Opposing Trends

Here in the States, we are witnessing two forces at work, politically speaking.  The first desires greater centralization in Washington City, the further erosion of the States as unique personalities and independent countries.  It may be seen in proposals by the Progressives/the ‘Left’ to make the apportionment of [u.] S. senators based on population like the House:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/heres-how-fix-senate/579172/

It may also be seen in proposals by the Evangelicals/the ‘Right’ to end the filibuster in the Senate, to make it proceed by a simple majority vote in nearly all cases, rather than preserving the spirit/ghost of the institution, which regards each senator as an ambassador of his State, not a replaceable cog in a political party apparatus.  The former view requires a more graceful and measured approach to debates and votes in the Senate; the latter leads only to Nietzschean ‘will to power’ maneuvers of a bare majority.  This leaves the minority with little protection against the majority, a situation many of the federal Constitution’s supporters claimed to be horrified by (one is justified in thinking they were less than truthful in describing their great anxiety for protecting the hinterland minority in order to win their votes for ratification of their replacement for the much less centralized Articles of Confederation).  It will also come back to haunt the ‘Christian Right’ in the future when a Leftist majority of 51 or 52 senators steamrolls through an agenda that eviscerates what is left of Christianity in the States.  At any rate, here is one evangelical’s plea for ending the filibuster:

https://www.afa.net/the-stand/culture/2017/08/thirty-senate-republicans-defending-democratic-obstruction/

The other force at work is one of decentralization, of strengthening local cultures rather than imposing a single, atheistic, urbanistic culture on whole populations.  It is at work in several places in the (unnecessary) Union.  For ensample:

https://www.facebook.com/freeupstateny/

https://www.newamsterdamny.org/

http://www.nystateofpolitics.com/2018/11/upstate-succession-group-makes-another-push/

https://usareally.com/2389-new-california-state-activists-calling-for-3rd-constitutional-convention

https://usareally.com/2386-new-californians-will-wear-yellow-vests-at-inauguration-of-governor-elect-gavin-newsom

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-illinois-failed-state-ilexit-perspec-0228-20170227-story.html

https://www.ilnews.org/news/state_politics/illinois-lawmakers-urge-congress-to-make-chicago-nation-s-st/article_37c23574-6a99-11e8-972d-5b46e44d70cf.html

https://www.facebook.com/forgottonia/

https://libertystate.org/

We probably ought to embrace the latter course, or else we will face the ugly outbreak of civil violence now on display in Europe and which is rumbling very loudly now just beneath the surface in the States:

https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/politics/the-rising-tide-of-civil-unrest-globally/

via https://www.lewrockwell.com/political-theatre/the-rising-tide-of-civil-unrest-globally/

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Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England, South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð, unworthy though we are!

Anathema to the Union!