Revision history for EraSchismAndStalemate
Additions:
~{{color bg="#A0B0C0" text=" pre "}} [[EraPreHistory Pre-History]]
~{{color bg="#A0B0C0" text=" pre "}} [[EraPreChanges Pre-Changes]]
~{{color bg="#FC345C" text=" 1 "}} EraDragonInTheStreets (12/96)
~{{color bg="#FA8072" text=" 2 "}} EraTheShockSettlesIn (12/96)
~{{color bg="#EFCAA9" text=" 3 "}} EraNationOnTheBrink (1/97)
~{{color bg="#EEE87A" text=" 4 "}} EraSchismAndStalemate (1/97)
~{{color bg="#00FF00" text=" 5 "}} EraFromCausesToCrusades (2-8/97)
~{{color bg="#00FFFF" text=" 6 "}} EraWinterOfDiscontent (8-12/97)
~{{color bg="#87CEEB" text=" 7 "}} EraANewWorldOrder (1998+)
~{{color bg="#9A8AFD" text=" 8 "}} EraOverTheHorizon (2007+)
{{category header="" exclude="Category,Era,Story,Culturalia,Event,Template"}}
~{{color bg="#A0B0C0" text=" pre "}} [[EraPreChanges Pre-Changes]]
~{{color bg="#FC345C" text=" 1 "}} EraDragonInTheStreets (12/96)
~{{color bg="#FA8072" text=" 2 "}} EraTheShockSettlesIn (12/96)
~{{color bg="#EFCAA9" text=" 3 "}} EraNationOnTheBrink (1/97)
~{{color bg="#EEE87A" text=" 4 "}} EraSchismAndStalemate (1/97)
~{{color bg="#00FF00" text=" 5 "}} EraFromCausesToCrusades (2-8/97)
~{{color bg="#00FFFF" text=" 6 "}} EraWinterOfDiscontent (8-12/97)
~{{color bg="#87CEEB" text=" 7 "}} EraANewWorldOrder (1998+)
~{{color bg="#9A8AFD" text=" 8 "}} EraOverTheHorizon (2007+)
{{category header="" exclude="Category,Era,Story,Culturalia,Event,Template"}}
Deletions:
~{{color bg="#FC345C" text=" 1 "}} EraDragonInTheStreets (12/96)
~{{color bg="#FA8072" text=" 2 "}} EraTheShockSettlesIn (12/96)
~{{color bg="#EFCAA9" text=" 3 "}} EraNationOnTheBrink (1/97)
~{{color bg="#EEE87A" text=" 4 "}} ''""Schism And Stalemate""'' (1/97)
~{{color bg="#00FF00" text=" 5 "}} EraFromCausesToCrusades (2-8/97)
~{{color bg="#00FFFF" text=" 6 "}} EraWinterOfDiscontent (8-12/97)
~{{color bg="#87CEEB" text=" 7 "}} EraANewWorldOrder (1998+)
~{{color bg="#9A8AFD" text=" 8 "}} EraOverTheHorizon (2007+)
{{category header="" exclude="Category,Era,Story,Culturalia,Event"}}
Additions:
~{{color bg="#A0B0C0" text=" pre "}} [[EraPreChanges Pre-Changes]]
~{{color bg="#FC345C" text=" 1 "}} EraDragonInTheStreets (12/96)
~{{color bg="#FA8072" text=" 2 "}} EraTheShockSettlesIn (12/96)
~{{color bg="#EFCAA9" text=" 3 "}} EraNationOnTheBrink (1/97)
~{{color bg="#EEE87A" text=" 4 "}} ''""Schism And Stalemate""'' (1/97)
~{{color bg="#00FF00" text=" 5 "}} EraFromCausesToCrusades (2-8/97)
~{{color bg="#00FFFF" text=" 6 "}} EraWinterOfDiscontent (8-12/97)
~{{color bg="#87CEEB" text=" 7 "}} EraANewWorldOrder (1998+)
~{{color bg="#9A8AFD" text=" 8 "}} EraOverTheHorizon (2007+)
~{{color bg="#FC345C" text=" 1 "}} EraDragonInTheStreets (12/96)
~{{color bg="#FA8072" text=" 2 "}} EraTheShockSettlesIn (12/96)
~{{color bg="#EFCAA9" text=" 3 "}} EraNationOnTheBrink (1/97)
~{{color bg="#EEE87A" text=" 4 "}} ''""Schism And Stalemate""'' (1/97)
~{{color bg="#00FF00" text=" 5 "}} EraFromCausesToCrusades (2-8/97)
~{{color bg="#00FFFF" text=" 6 "}} EraWinterOfDiscontent (8-12/97)
~{{color bg="#87CEEB" text=" 7 "}} EraANewWorldOrder (1998+)
~{{color bg="#9A8AFD" text=" 8 "}} EraOverTheHorizon (2007+)
Deletions:
~{{color bg="crimson" text=" 1 "}} EraDragonInTheStreets (12/96)
~{{color bg="salmon" text=" 2 "}} EraTheShockSettlesIn (12/96)
~{{color bg="peachpuff" text=" 3 "}} EraNationOnTheBrink (1/97)
~{{color bg="palegoldenrod" text=" 4 "}} ''Schism And Stalemate'' (1/97)
~{{color bg="lime" text=" 5 "}} EraFromCausesToCrusades (2-8/97)
~{{color bg="cyan" text=" 6 "}} EraWinterOfDiscontent (8-12/97)
