The always-entertaining Tam had a post where she said something that I thought was very profound:

We are well into the Cold Civil War here.

What an interesting notion. We all know what a ‘Cold War’ is, right?

A cold war or cold warfare is a state of conflict between nations that does not involve direct military action but is pursued primarily through economic and political actions, propaganda, acts of espionage or proxy wars waged by surrogates. The surrogates are typically states that are “satellites” of the conflicting nations, i.e., nations allied to them or under their political influence. Opponents in a cold war will often provide economic or military aid, such as weapons, tactical support or military advisors, to lesser nations involved in conflicts with the opposing country.

Hmmm..substitute “nations” with “political parties and ideologies”, and swap out “states” with “organizations and representatives”, and you’ve pretty much got the definition of what today’s political landscape looks like.

I suppose you could argue that we engage in a political cold war every four years and it culminates with an election, at which time the partisan thrust-n-parry starts all over again.

The term “culture war” has been used quite a bit lately and there is some accuracy to that description as well. However, I think the term “cold civil war” really does seem to be an appropriate moniker. You’ve two sides, left and right (with a few extreme fringe and centrists groups as well, but essentially a right and left dichotomy) that are using proxies (various organizations, notable individuals, etc.) to carry their message and achieve the desired results without actually having those actions be considered the direct responsibility of either belligerent. (For example, state laws putting in place actions that the feds would wholeheartedly support but dont want to get their fingerprints on.)

I suppose this is a far less overt, and (for now) less messy way to fundamentally change the political landscape of a country. Of course, this would imply that either side is actually enacting some huge, far-reaching plan…and, honestly, as Eugene McCarthy said, “The only thing that saves us from the bureaucracy is its inefficiency.” At the moment, neither side is competent enough to pull together anything that looks like a brilliant grand plan. However, just because someone isn’t smart enough to figure out how something works doesn’t mean they’re not smart enough to make a mess of things.

I’m going to keep the term “Cold Civil War” around for a while and try it on for size. I think it might be the most accurate description of the current political clime to come along in a while.

The current gun (and accessory) panic buying is keeping me busy in my ‘civilian life’, but sometimes something happens that you just gotta make time for. Like today’s interesting forray into small government: I received a notice from the election administration saying that since I did not vote in the last federal election, I would have to re-register.

:::headdesk:::

Me not vote in a presidential election? You better damn well believe I voted in the last two and I’m not ashamed to tell you who I voted against. So now I’m wondering if my vote was even counted. Down to the courthouse I go. The gal at the counter asks if she can help me. I wave the card at her and say Im a wee bit concerned about this and could she check it out. She gets the sign-in book from the polling place and flips through it. “There!”, I triumphantly point when I see my signature. Sure enough, I voted. She assures me that my vote was counted and that when they had to enter all the signatures and their associated reference numbers into the computer thats where the error occurred. Hmm..okay, if you say so. I do remember checking the count on the scanning machine when I slid my ballot into it and making sure it changed over by one number when my ballot went in. I know that it registered. I’m fairly confident my vote counted. But to imagine that they had no record of me voting??? Damn well better believe I was gonna make time to get that straightened out.

The “if voting changed anything they would make it illegal” crowd will disparage all this but, screw em. I think it makes a difference and I don’t take kindly to the notion of the election people telling me I didnt vote when I know I did.

Anyway…..an interesting day so far.

TAMPA, Fla. – Delegates to the Republican National Convention on Tuesday will approve the most pro-gun platform ever, staking out support for national concealed carry reciprocity and opposing domestic restrictions on ammunition and United Nations interference in gun sales.

“It’s probably the most supportive and detailed on Second Amendment issues ever,” said a gun-rights advocate who attended the GOP platform committee meetings last week.

If only, if only……..Talk is cheap, man.

I know not all of us are on the same political page, but, sweet Crom, this may be the coolest picture I’ve ever seen on the interwebs:

Ronald Reagan, riding a flag-waving velociraptor, firing a machinegun one-handed, carrying a grenade launcher, and wearing a suit and tie. Let’s see Putin top that.

ETA: Full size! Check out the fine details! The MP-7 says “GIPPER”!

I usually don’t warn people about links that contain ‘adult language’ because if you break out in a sweat everytime someone uses a four-letter word you’re probably not going to manage the end of the world very well when things are going to be even more disturbing. In fact, the superstitious hypocrites over at Frugal Squirrels are famous for scrapping links people post if someone at the linked website uses ‘bad language’. However, since some of you may be at work, I warn you that theres ‘adult language’ (whatever the frak that means). Anyway, submitted for your amusement:

It appears that more and more people, from all sorts of backgrounds and groups, are starting to feel the disillusionment. It’s starting to look like the one thing Obama may have unified the country on is their disdain for his ineptitude. Nice job!