Glenn Beck recently referred to an important point made by Joe Rogan, in that with the left celebrating political violence, we may have reached his step seven of nine in the lead-up to civil war.

Note that each one of these builds on the previous step in breaking down our society.  

And we might as well dispense with the notion that 'both sides' are equally at fault.  

While that may sound magnanimous, it doesn't square with the present reality, because it should be obvious that most of one side would like to bring down our society, while the other would prefer to conserve it.  

According to Beck, the first step is the loss of civic trust.

The breeding of civil conflict begins when people lose trust in the fairness of the system.  We've seen this at all levels of present-day political discourse, and it has become far worse over the past few years.

Step two is a polarization hardens into identity.

Some political polarization is normal, and in the past, people would simply agree to disagree. Now, however, such differences have become rigid identities that people internalize. This shift has been driven by those who attempt to insert politics into every aspect of daily life, from the sports teams we support to the vehicles we drive. As a result, one side has escalated the culture into a multi-front conflict that feels inescapable.

Thus, everyone is constantly reminded as to who they are on the political divide, with no break in the action.  Politics used to only be one aspect of life, and you could ignore it with work, sports, or hobbies.  But that has all changed, now that one side insists that you be mindful of everything you do.

Making it very difficult to separate what should be the minor subject of politics from everything else.

Step three is a breakdown of the gatekeepers.

Previously, the media, churches, civic leaders, and political parties served as gatekeepers in political discourse, shaping public conversation. Now, however, these institutions have failed in that role and, at times, have worsened the situation, motivated by self-interest.

While the media used to be somewhat mildly biased, they at least made an effort to be objective and cover both sides equally, and you didn't constantly question whether they had an ulterior motive behind their coverage.  These days, certain media sources are nothing but propaganda press, making it very difficult to see where the media ends and a certain political movement begins.

It's to the point where some media sources don't even bother trying to be objective; they just let the Bolshoi fly.  Which leads to the next step in this dreadful 'progression.'

Step four is parallel information realities.

We used to watch the same three channels or read one or two local newspapers.  Now there are multiple sources, and they can present wildly disparate versions of the news and political commentary to the point that these can be completely different realities.

Now, both sides can read the same story from their respective sources and come away with completely different conclusions.  That doesn't bode well for a unified society in which everyone knows what is important and understands the same facts.  

Step five is the loss of a neutral rule of law.

Out of the nine steps, this is the pivot point.  The abject corruption in the rule of law.  The most egregious examples were the relentless persecution of January 6, 2021, defendants and the soft treatment of the leftists who burned, looted, and murdered during their 2020 'summer of love.'

Remember that above everything else, the law is a teacher.  And when it's seen that some people are above the law, while others are relentlessly chased down, it signals that certain political beliefs are championed, while others are verboten.  And this message comes through loud and clear.

Step six is a normalization of political violence.

This has almost become de rigueur for the left side of the spectrum, with their celebration of political murder and the glossing of Jay Jones in Virginia.  It was only a few months ago that most people recoiled in horror at these kinds of acts.   And even worse, while the left initially tried to downplay its ever-violent history from the KKK, Weather Underground, Anti-fa, and onto 'dark woke.'  It's gone from trying to defend its actions to ignoring them.  Who knows, maybe they'll wholesale celebrate the practice next.

Step seven is the rise of militias and parallel forces.

It's always been a mental and linguistic mistake to characterize the two sides as 'pro-gun/anti-gun' because the left has always loved guns; they just never wanted them in the hands of anyone who opposes them.  But now you have small militias forming on both sides, and that doesn't bode well for the future.  And worse yet, with the left in their new paradigm of trying to selectively confiscate guns from political opponents is akin to dumping out gasoline in the midst of a brush fire.

The good news is that this is a big hurdle for all, and now with the violent left coming out of their padded room, there is going to be more than the usual skepticism for their gun-grabbing schemes.  One can just imagine that this type of equipment will soon be flying off the shelves – especially since many on the right have lost all of their old stuff in an unfortunate boating accident.    

When we get to step eight, there's the trigger event.

Civil wars don't begin with a plan. They begin with a spark.

After that, step nine comes when police, military, or federal agencies split.

Luckily, the last few of these are actually pretty high hurdles.  

While in the fevered dreams of the left, the estimated 120 million-to-140 million gun owners with something like 400  million to 600 million guns, and trillions of rounds of ammunition are a 'threat,' the reality is that these are a stabilizing influence.

The steps get higher further in this process, and there are things we can do to reverse it.

For starters, everyone should disavow those who want to tear down this country – that includes those who are supposedly on the right.  We should also be doing all we can to talk to the sane folks on the other side and break down the barriers.  We assert that there is a vast difference between leftists and liberals, with the latter being close to the middle of the spectrum, which means we have a lot more in common with those who purport to champion liberty than those who do not.  While you isolate those who want to burn it all down, who have nothing constructive to offer.  Then you back away from the danger.  

D. Parker is an engineer, inventor, wordsmith, and student of history, former director of communications for a civil rights organization, and a long-time contributor to conservative websites.  Find him on Substack.