~{{color bg="skyblue" text=" 7 "}} EraANewWorldOrder (1998+)
~{{color bg="slateblue" text=" 8 "}} EraOverTheHorizon (2007+)
Additions:
As is usually the case with symbolic laws, politicians' solutions were largely unconstitutional or unenforceable. Ultimately, courts would largely block the most excessive of the new laws, and rein in the rest. But while those challenges were being brought, the atmosphere for theris was decidedly more ominous, and the national mood was accordingly much more tense. Those with the greatest stake in the fight were fully mobilized, not wanting to risk outright conflict but not willing to back down. The standoff between theris and humanity's self-styled defenders would remain motionless for weeks and bitter for months.
Against this backdrop, GroupSANE and GroupTheGuardianKnights would coalesce -- the first of many human organizations driven by a theri-related agenda. Others would follow. EventTheMeeting was a landmark that spurred many to action.
History would definitely record EventTheMeeting as a two-edged sword. It prevented an era of open theri repression (and possibly even a broader slide into fascism), but it also left Americans frightened of revolution -- and seeing therianthropes as a threatening force beyond anyone's control. The wording of Redwing's declaration, with its mention of war, was ready evidence for those looking for evil intentions; Redwing and other major theri figures would spend the next few months trying to fight fundamentalists' and reactionaries' "I told you so"s.
Like Vietnam, the divisions drawn in this era would be felt for at least a generation after the immediate conflict faded. The possibility of open war evaporated quickly, but such things as the EventGoldMurders (and later, the GroupHumanEvolutionFront manifesto) kept alive the dire warnings that theris had shadowy plans to subjugate humanity under an iron claw. Even a decade later, some of those wounds would still be fresh; America's opposition to the EventNewAtlantisRaising would be based in no small part on the distrust and paranoia that began in 1997.
{{category header="" exclude="Category,Era,Story,Culturalia,Event"}}
Against this backdrop, GroupSANE and GroupTheGuardianKnights would coalesce -- the first of many human organizations driven by a theri-related agenda. Others would follow. EventTheMeeting was a landmark that spurred many to action.
History would definitely record EventTheMeeting as a two-edged sword. It prevented an era of open theri repression (and possibly even a broader slide into fascism), but it also left Americans frightened of revolution -- and seeing therianthropes as a threatening force beyond anyone's control. The wording of Redwing's declaration, with its mention of war, was ready evidence for those looking for evil intentions; Redwing and other major theri figures would spend the next few months trying to fight fundamentalists' and reactionaries' "I told you so"s.
Like Vietnam, the divisions drawn in this era would be felt for at least a generation after the immediate conflict faded. The possibility of open war evaporated quickly, but such things as the EventGoldMurders (and later, the GroupHumanEvolutionFront manifesto) kept alive the dire warnings that theris had shadowy plans to subjugate humanity under an iron claw. Even a decade later, some of those wounds would still be fresh; America's opposition to the EventNewAtlantisRaising would be based in no small part on the distrust and paranoia that began in 1997.
