There has been a lot written about the divergence of what was a homogeneous “American” culture. Common values once were agreed on by most people even though we, as a nation, often failed to live up to those same values.

The common goal of reaching the “shining city on a hill” helped us evolve into a better version of ourselves.

This accepted ideal of our better angels helped us grow and was a noble pursuit.

Sadly, those halcyon days are far behind us.

America has devolved into at least two distinct groups. One group wants to be left alone to enjoy its culture and livelihoods. The other has a myopic vision of what an ideal America should look like and will bulldoze anyone or anything that gets in its way.

An example of this is the cities of Denver and Boulder driving the political narrative for the entire state of Colorado. Do you think the liberal minded in these cities care about the culture or the people in Maybell located in sparse Moffatt county? Nevertheless, their utopian ideas are rammed down the throats of these good people. The recent Colorado magazine ban is a prime example of this.

One side is rural, spiritual and individualist, the other, urban, elitist and socialist.

When in US history have we seen similar dynamics at play?

Compare to what is happening in France currently?

Hillsdale’s Imprimis writes about it in the Article “America’s Cold Civil War” and author Matt Bracken describes this rife in his essay titled “The CW2 Cube”.

As this simmering Cold Civil War evolves, we are faced with three options:

One side dominates the other and forces its will on the other

Both sides agree to disagree as the early Federalists envisioned

We spit and go our separate ways.

For the sake of this essay, let’s take option two and three off the table.

If our Cold Civil War goes hot, what might it look like?

As Matt Bracken surmised the conflict will be between mostly urban and rural populations. Also, possibly between more rural conservative states and their urban, liberal brethren.

Imagine Northern Ireland x Kosovo x Los Pepes if this thing goes full cycle.

The order of the day will be low intensity conflict unless conventional military forces join the fracas.

All the best options out of the 4th generation playbook will be in play:

Assassinations

Terrorist attacks

Arson

A tooth and nail fight to control the narrative

Ambushes

Murder of families

Massacres

And many others.

These were the tools utilized during the Northern Irish Troubles.

The various flavors of the IRA controlled the countryside and the British Army, RUC and various loyalist militias were prominent in the more built up areas.

The IRA was even brash enough to parade in uniform in the areas they controlled.

The Army was forced to deal with the IRA using COIN tactics to include heliborne flash roadblocks. The Army lost the narrative and patience of the local populace during Operation Demetrius, The Miami Showband killing and various collusions with the Ulster paramilitaries.

The IRA responded with killings, bombings, maimings and other nasties.

In our case if CONUS goes this route and the military and/or gendarme goes heavy in the rural areas, imagine an Oklahoma City bombing every week of the year.

The Columbian Los Pepes group turned the terror game on Pablo Escobar’s compatriots with killings of their families, torture and bare naked savagery of the worst kind. The currency of terror was no longer the solely in the hands of the narco-terrorists.

Terror will be the tool of the day. The urban centers are totally dependent on the logistical flow from or through the rural areas. This critical GLOC will be cut off and the cities will be left to fend for themselves.

Things will start to culminate along ethnic/cultural lines as people begin to realize that in order to survive, they will be forced to take a side.

This will be very similar to what was seen in the Bosnian conflict especially after the various self-created “volunteer” groups gained a degree of tactical acumen.

The next logical step will be mass deportation and forced relocation along ethnic/cultural lines. Next will we ethnic and cultural cleansing of those who remain.

There will be no middle ground, those who choose to remain neutral will be mistrusted and despised by both sides.

In our case, there will be no NATO to take control and stop the slide into total chaos.

Total Balkanization, genocide, poverty and the loss of that shining city on the hill.

Is this our future?

Who knows? Our fate lies trembling in our hands, today!

What we choose to do with it is our choice…