When the Revolution Happens...

[benburch]

will we need a Robespierre, or will we be "civilized"?

[Dave Reynolds]

1. "Civilized",

at least in my sketchy opinion, will not work.

We will need nasty bastards like myself.

[benburch]

2. I'm a nasty bastard too.

And I hate unemployment. ;)

[ck4829]

3. No Robespierre

If Robespierre was alive today, he would be a Neo-Con.

A revolution will be hard, the Far Right will fight to the last. We will need be like brothers and sisters, and do everything in our power to prevent fighting each other.

[wli]

4. I'm guessing there will be a shootout, but it won't involve civilians

i.e. U.S. Marshals and FBI agents are going to have to gun down SS agents to frogmarch Bushler to prison, possibly with a larger conflict between Bush-loyal and US-loyal factions of the military.

ON EDIT: This is if and only if Bush fails to get off scot-free.

[DavidMS]

5. It depends on who is running it.

Most revolutions eat their children, so I would stay out of the 1st phase as any real revolution goes through at least a few sets of leaders (take a look at the Irannian Revolution, the French Revolution, The Failed revolutions of 1848 and 1919).

Most real revolutions are pretty violent.

[ugarte]

6. When the Revolution come

I'm gonna be up front
With my finga on the trigga of a Mossburgh Pump
When the Revolution come I'm gonna be right there
With my nine in my hand and braids in my hair

[Swamp Rat]

7. Did Dumbya ever get his Mars Program in gear?

He and his co-conspirators are gonna need a rocket ship to escape a billion+ angry humans. :mad:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

8. WE will be, the problem is that neocons have no use for integrity

or concepts like honor, love, honesty, cooperation, and ethics.

They are the kind of people who applaud the brits shooting first, asking questions later.
They compare not penis sizes, but gun barrel lengths. And muzzle velocities. And how far they can kill an offending human. (500 yds is a minimum.)

[happyslug]

9. The last time the US had a "Revolution" was in 1896.

That is when the Democratic Party kicked out its "Me Too" party hacks and elected a genuine reformer as its Candidate. In the next five elections that Candidate was the issue. In the 1920s when he was involved in a Trial he is best remembered for today, he said "This is the first time I am with the Majority". He had been for women suffrage, the rights of Unions, Government Financial policy to aid the working class (including the farmers who were the majority of the working class till 1920), improve roads and opposed the increasing militancy of Foreign Policy of the US (Through he had to tiptoe around segregation and race do to the strength of the South on the Democrats at that time and he supported Prohibition). Did I mention he opposed the power of Corporations? Even resigning from being Wilson's Secretary of State for Wilson's refusal to crack down on the Banks loaning money to the Allies (He believe it would force the US to go to war to get that money back, something he opposed).

He was attacked as no Democrat had been before (Through every Democrat since has been attacked as he was). His every flaw was constantly brought up to the public mind, even after he was dead his enemies emphasized his flaws not his virtues. His support for "Free Silver" was viewed as Inflationary (and it was, but the Country needed inflation in 1896), his opposition to annexing the Philippines was claimed to be un-american, his speeches were attacked as weak, boring etc (When he was called the greatest American Public speaker of his time and maybe since the founding of America). His repeated defeats were used to show America rejected what he stood for, with people saying that rejected could be seen since he received less votes in 1908 than he did in 1900 and his 1900 total was less than his 1896 total (Through his PERCENTAGE of total votes INCREASED from 1896 to 1900 to 1908 and Wilson's 1912 Victory was right on line with his increase in the percentage of Votes).

Almost single handily he converted the Democratic Party to the party of Reform, to the Party of the Working class, the Small Farmer, the person who was down and out. Wilson's and FDR's subsequent victories can be credited to his build up of the reform section of the Democratic Party. Under him the Democratic Party became known as the Party of Reform and has kept that title ever since.

I was discussing this with some friends recently and we debated will Dean be the Democrat's 21st Century William Jennings Bryan? Can Dean lead the Democratic Party back to its idea of reform and carrying for the common man? Dean is being attacked by the GOP almost as much as William Jennings Bryan had been in the early 20th Century. Yes

Bryan took the Democrats to Defeat in 1896, 1900 and 1908, but each time Bryan was defeated by a smaller and smaller margin. In 1912 when it appeared that the Democrats would win he supported Wilson as the best man to be President (and even stood aside from running again, in an election he would have won).

Yes, Bryan is best known today as the Prosecutor in The Scopes Monkey Trial. One of the reason is that it was a way for the GOP Corporate owner to do one last attack on him (And attack the growing Democratic Majority that was building and would elected Roosevelt in 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, Truman in 1948 and even Kennedy in 1960 and Johnson in 1968). All of these Presidents would have rejected Bryan's opposition to Darwinism but supported his position as to the rule by the Majority and that the role of Government is to protect the less fortunate.

Thus my comment. Who will be out 21st Century Bryan? Dean looks like he is ready willing and able to fill those shoes. Dean, like Bryan, is unafraid to attack the GOP and their Corporate Masters and that is what the Democratic Party needs right now. The Democrats need an Attack Dog, who is unafraid to take on the GOP.

Aside: People do connect Bryan with the Scopes Monkey Trial. Compared to the rest of his life it was at best a small part but today after we have accepted the rest of the reforms he backs (Except prohibition his other grreat mistake) he is best remembered for the Scopes Monkey Trial. Thus if you want to read more about Bryan and the Scopes Monkey Trial see:
http://www.cedarville.edu/academics/commarts/theatre/cornelius.html
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/scopes.htm
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/bryanw.htm

The "Revolution of 1896":
http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/bryan.html
http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/1896home.html

Bryan's response to the Sinking of the Lusitania:
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/bryan2.htm