{{category header="" exclude="Category,Era,Story,Culturalia,Event"}}
Deletions:
Against this backdrop, GroupSANE and GroupTheGuardianKnights would coalesce -- the first of many human organizations driven by a theri-related agenda. Others would follow. EventTheMeeting was a landmark that spurred many to action.
History would definitely record EventTheMeeting as a two-edged sword. It prevented an era of open theri repression (and quite possibly a broader slide into fascism), but it also left Americans frightened of revolution -- and seeing therianthropes as a threatening force beyond anyone's control. The wording of Redwing's declaration, with its mention of war, was ready evidence for those looking for evil intentions; Redwing and other major theri figures would spend the next few months trying to fight fundamentalists' and reactionaries' "I told you so"s.
Like Vietnam, the divisions drawn in this era would be felt long after the immediate conflict faded. The possibility of open war evaporated quickly, but such things as the EventGoldMurders (and later, the GroupHumanEvolutionFront manifesto) kept alive the dire warnings that theris had shadowy plans to subjugate humanity under an iron claw. Even a decade later, some of those wounds would still be fresh; America's opposition to the EventNewAtlantisRaising would be based in no small part on 1997's distrust and paranoia.
{{category exclude="Category,Era,Story,Culturalia,Event"}}
Revision [529]
Edited on 2007-08-08 03:36:03 by BaxilDragon [Category namespace support is -still- awesome!]Additions:
{{category header="" only="Story,Culturalia" col="4"}}
{{category exclude="Category,Era,Story,Culturalia,Event"}}
{{category exclude="Category,Era,Story,Culturalia,Event"}}
Deletions:
{{category exclude="Category,Era,Story,Event"}}
Revision [524]
Edited on 2007-08-08 03:29:55 by BaxilDragon [Category namespace support is -still- awesome!]Additions:
==Major Events==
{{category header="" only="Event"}}
===Stories Set In This Era===
{{category header="" only="Story" col="4"}}
===Other Associated Pages===
{{category exclude="Category,Era,Story,Event"}}
{{category header="" only="Event"}}
===Stories Set In This Era===
{{category header="" only="Story" col="4"}}
===Other Associated Pages===
{{category exclude="Category,Era,Story,Event"}}
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===Associated Stories===
{{category}}
""//""//this needs to be filtered per WikiToDo -b//
Additions:
In short, don't overlook the full impact of The Meeting. Politically, it would be as pivotal as The Changes themselves were, and it would cause nearly as many problems for theris as it solved. In this era, the backlash is as strong as it ever will get, and theris are on the receiving end of a great deal of (both anonymous and face-to-face) hostility. The chasm between theris/mages and the unchanged seems almost unbridgeable.
Deletions:
Additions:
The combined voice of two thousand theris and mages gave one response to EventTheExecutiveOrder: //"No. And if you make us, there will be war."//
Deletions:
Additions:
>> //Thursday, January 9, 1997 - [[TheWednesdayrule Wednesday]], January 29, 1997//
It was an incredible victory for theri rights, but it came at a high cost. The brinkmanship poisoned the political atmosphere, giving anti-theri groups a rallying cry. Another weekend of unrest rippled across the nation, with demonstrations taking a darker and more directly anti-theri edge. Hate crimes, too, saw an immediate spike.
While EraDragonInTheStreets may have caused more uncertainty and even panic, this era is the leader in terms of raw fear. Humans fixate on the threat of Redwing's war; theris fixate on the threat of internment, and later the political backlash. With the stakes so high, everyone finds it easy to assume the worst of their opponents.
History would definitely record EventTheMeeting as a two-edged sword. It prevented an era of open theri repression (and quite possibly a broader slide into fascism), but it also left Americans frightened of revolution -- and seeing therianthropes as a threatening force beyond anyone's control. The wording of Redwing's declaration, with its mention of war, was ready evidence for those looking for evil intentions; Redwing and other major theri figures would spend the next few months trying to fight fundamentalists' and reactionaries' "I told you so"s.
