The mainstream media has finally caught on to something that has been brewing in America for decades: The deepening divide between two cultures. On one side is the “Blue State” coastal/leftist/authoritarian/atheist/urban culture. And on the other side is the “Red State” inland/conservative/liberty-loving/Christian/rural culture.
Back in 2021, we read this headline, from Forbes: America’s Mass Migration Intensifies As ‘Leftugees’ Flee Blue States And Counties For Red. That article included this:
“America is on the move like never before. Some would say at a tectonic level and for many the driver is as much political as it is economic. The top five states seeing a mass exodus are all Democrat-controlled. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, California, New York, New Jersey, Michigan and Illinois lost a combined 4 million residents between 2010 and 2019. Conversely, a recent study by U-Haul reported that the top five states to see the greatest influx of new residents include the Republican-led states of Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio and Arizona.”
The Great Divide is becoming more and more apparent, with every passing year. Families are voting with their feet, to move to more conservative states. As part of this trend, the American Redoubt movement has rightfully attracted a lot of attention. I predict that it will only get stronger, as time goes on.
Red States Versus Blue States
There are lots of issues that divide us. I created the following contrapuntal table to highlight some distinctions:
| Blue Staters | Red Staters |
| No firm ethics, no moral absolutes. | Christian ethics, recognition that there are moral absolutes |
| Degeneracy and Hedonism | Normalcy and traditional values |
| Globalism | Nationalism |
| State Worship | God Worship |
| Popular Culture | Traditional Culture |
| Polyamory, New Marriage Definitions, LGBTQ++ and “Anything Goes” | Traditional Families with marriage between one man and one woman |
| Transgender/Cross-Dressing/Many Genders | Only Two Sexes: XX and XY |
| Authoritarianism and Big Government | Libertarianism and Small Government |
| Guns only for police & military. “Gun Control” (Civilian disarmament.) | Right to keep and bear arms — A well-armed populace |
| Zoning, Regulation, Bureaucracy | Private property rights |
| Grooming with Drag Queen Story Hours and striptease shows for children | Sheltering and nurturing children |
| Infidelity, Open Marriage | Fidelity |
| Centralized National Government | State’s Rights |
| Big Business | Small Business |
| Pro-Vaccination, Forced Masking | Anti-Vaccination, Voluntary Masking |
| Strong Labor Unions and Forced Union Membership | Right-to-work laws |
| No Knock Warrants, Lenient Courts | Castle Doctrine/”Stand your ground” laws |
| Gun permits only for the politically well-connected | Right to carry, openly or concealed, without permits |
| Elitism, Exclusivity, and Subjugation | Populism |
| Socialism | Capitalism |
| “You need a permit for that” | “I can do as I please” |
| Abortion on demand | Right to life for the unborn |
| High taxation, wealth redistribution, and reparations | Low taxation, keep what you earn |
| “Equity” and Race Quotas | Equality and judging people only as Individuals |
| Rock-‘n-Roll culture | Bedrock culture |
| Veganism, and Beyond Meat | Kill It and Grill It |
| Our legislators are wise and caring. | Our legislators ignore us and no longer represent us. |
| There should be a law about that | We are over-regulated |
| Uncontrolled immigration | Secure borders |
| Urban and industrial | Rural and agrarian |
| High population density | Low population density |
| Watch “American Idol” | Oppose Idol Worship |
| Environmental regulation is a priority | We should be good stewards of the land |
| “A program should be created to…” | Government programs do not benefit economic growth. |
| It is okay to censor people with wrong thoughts | Freedom of speech |
| Anti-hunting | Pro-hunting |
| Socialized medicine: Universal government–supervised or provided health care, or forced insurance. | Voluntary private healthcare insurance and Christian cost-sharing plans |
| Government “intervention” and “programs” | Private sector and faith-based solutions |
| Taxpayer-funded “social services” | Voluntary charity |
| Dependency | Self-Sufficiency |
| Nobody needs a 30-round magazine | You can never have too much ammo |
| Animals have rights | We care for our livestock and give them good lives. Some animals are delicious to eat. |
| Controlled Markets | Free Markets |
| The Green New Deal | The Bill of Rights |
| Trust The Science, even if it changes | Trust in naturally-acquired immunity |
| Want to abolish the death penalty | See the death penalty as a punishment that fits the crime |
| Our Democracy | Our Constitutional Republic |
| Rights are Granted by the Government | Rights are God-Given |
| Collectivism | Individualism |
| Wealthy people should pay higher taxes. | All people should be taxed at the same rate, and taxes are too high. |
| The public interest | Self-interest |
| Ashamed of our history |
Proud of our history |
| Encourage welfare programs | Oppose welfare programs |
| Want a multinational defense scheme, and approve of foreign intervention for “good causes” | Want a strong national defense, but less foreign intervention |
| Government should create equal outcomes |
Hard work leads to success |
| Families are obsolete and controlling | The family unit is the fundamental basis of society |
| The Federal government is paramount | The county government is key |
| Climate change is disastrous, and: “How dare you!” |
Changes in global temperatures are natural, cyclical, over long periods of time, and not man-made |
| College admissions should have race quotas. Chinese and Whites have an unfair advantage. |
Race should not be a factor in college admissions. |
| We must be more accepting and tolerant |
America is losing its moral foundation |
| Want social justice |
Want justice for all |
| Legalizing euthanasia would reduce healthcare costs. | Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal and immoral. |
| Want to remove all references to God in public places and government buildings. |
Want to maintain symbols of Christian heritage in public places and government buildings. |
| The government knows best and must control big businesses. |
Free markets adapt and create opportunities. Governments ruin everything that they touch. |
| “You need to respect our gender pronouns” | “Get a life” |
| An AR-15 is a weapon of war with no legitimate civilian use. | AR stands for America’s Rifle |
| Private property is an obsolete concept. | “Get off my lawn.” |
A Closing Thought
America’s first Civil War was precipitated by righteous outrage over grossly immoral behavior that had been institutionalized in some states, namely: slavery. I can foresee that a second Civil War may be precipitated similarly. To wit, if the homosexual grooming of our sons and daughters becomes normalized, legally sanctioned, and institutionalized, then a comparable level of righteous outrage will contribute to a National Divorce. Conservative red states will declare forthrightly to the Leftist blue states: ‘We want a divorce, and we’re keeping our kids.’ ” – JWR