Why America Cannot Survive The 21st Century

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Readers of this blog know "The Catholic Knight" has a very dispassionate and pragmatic view of the United States of America. The reason why is simply this. The foundation upon which modern (post Civil War) America is built is unstable and inherently weak. It will crumble, and the longer it exists the harder it's eventual fall will be. The United States is destined to be balkanized. There is no way around it. The necessary policies that would have galvanized American culture and unified the nation into a solid entity were not put into place when they should have been. What were those policies? They should have been...

1. standardizing English as the nation's official language,
2. securing our national borders to prevent illegal immigration,
3. subsidizing private, religious and home education of children, to allow an organic development of English-American culture,
4. decentralizing federal powers to give more control to the states over local matters.
   

Alas, none of these things happened at the most critical period (1940 - 1990) and as a result the window of opportunity has closed. It's too late to correct the matter now. No amount of legislation, executive orders or national "movements" can change America's long-term historical course. The nation that exists now, will not exist within a century. The only questions now are; how drastic will the change be? when will the demise come? and will state and local governing entities do what is necessary to preserve what little they have left?

The United States of America is destined to go the way of ancient Rome, and with the fall of Rome came the emergence of a new Europe carved into nation-states shaped by language and culture. So it will be with the former United States of America. Here is a map that illustrates the problem...


Take notice of the light blue and purple section of the map above. This represents the portion of America that is completely unrecoverable. What we have here is an overwhelming predominance of Spanish-Mexican language and culture. While most of the people living there now are content to remain within the political jurisdiction of the United States, it is unreasonable to assume this will always be the case. As time passes, the language and culture of this region will organically develop in opposition to the prevailing English-American culture. At some point there will be political rupture, and when it happens, a political schism will follow. It's as sure as the sun rising tomorrow. It will happen. Of course the political history of the United States leads many to incorrectly assume that such a rupture and schism can only result in war. While such assumptions may seem true from a historical perspective, there is no reason to believe the same will be true in this case for the following reasons...

1. this is not 1861,
2. the coming rupture will be over much bigger issues that what divided the North and South in the Civil War,
3. any military aggression against the people of the American Southwest will be interpreted as racially motivated by the international world community, thus bringing down the condemnation of the United Nations and the alienation of America's allies.

In other words, the price of war will be hefty, not only in the resulting devastation of the American Southwest, but also in the international community.

There is more, the United States faces a similar chance of rupture in the American Southeast. Ironically, this may actually happen first, before the Southwest schism, because of the hot political and social nature that will ultimately drive it. This schism will also be driven by a clash of cultures, but the catalyst will be centered around religion more than language. See the map below for an explanation...


The above map represents the religious demographic makeup of the United States. It's the red area that is of particular interest. This is what is primarily called the "Bible Belt" of the United States, and this map represents it as the "Baptist Belt." It's not just Baptists actually. Though the Southern Baptist Convention does hold a majority in the number of active religious congregations, the area is also heavily populated by non-Southern Baptist churches, as well as Fundamentalists, Evangelicals, and Pentecostal churches. All of these have similar social traits. They are staunchly conservative on social issues (abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, etc.). They are fairly conservative on fiscal matters as well. However, what makes them most volatile is their autonomous nature. These are what you call "free churches" governed primarily by the local pastor rather than an episcopal hierarchy. In other words, these people have a strong independent streak, and that independent streak is powered by religious fervor. These are the descendants of those who already broke with the United States 160 years ago, in what is popularly known today as America's Civil War. While historically they have been relatively content to live within the political jurisdiction of the United States, there have been periods of history when this contentment was more of a toleration, and even then the bonds of that toleration have been strained. Since the turn of the millennium, those bonds have been strained to new levels, and with the Liberal takeover of Washington DC in the last year, those bonds that unite the South with the North have never been so strained since the years just before the Civil War.

Southern Secession groups are quick to point out this fact, along with the historical fact that the Confederacy never did surrender in 1865. The only thing missing is a government in exile. The political imposition of abortion-on-demand will in itself drive the Southeastern states out of America within a decade or two. That issue alone is enough to expedite a political rupture. Compound that with the imposition of gay-marriage, euthanasia, and "political correctness," the resulting schism is almost assured.

As if social abominations imposed by Washington DC were not enough, there also exists fiscal matters relating to government run healthcare, NAFTA, along with cap and trade, and excessive federal spending. All of this resulting in higher taxation, inflation and a lower standard of living, undermining the Southern economy. Economics was the prime ingredient of the first secession movement in 1860 resulting in the Civil War. There is no reason to believe it won't play a primary role in the second secession movement, probably occurring within the next five to twenty years.

Of course then there is the issue of culture. The American Southeast has a unique blend of Afro-Celtic culture that is evidenced by the rich music, dance and cuisine that has historically originated from this part of the nation...


The above map illustrates the ancestral heritage of the United States, the Southeastern states demonstrating the most interesting blend. Those identifying themselves primarily as "American" are usually of Scottish descent. The blending of these Celtic people with the remnants of African culture imported by the English slave trade some 200 years ago, has given the American Southeast the rich cultural "flavor" that it's known for around the world.

The exodus of the entire American south is inevitable, both in the east and the west. The fate of Texas remains uncertain, as it finds itself on the battlefront of both cultural divides. Texas is where the Southeastern and Southwestern schism meet, and it's long term effect on Texas is unknown.

The fate of New England, the Great Lake States, and the Northern Frontier is also uncertain. While Alaska will soon find itself under Russian control again if it's not quickly annexed by Canada during the political breakup of the lower 48 states. The United States cannot afford a military conflict with Russia, especially while it's preoccupied with political turmoil in the lower 48 states. Who knows what becomes of Hawaii and Puerto Rico?

These are the primary factors driving the political breakup of the United States. They are centered primarily in the Southern states, both east and west, and they will power the demise of this nation as we know it. They are the result of culture and demographics, and the populations of these areas cannot be blamed. It's not their fault. It was, is, and will be, the fault of an overly centralized federal government in Washington DC that has ruled the nation incompetently and fleeced the people of their wealth and national identity. The outcome is certain. It will happen. The only question is when? Historical precedence, culture and demographics mandate it.