Like Vietnam, the divisions drawn in this era would be felt long after the immediate conflict faded. The possibility of open war evaporated quickly, but such things as the EventGoldMurders (and later, the GroupHumanEvolutionFront manifesto) kept alive the dire warnings that theris had shadowy plans to subjugate humanity under an iron claw. Even a decade later, some of those wounds would still be fresh; America's opposition to the EventNewAtlantisRaising would be based in no small part on 1997's distrust and paranoia.
In short, don't overlook the full impact of The Meeting. Politically, it would be as pivotal as The Changes themselves were, and it would cause nearly as many problems for theris as it solved.
It was an incredible victory for theri rights, but it came at a high cost. The brinkmanship poisoned the political atmosphere, giving anti-theri groups a rallying cry. Another weekend of unrest rippled across the nation, with demonstrations taking a darker and more directly anti-theri edge. Hate crimes, too, saw an immediate spike.
While EraDragonInTheStreets may have caused more uncertainty and even panic, this era is the leader in terms of raw fear. Humans fixate on the threat of Redwing's war; theris fixate on the threat of internment, and later the political backlash. With the stakes so high, everyone finds it easy to assume the worst of their opponents.
History would definitely record EventTheMeeting as a two-edged sword. It prevented an era of open theri repression (and quite possibly a broader slide into fascism), but it also left Americans frightened of revolution -- and seeing therianthropes as a threatening force beyond anyone's control. The wording of Redwing's declaration, with its mention of war, was ready evidence for those looking for evil intentions; Redwing and other major theri figures would spend the next few months trying to fight fundamentalists' and reactionaries' "I told you so"s.
Like Vietnam, the divisions drawn in this era would be felt long after the immediate conflict faded. The possibility of open war evaporated quickly, but such things as the EventGoldMurders (and later, the GroupHumanEvolutionFront manifesto) kept alive the dire warnings that theris had shadowy plans to subjugate humanity under an iron claw. Even a decade later, some of those wounds would still be fresh; America's opposition to the EventNewAtlantisRaising would be based in no small part on 1997's distrust and paranoia.
In short, don't overlook the full impact of The Meeting. Politically, it would be as pivotal as The Changes themselves were, and it would cause nearly as many problems for theris as it solved.
Deletions:
It was an incredible victory for theri rights, but it came at a high cost for the country. The brinkmanship poisoned the political atmosphere, giving anti-theri groups a rallying cry. Another weekend of unrest rippled across the nation, with demonstrations taking a darker and more directly anti-theri edge. Hate crimes, too, saw an immediate spike.
While EraDragonInTheStreets may have caused more uncertainty and even panic, this era is the leader in terms of raw fear. Humans fixate on the threat of Redwing's war; theris fixate on the threat of internment, and later the political backlash.
//in progress//
Additions:
Against this backdrop, GroupSANE and GroupTheGuardianKnights would coalesce -- the first of many human organizations driven by a theri-related agenda. Others would follow. EventTheMeeting was a landmark that spurred many to action.
This era's end was a landmark, too -- of an entirely different sort. Denny Brogi's teleportation accident at first received very little attention, and was seen as a mere curiosity by those who did notice. But that one moment of carelessness would cascade into CulturaliaTheDeathOfTeleportation, and by raising fear of safety concerns, would broadly alter the magical -- and political -- landscape.
While EraDragonInTheStreets may have caused more uncertainty and even panic, this era is the leader in terms of raw fear. Humans fixate on the threat of Redwing's war; theris fixate on the threat of internment, and later the political backlash.
This era's end was a landmark, too -- of an entirely different sort. Denny Brogi's teleportation accident at first received very little attention, and was seen as a mere curiosity by those who did notice. But that one moment of carelessness would cascade into CulturaliaTheDeathOfTeleportation, and by raising fear of safety concerns, would broadly alter the magical -- and political -- landscape.
While EraDragonInTheStreets may have caused more uncertainty and even panic, this era is the leader in terms of raw fear. Humans fixate on the threat of Redwing's war; theris fixate on the threat of internment, and later the political backlash.
Deletions:
(//While EraDragonInTheStreets may have caused more uncertainty and even panic, this era is the leader in terms of raw fear.// - and what of this one?
