Nourishing the Tree, Or Killing It

TWENTY FIVE PERCENT of us the American people say in surveys that violence against the United States government is sometimes, even often justifiable. This includes liberals and conservatives alike, but far more conservatives than liberals, on a percentage basis. One in ten Americans, again mostly right wingers, believe that such violence is justified now. One of five Republicans say this, one of three Republican men. For several years it has seemed evident that a pervasive, seething anger roils and boils just beneath the surface in American society; people more often abandon courtesy and are less friendly to strangers, and tend to have fewer friends. It may be that the surveys about violence are symptomatic of this. It is widely believed that the rise to power of Donald Trump was largely a prodcut of underlying anger on the part of dissatisfied working class people, mainly white conservative men, who feel that they are being held back, not by corporate control and exploitation, as is the case, but instead by immigrants and minorities. Conservatives admire wealthy white people, and are disinclined to mistakenly refrain from placing blame where it properly belongs; squarely on the shoulders of their wealthy elite white male employers and owners. By "violence", survey repondents presumably refer to such events as the assault on the Capitol building by Trump supporters, a majority of conservatives of whom still believe the insurrection was justified, as a noble attempt to render justice and take back the election victory from Biden, whom they falsely blame for having stolen it. Street protests and stone throwing at government office buildings will also suffice. Hate crimes against minorities, particularly Asian-americans, have dramatically increased over the past few years, presumably because they are being falsely blamed for having brought Covid 19 to America. Blame for the catastrophic spread of Covid 19 in America, with its horrendous death toll, clearly does not belong to Asian-Americans, but rather, with people who refuse to get vaccinated, an overwheliming majority of whom are, ironically, far right wingers, the very people who place blame on the Asian - American community. Hate crimes, societal anger, and an enhanced willingness to engage in political voilence is a distinctly far right wing phenomenon, data compiled by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies clearly indicates. Trump's rise to power was a symptom of it, his defeat for reelection served only to enhance the anger and hate crime. Thomas Jefferson believed that violence against the government might become necessary. He predicted that a revolution against the existing government would be necessary once every generation, as entrenched power becomes corrupt and oppressive. In a letter he wrote: "The tree of liberty will from time to time require the nourishment of the blood of patriots and tyrants". somewho, though our current brand of anger and willingness to resort to violence doesn't seme to fit what Jefferson had in mind. Europeans often marvel at how easily, and with what small provocation, Americans accuse their own government of "tyranny". Simply receiving an income tax bill often suffices to do the trick. Europeans, they know what real tyranny is. In our current situation, among those who blieve that violence and revolutoin may become or is already necessary, the question becomes pertinent, especially with regard to the Trump movement: Are these potentially violent people desirous of nourishineg the tree of liberty, or destroying it?