English... and which not only opposes and disrespects traditional America, but aims to transform and assimilate English-speaking America into a Mexican, Spanish-speaking version of Estados Unidas.
In the past, the British and French fought over North America... because the British won that struggle, English is the language of North America... French-speaking Quebec being an anomaly.
Now there is a new struggle for linguistic supremacy... Spanish is already given almost equal status with English in some states. Maybe in a few years, some places will have a Spanish-speaking majority... what then? Must everyone learn Spanish?
Did we learn ANYTHING from the Tower of Babel?
A common language is basic to keeping a nation united.
Once we can no longer understand each other, the nation is divided.
Today, more and more Americans cannot speak America's national language, English.
And they don't care. That should make us think.
2. A Common History
For more and more 'Americans' American history is meaningless and irrelevant.
When you have millions of citizens (legal or illegal) who have no idea and no interest in the history and founding principles of America... where is your common ground? When you have no idea where you came from or why things are the way they are... you have no foundation or basic understanding of the country you live in. America becomes just a meaningless word.
Incidentally, the idea of growing up and living in America and learning to appreciate its history and culture, so becoming more attached and loyal to America is one of the reasons the Founding Fathers insisted that only a native-born American is legally qualified to be President. That is what the Constitution states.
As more and more Americans have less and less understanding of American history, the history that ties people together as one nation fades away... and there is less and less in common to keep America united.
3. Common Values
America is more divided than at any time since the Civil War.
Only 30 or 40 years ago, almost all Americans held much the same values.
There were differences, of course, between left and right, but most folks believed in the same basic values as almost everyone else. Since the liberal 'revolution' of the 1960s, this comfortable shared concensus has disappeared. America has become more and more divided and polarised over the past 40 years. Elsewhere you can read how the liberal (godless) left came to dominate the education system... brainwashing each succeeding generation... bringing about a peaceful revolution and turning society and its values upside down. The hippies and radicals of the 1960s are now our college professors, schoolteachers, judges, and powerful figures in the mass media and politics. What was once totally unacceptable is now pushed on us all as the only acceptable view.
God Bless America? or Godless America?
God had an honored place in American society 40 years ago... and Christian values were the norm.
How fast things can change! Now there is an anti-Christian majority in America...
There is still a large minority of Christians who hold fast to the 'old' values.
These are the folks President Obama mocked by saying they 'cling to their guns and religion' because of their frustrations with the failing economy...
Meanwhile, most of America either agrees with, or is willing to accept without a fight, the new, liberal, leftist, politically correct worldview and agenda which is totally opposed to America's traditional Judeo-Christian values.
America is more divided than ever between following the values of God... or the values of godless liberal humanists.
One road will take us to Jerusalem... the other to Sodom and Gomorrah.
Unfortunately, the majority wants to stay on the road to destruction.
The increasing gap between those who hold these opposing and irreconcilable values makes it harder and harder for these two groups to co-exist inside the same country. Remember, America was founded by those from Europe who wanted to escape from religious dictatorship and live in freedom according to their Christian values. Maybe one day American Christians will make a move to escape from the liberal fascists who want to enforce their own godless worldview and values on us all.
4. A Common Economy
As long as the economy is doing OK, this problem does not arise.
But what happens when the economy fails and collapses?
Up to a point, the richer states will provide more and more money to the federal government to help the poorer states.
But there is a limit. Nobody knows for sure where exactly the red lines are drawn... but if the present economic crisis gets worse (as it will) we will see some states choosing to withold money from Washington... to take care of their own state first, rather than make their own people suffer to help strangers in far away states, who may or may not need or deserve that help.
Some states may decide to secede... to leave the Union and go it alone as fully independent countries.
Legally, they have the right to do that.
Given the option between being heavily burdened and maybe bankrupted by Washington, to finance poorer, debt-ridden states... or going for independence... some resource-rich states would find secession a much more attractive choice.
Obviously, the poorer states, most dependent on hand-outs from Washington, would be enthusiastic not just to stay in the Union themselves, but to support federal action to force other states to stay... using military force if necessary.
5. A Common Politics
As noted earlier, America is more polarised than ever before.
If President Obama and the Democrats really do try to bring about radical change which ignores and tramples all over the rights and values and feelings of the many millions who do NOT agree with Obama... this polarisation will become more extreme and could lead to those areas of America where the majority voted for McCain reasserting their state rights and demanding an end to far left policies... with the threat of secession and declarations of independence if their complaints are not addressed by Obama.
