But a new poll shows that might not be true. People considering a treasonous armed rebellion against our government may comprise a much larger percentage of the population than previously believed. At least that's what a new Fairleigh Dickinson University Poll (conducted between April 22nd and 28th of a nationwide sample of registered voters -- with a 3.4 point margin of error) seems to show.
The poll results said about 29% of Americans believed an "armed rebellion" might be needed in "the next few years" to "protect our liberties". I'm not sure just what liberties these people are worried about, since the poll didn't go into specifics about that (and the truth is that we are more equal now than at any time in our history -- except in economic terms). I suspect these liberties involve the right to discriminate against other Americans they disagree with, since the percentage who think armed rebellion might be necessary goes up significantly when only Republicans are considered. Almost half of Republicans (44%) believe this.
Here are the poll's numbers, with those agreeing being the first number given (and those disagreeing being in parentheses):
IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS AN ARMED REBELLION MIGHT BE NECESSARY TO PROTECT OUR LIBERTIES.
General public...............29% (47%)
Democrats...............18% (61%)
Independents...............27% (45%)
Republicans...............44% (31%)
Men...............30% (50%)
Women...............29% (45%)
High school...............36% (35%)
Some college...............31% (44%)
College grad...............22% (60%)
And it might be even worse than those numbers show. About 5% of the general public was unsure, and another 19% refused to either agree or disagree. As a loyal American, I have to admit that these are very disappointing numbers.
I think a lot of these people are blowing it out their behinds. They are like little kids threatening to hold their breath. They are being overwhelmed by
ReplyDelete**the increasing acceptance and celebration of the LGBT community
**The increasing role played by people of color in our society
**They think their guns are being taken away
**They believe sharia law is gonna get them
**They watch Fox news.
I think you are making several assumptions about the poll results. One is that people were asked if they thought a revolution might be necessary in the (incredibly vague time frame of the) "next few years." They were not asked if they are "considering" it, even less if they approved of the idea rather than thinking of it as a painful necessity which might come to pass.
ReplyDeleteAnd the fact that nearly one in five Democrats (who we assume to be the most liberal of the three political groupings) said "yes" should give you pause about your contention that the liberty in question is "the right to discriminate against other Americans they disagree with." It could be that at least some of the respondents were thinking of the liberties that are under at least pressure if not threat from such as the NDAA, domestic drones, the militarization of police forces, voter ID laws, expanded wiretap/domestic surveillance powers, criminalization of whistleblowing - I'm sure you could extend the list.
It's wise to remember that social equality does not equal political freedom; rather, the latter is a necessary precursor to the former.