Additions:
=====Era: Schism And Stalemate=====
@@""<<"" [[EraNationOnTheBrink Previous Era]] * [[EraFromCausesToCrusades Next Era]] "">>""@@
~{{color bg="peachpuff" text=" 3 "}} EraNationOnTheBrink (1/97)
~{{color bg="palegoldenrod" text=" 4 "}} ''Schism And Stalemate'' (1/97)
>> //Thursday, January 9, 1997 - Wednesday, January 29, 1997//
**Starts with:** EventTheMeeting
**Ends with:** EventBrogiAccident
The combined voice of over a thousand theris and mages gave one response to EventTheExecutiveOrder: //"No. And if you make us, there will be war."//
There very nearly was.
But ultimately, EventTheMeeting's show of unity and resistance held. Both serious analysts and popular media panicked, fixating on wild but suddenly plausible scenarios about teleported nuclear bombs, shapeshifting terrorists and even (less plausibly) pets rising up against their owners. Redwing promised Americans that theris would take no action unless the government did something stupid, and milked the controversy over the Order for all it was worth.
Americans don't take well to being threatened, so the government initially rattled a few sabers -- but the White House was ultimately unwilling to start a war that could end with the Capitol a smoking crater. Redwing refused to budge, and the Order was rescinded as gracefully as circumstances would allow.
It was an incredible victory for theri rights, but it came at a high cost for the country. The brinkmanship poisoned the political atmosphere, giving anti-theri groups a rallying cry. Another weekend of unrest rippled across the nation, with demonstrations taking a darker and more directly anti-theri edge. Hate crimes, too, saw an immediate spike.
Politicians, bowing to popular anger, scrambled to pass nakedly discriminatory and restrictive laws -- dancing the razor's edge of theri war and human uprising. Redwing proved equally unwilling to start a war that would decimate the country he loved and permanently stain theris as mass murderers, and backed down himself after issuing a few veiled warnings.
As is usually the case with symbolic laws, politicians' solutions were largely unconstitutional or unenforceable. Courts immediately blocked the most excessive of the new laws, and prepared to pounce on the rest. So the end result of all the tension was a legal framework much like the old one but more ominous. Theris and humanity's self-styled defenders stayed frozen in a standoff that would remain motionless for weeks and bitter for months.
//in progress//
//teleportation accident; SANE//
//in progress//
(//While EraDragonInTheStreets may have caused more uncertainty and even panic, this era is the leader in terms of raw fear.// - and what of this one?
@@""<<"" [[EraNationOnTheBrink Previous Era]] * [[EraFromCausesToCrusades Next Era]] "">>""@@
~{{color bg="peachpuff" text=" 3 "}} EraNationOnTheBrink (1/97)
~{{color bg="palegoldenrod" text=" 4 "}} ''Schism And Stalemate'' (1/97)
>> //Thursday, January 9, 1997 - Wednesday, January 29, 1997//
**Starts with:** EventTheMeeting
**Ends with:** EventBrogiAccident
The combined voice of over a thousand theris and mages gave one response to EventTheExecutiveOrder: //"No. And if you make us, there will be war."//
There very nearly was.
But ultimately, EventTheMeeting's show of unity and resistance held. Both serious analysts and popular media panicked, fixating on wild but suddenly plausible scenarios about teleported nuclear bombs, shapeshifting terrorists and even (less plausibly) pets rising up against their owners. Redwing promised Americans that theris would take no action unless the government did something stupid, and milked the controversy over the Order for all it was worth.
Americans don't take well to being threatened, so the government initially rattled a few sabers -- but the White House was ultimately unwilling to start a war that could end with the Capitol a smoking crater. Redwing refused to budge, and the Order was rescinded as gracefully as circumstances would allow.
It was an incredible victory for theri rights, but it came at a high cost for the country. The brinkmanship poisoned the political atmosphere, giving anti-theri groups a rallying cry. Another weekend of unrest rippled across the nation, with demonstrations taking a darker and more directly anti-theri edge. Hate crimes, too, saw an immediate spike.
Politicians, bowing to popular anger, scrambled to pass nakedly discriminatory and restrictive laws -- dancing the razor's edge of theri war and human uprising. Redwing proved equally unwilling to start a war that would decimate the country he loved and permanently stain theris as mass murderers, and backed down himself after issuing a few veiled warnings.
