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April 2024Though it perhaps isn’t a surprise to many, two authors have now put a BIG target on white rural Americans. We Wisconsinites are directly in the cross hairs since we are considered to be in the “flyover country” or “the four-hour void between the coasts.” These deprecating descriptions have been around for decades but are being taken to extremes. Seems to me that anyone who has really experienced the Midwest, or central part of America, would not be so easily persuaded about these things. However, the mind control aspects of this “wokeism” are so strong that people can easily jump over any rational objections and agree! It appears to me to be more evidence of the reprobate or depraved mind.
“Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.” (Romans 1:28).
We need to be forearmed to be able to address these concerns. This new best seller can be found on Amazon and some of the interviews they’ve done can be found on Youtube — “White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy” by Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman.
These authors give four overarching reasons they have for believing that rural Americans are the biggest threat to democracy. I will list them here and then go back to address the main concerns. This summary was taken from an online interview:
1). The most racist, xenophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-gay, geodemographic group in the country.
2). Most conspiracists groups: q anon support and subscribers, election denialism, COVID denialism, science skepticism, Obama birtherism…
3). Anti-democratic sentiments: they don’t believe in an independent press, free speech, they’re most likely to say that the President should be …unclear phrase “of that”... unilaterally without any checks from Congress, the Courts or bureaucracy...they’re also the most strongly white nationalists, and white Christian nationalists and
4). Most likely to excuse or justify violence as an acceptable alternative to peaceful public dissent.
This all seems entirely unbelievable to me! These same characteristics, phrased differently without emotionally triggering words, seem to me to be the backbone of a constitutional republic, as we have never been a democracy. The authors quoted from a number of polling and research projects to support their claims. Several of these polling project groups have gone on record to state that the authors misinterpreted their results, and more or less, twisted the perceptions and results to meet their criteria.
1). The first concern is a prime example of the redefinition of words that is frequently found among liberals or “woke” people. Each of these trigger words have been re-interpreted to mean that any concern at all for reasonable boundaries and limitations is considered bad. This has been going on for a long time. The first example I recall was when “being tolerant” which meant to me and others, that as believers, we were to love the sinner while hating the sin. It was changed decades ago to now mean that being tolerant requires one to drop all standards and agree that whatever anyone chooses to do is right for them. I have even heard that from come from the mouth of a mental health counselor who said that any decision an individual made would be right. To express any concerns about Biblical standards is considered hateful.
Racism and xenophobia are closely related and defined as being fearful or antagonistic to anything “foreign” or “different.” To recognize that there are differences should not in itself be considered fearful or antagonistic when it is simply noting real differences in order to acknowledge or address them.
Anti-immigrant has been inaccurately represented when the real concern is for the ILLEGAL immigrants being escorted into our country by our government directly and indirectly through contracts with Catholic, Lutheran and Jewish refugee agencies. It is not limited to the southern border as northern states have also been impacted by a large amount of people coming across the border from Canada. These people have maps and checkpoints prepared for them in advance of their travels. Airports, community centers, hotels, schools and even national forest areas are all being utilized to speed the entrance of illegal, unvetted people. The discovery of Illegal Immigrant Welcome Centers placed around the country, with the system of airline flights, bussing, housing and many financial supports that are being denied to American citizens in favor of these illegals is treasonous. Legal immigrants aren’t very happy about this either!
As I write this article, I see several reports of illegal immigrants taking over private homes. One homeowner was arrested for confronting them and trying to evict them. “Squatter’s rights” are now being extended to illegal immigrants. I have seen two offers now from groups willing to come in, confront, and evict squatters for Americans.
“Anti-gay” is their label for those who honor the Word and God’s standard on sexuality. Again, we are called to hate the sin but love the sinner and help them to make positive change toward honoring God. THIS is what is called hateful now.
2). The second concern identifies rural Americans as being most committed to what they represent as conspiracies of one kind or another. It has become more and more clear as times passes that much of what was considered “conspiracy” in the past has actually been proven to be true. I suspect that “middle America” may be slower on the update to some of this stuff being spread online, but also more well grounded in daily realities and thus quicker to see through webs of lies.
If you are opposed to the position that filling our country with people who do NOT intend to integrate and become American citizens with pride in this place, then you can see why they would identify the heartland and backbone of American values as being “dangerous.”
