10/26/09
THE BEGINNING OF ME ACTUALLY PUTTING MY OWN WORDS INTO THIS BLOG
Elated and relieved, yet sad and deflated
1-30-10
9/28/09
In Cold Blog: The Second American Civil War
In Cold Blog: The Second American Civil War
Posted using ShareThis
Posted using ShareThis
By Stephen Singular
I’m from Kansas and am working on a book about slain Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller and his alleged killer, Scott Roeder, of Topeka. Both men have played parts in the new civil war America has been locked in for decades, and Kansas is an appropriate place for this struggle, as it was also a battleground in the first War Between the States. Kansas came into being in 1861 as a “free state” to stop the spread of slavery in neighboring Missouri. Inside the capitol building in Topeka today stands a towering mural of John Brown, depicting the anti-slavery leader carrying a gun in one hand and an open Bible in the other. When Roeder entered the Lutheran church where Tiller was killed last May 31, he was carrying a handgun and a worn Bible.
This new civil war isn’t about anything as tangible as slavery, but a battle between different states of mind and feeling. The core issues are not public policy, like energy or the economy, but focused on intensely private and personal matters. Should women make their own choices about reproduction or should the government dictate that decision? Is America essentially a Christian nation or should it embrace all religions and spiritual practices equally in its schools and public places? Is the acceptance of homosexuality and gay marriage a threat to society or an advance in civilization? Simply put, how much individual freedom should Americans have? The new war is about emotions more than traditional political is sues. Some have called it a fight for the soul of the nation, but others see it in more concrete terms.
“What it all comes down to is power and control,” says Topeka’s Suzanne James, who tracks white supremacist and militia groups on the far right. In years past, she followed the movements of Scott Roeder. “Men feel they’ve lost control of women and, in fact, they have. A group of white, heterosexual males in our society have a feeling of false disenfranchisement and alienation, and they’re encouraged in this feeling twenty-four hours a day by parts of the mainstream media. This group of men shares certain characteristics. They’re overly aggressive, prone to physical violence, and have run-ins with the law. Some have domestic violence backgrounds or problems paying their bills. Some are not that stable to begin with and have mental problems [as a teenager, Roeder was diagnosed as having schizophrenic tendencies].
“By associating with movements that are racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and anti-government, these people can rationalize their feelings by blaming everything on blacks, Jews, women, and the government. They’re angry to begin with, and these movements furnish them with an en dless supply of scapegoats. The more they listen to the rhetoric, the more upset they get and the more they need an escape valve.”
Until the early ‘90s, this unfolding civil war existed mostly on the fringes of America. Cable TV, the Internet, and political talk radio were just starting to break through and alter the cultural landscape, becoming an amplifier for the emotional forces beneath the society. New technology collided with angry feelings and unleashed something large and undefined. Those who were already angry or fearful now felt even more threatened. Whatever, or whoever, was unstable was about to be nurtured in its instability from many different directions. And all these developments, especially the talk show media, overwhelmed the older and slower processes of traditional fact-finding journalism. Major career opportunities emerged for those dealing in heated or even hateful opinions -- not facts.
What mattered in the new media was how deeply one felt or believed something about government or another group of people or a crime or an abortion doctor. Expressing yourself was what counted, regardless of the truth or consequences. When some in the mainstream media began labeling Dr. Tiller “a baby killer,” it wasn’t that long before somebody on the fringes showed up with a gun and Tiller was dead. The first civil war lasted only about four years. The second one has gone on for nearly forty and there’s no end in sight.
Stephen Singular is the author of nineteen books which range in topics from high-profile crimes and social criticisms, to business and sports biographies. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado. You can find out more about this author by visiting his website at stephensingular.com
I’m from Kansas and am working on a book about slain Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller and his alleged killer, Scott Roeder, of Topeka. Both men have played parts in the new civil war America has been locked in for decades, and Kansas is an appropriate place for this struggle, as it was also a battleground in the first War Between the States. Kansas came into being in 1861 as a “free state” to stop the spread of slavery in neighboring Missouri. Inside the capitol building in Topeka today stands a towering mural of John Brown, depicting the anti-slavery leader carrying a gun in one hand and an open Bible in the other. When Roeder entered the Lutheran church where Tiller was killed last May 31, he was carrying a handgun and a worn Bible.
This new civil war isn’t about anything as tangible as slavery, but a battle between different states of mind and feeling. The core issues are not public policy, like energy or the economy, but focused on intensely private and personal matters. Should women make their own choices about reproduction or should the government dictate that decision? Is America essentially a Christian nation or should it embrace all religions and spiritual practices equally in its schools and public places? Is the acceptance of homosexuality and gay marriage a threat to society or an advance in civilization? Simply put, how much individual freedom should Americans have? The new war is about emotions more than traditional political is sues. Some have called it a fight for the soul of the nation, but others see it in more concrete terms.
“What it all comes down to is power and control,” says Topeka’s Suzanne James, who tracks white supremacist and militia groups on the far right. In years past, she followed the movements of Scott Roeder. “Men feel they’ve lost control of women and, in fact, they have. A group of white, heterosexual males in our society have a feeling of false disenfranchisement and alienation, and they’re encouraged in this feeling twenty-four hours a day by parts of the mainstream media. This group of men shares certain characteristics. They’re overly aggressive, prone to physical violence, and have run-ins with the law. Some have domestic violence backgrounds or problems paying their bills. Some are not that stable to begin with and have mental problems [as a teenager, Roeder was diagnosed as having schizophrenic tendencies].
“By associating with movements that are racist, misogynistic, homophobic, and anti-government, these people can rationalize their feelings by blaming everything on blacks, Jews, women, and the government. They’re angry to begin with, and these movements furnish them with an en dless supply of scapegoats. The more they listen to the rhetoric, the more upset they get and the more they need an escape valve.”
Until the early ‘90s, this unfolding civil war existed mostly on the fringes of America. Cable TV, the Internet, and political talk radio were just starting to break through and alter the cultural landscape, becoming an amplifier for the emotional forces beneath the society. New technology collided with angry feelings and unleashed something large and undefined. Those who were already angry or fearful now felt even more threatened. Whatever, or whoever, was unstable was about to be nurtured in its instability from many different directions. And all these developments, especially the talk show media, overwhelmed the older and slower processes of traditional fact-finding journalism. Major career opportunities emerged for those dealing in heated or even hateful opinions -- not facts.
What mattered in the new media was how deeply one felt or believed something about government or another group of people or a crime or an abortion doctor. Expressing yourself was what counted, regardless of the truth or consequences. When some in the mainstream media began labeling Dr. Tiller “a baby killer,” it wasn’t that long before somebody on the fringes showed up with a gun and Tiller was dead. The first civil war lasted only about four years. The second one has gone on for nearly forty and there’s no end in sight.
Stephen Singular is the author of nineteen books which range in topics from high-profile crimes and social criticisms, to business and sports biographies. He currently resides in Denver, Colorado. You can find out more about this author by visiting his website at stephensingular.com
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