A Perfect Storm: Part I

Twin incidents in the early 1990s – Ruby Ridge and the Waco Branch Dividian assault –inadvertently played directly to the “black helicopters” and virulently anti-Left mindset of the survivalist, neo- patriot, Christianist, militia Far Right, and may have triggered the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

But in a way, something even worse happened. These two events left a very big chip on the shoulder of the entire Right. Today, some fifteen years later, they have been positioned to prevent the Federal government from even investigating, let alone moving to contain the threat of violence from the Right. I call this the Ruby-Waco Effect.

The spectre of a repeat Ruby Ridge or Waco act to allow the Right to roll back the line on impermissible expression further and further. Effectively, this spectre is immunizing even blatantly incendiary speech and proximate violence. Witness the recent and increasingly frequent presence of armed weapons at presidential appearances, the frequent invocation of bloodshed on rightwing TV and radio, and accusations of treason, among other fighting words, on the part of the Left. Not to meention the palpably racist “You lie!” outburst at a sitting President’s speech before a Joint Session of Congress. This serious breach of decorum has not been seen since the Civil War Era. Lest "decorum" sound too ridiculously quaint, be reminded that civility is essential for achieving workable compromise. When decorumis so crudely dispensed with, we might well ask whether workable compromise is a shared objective. I think we know the answer to that. The GOP has told us repeatedly that they WANT this President to fail. I call that treason.

Yesterday's clarion call was "black helicopters." Today's seems to be "Obama's death camps."

The Ruby-Waco Effect has seemingly paralyzed US government at every level vis a vis restraining nacent rightwing threats, but none so much as the Federal government of an “N-word” president.

No one dares to draw the line past which this avowedly murderous, kying, secessionist Far Right faction can go without endangering the peace and/or the President.

This is the first post in a series of posts about the gathering perfect storm. Stay tuned.