The authors were quick to protest that there is not a plan to replace Americans with these illegals but that is in fact, exactly what it looks like…after promoting COVID 19 and shots, there are millions of people disabled or dead. Fertility has been decreased, as well as all the transgendered people losing their ability to procreate, and there is the highest rate of maternal deaths during pregnancy seen in a hundred years per Dr. Peter McCullough. While gun control continues to be pushed for American citizens, illegal immigrants have been approved to carry guns. A well-organized travel plan with funding, housing and other American rights is being extended to illegal immigrants, all at expense of American taxpayers and violating American citizens rights in the process. Rob Pue has identified a number of towns and areas in Wisconsin that have already been flooded with illegal immigrants…and surely we have seen this around the world.
3). This one seems the hardest for me to summarize. I really can’t quite identify how or why they would say that rural Americans are against democratic principles or a free press. If anything, even only the existence of “The Onion” weekly satirical paper originally based in Madison WI, starting in 1988, would seem to indicate some appreciation for printing things that were out of the ordinary and contradictory to the accepted “norm!” Again, it may be that they have redefined what it means to support democratic principles to mean things that support the current woke, totalitarian practices. I generally see rural Americans more likely to support constitutional practices, again a Republic not a democracy. I don’t personally recall hearing anyone say that the President or any branch of government should not have checks and balances. Have you? But then, totalitarianism and the resulting anarchy do not recognize any kind of healthy boundaries or limitations.
The whole vision of nationalist or Christian nationalism which I think should be a healthy appreciation for a nation, it’s citizens and its governmental practices and constitutional foundation has also been redefined. Those who have a nationalist or Christan viewpoint are often accused of being a Nazi. Though there have always been individuals within ANY belief system that take things to a extreme, it is rarely true to generalize that to the entire population. It was well said long ago that if all you have is a hammer, all you will see is a nail. The belief system of these people rests on power and control, and the more control the better; right down to redefining language, and being able to control and deal with “thought crimes” of individuals and organizations.
So what rural Americans would see as a centrist, balanced perspective, these people would only be able to call out one extreme to another, with disregard and disinterest in the centrist beliefs. Polarizing society to be either/or is a large part of the divisiveness that is being pushed. With God’s help, may we push back.
4). This one, coming from representatives of the group that described the “mostly peaceful” riots going on, while fire and explosions were happening behind them on the nightly news? This must be again, a re-definition of terms. Peaceful, law abiding, God honoring citizens DO agree that violent crimes should be addressed as needed to bring them under control for the safety of all. This is not the same thing as preferring and instigating violence but those who promote beliefs such as represented in this book are very deft at blurring the lines and using emotional rhetoric.
When a government fails to protect its citizens, the citizens have a right and a duty to hold them accountable and replace as needed in order to keep order. This is not the same thing as vigilantism. It may well have to be the well-organized militias that the American constitution identified as necessary that will be needed.
Would it help to rephrase their 4 areas of concern?
1). Rural America is not what it was even 50 years ago but is still primarily made up of people who see daily reality more clearly and are not so easily persuaded by social media and influencers. We identify as Americans, unabashedly. We uphold more Biblical standards on behavior unapologetically. We do not automatically identify “different” as “bad,” but do recognize differences are real. If anything, much of rural America, white or otherwise, has been blinded by the firm conviction of what is good and right and therefore has had a hard time coming to grips with how off base and truly wicked current leadership behaviors have become.
2). Rural Americans, white or otherwise, are more in touch with daily reality and have been doing more research to understand and recognize the lies that have been presented through the media. Though we have required leaders in each of the areas listed to do the deepest study to expose the lies, we have then been better able to recognize them and not simply follow along as sheep.
3). Much of what is called rural white America remains committed to constitutional values and still retains more of Biblical standards than those on the east and west coasts. Again, the complacency of believing that all Americans still retained these basic beliefs has kept them quiet, and uninvolved for too long. That is changing to some degree now, thus now being targeted as voices are raised to oppose the horrific changes being made in America.
4). Rural America is still more willing than other Americans to see appropriate judgement and authority being exercised for the good of all.
Standing alone for the Truth has always been a lonely thing. People are first ridiculed for recognizing problems, and later vilified. At some point, as other people see the courage of one standing for truth, more will stand up…when it isn’t quite as frightening to do so now that someone is already saying what they were afraid to say before. For many decades now, Americas leaders have been infiltrated with those who hold globalist goals. I think that we in rural America are in the process of recognizing the infiltration and beginning to speak out. The vilification is here but we must rise above it if we are to remain a people, a nation under God.
Those alive in the 1950s may well remember what happened when Wisconsin’s Joseph McCarthy spoke up. While we want to avoid such accusations getting out of hand to harm innocent people, I hope that more are now realizing that the fraud and deception American leaders have perpetrated against the people DOES need to be addressed with courage and conviction to step out from underneath it. Rural Americans may well recognize that we deserve the wrath of God yet also may be in relationship with Him enough to know how to intercede.