As is usually the case with symbolic laws, politicians' solutions were largely unconstitutional or unenforceable. Courts immediately blocked the most excessive of the new laws, and prepared to pounce on the rest. So the end result of all the tension was a legal framework much like the old one but more ominous. Theris and humanity's self-styled defenders stayed frozen in a standoff that would remain motionless for weeks and bitter for months.
//in progress//
//teleportation accident; SANE//
//in progress//
(//While EraDragonInTheStreets may have caused more uncertainty and even panic, this era is the leader in terms of raw fear.// - and what of this one?
Deletions:
@@""<<"" [[EraTheShockSettlesIn Previous Era]] * [[EraSchismAndStalemate Next Era]] "">>""@@
~{{color bg="peachpuff" text=" 3 "}} ''Nation On The Brink'' (1/97)
~{{color bg="palegoldenrod" text=" 4 "}} EraSchismAndStalemate (1/97)
>> //Wednesday, January 1, 1997 - Thursday, January 9, 1997//
**Starts with:** EventTheFlyby
**Ends with:** EventTheMeeting
Most therianthropes headed into 1997 full of optimism, convinced that they had already weathered the worst of the public opinion roller-coaster ride. They were wrong.
The Flyby, for the first time, undeniably painted theris as the villains. A public that had been willing to let their inner fears be calmed by theris' good deeds suddenly found themselves confronting those fears. Today, 13 in Times Square ... how many tomorrow? Why //hadn't// there been other similar tragedies, and what was stopping more of them from occurring? Suddenly, doomsayers' warnings didn't seem quite so hysterical.
Historians still debate if the worst of it could have been avoided -- if shedding the blood of the Flyby Three might have appeased the public's newfound rage and grief. But many theris, who understandably felt the Three were facing execution over an innocent mistake, weren't about to let that happen. CharacterDennisRedwing was among them, and throwing his star power into their defense nearly crystallized those fears into open conflict.
Redwing started the showdown with his announcement that he would represent the Three to negotiate their surrender if prosecutors would rule out the death penalty. The FBI's detention of Redwing and their threats to charge him as well upped the ante. Redwing's much-publicized escape gave both sides a personal stake. Further escalation then seemed inevitable, but not even pessimistic theris were prepared for EventTheExecutiveOrder. The gauntlet had been thrown.
The order's 72-hour deadline crawled closer, minute by minute. The whole country, and much of the world, watched and waited -- amid fierce debate, and growing speculation as high-profile theris maintained a strict silence.
Ironically, it was largely that silence that turned the terms of the debate around. Mass media, unable to sustain its focus on theri reaction, shifted its gaze to the order itself. The visions of some of the order's most vocal proponents were brought to light -- new spy and police structures to weed out hidden theris from the humans they resembled; "purges"; and other civil-liberties nightmares. That kicked off a legal and political counterattack whose rhetoric became blistering even in theris' absence. Between that and the outing of one or two significant political figures -- emphasizing how deep any enforcement of the order would have to dig -- some began to wonder if this cure wouldn't be worse than the disease.
And so the stage was set for the surprise unveiling of The Meeting and Redwing's declaration of defiance. The combined voice of over a thousand theris and mages gave one response to the relocation order: //"No. And if you make us, there will be war."//
EventTheExecutiveOrder
//"[[http://www.potw.org/archive/potw351.html Things fall apart; the center cannot hold.]]"// - W.B. Yeats
The theme of this era of TTU is of a steep and accelerating spiral toward destruction. The average human or theri is powerless in the face of their leaders' grand designs; those leaders are themselves
powerless in the face of events. Caught in the grip of history, everyone is simply struggling to protect their life and lifestyle.
In true Cold War style -- a not inappropriate comparison, considering that one of the doomsday scenarios discussed in the media after EventTheMeeting was a mage teleporting a nuclear bomb out of the U.S.' arsenal into a major city -- both sides could only escalate the conflict in hopes of finding a threat whose consequences would be too dire to risk. After EventTheMeeting, an equilibrium would finally be reached, but during this era it was far from clear that the titans' clash could be stopped short of deadly force.
While EraDragonInTheStreets may have caused more uncertainty and even panic, this era is the leader in terms of raw fear. If they're contacted by Redwing or one of his agents, theris cling to The Meeting like a log in a whirlpool; if they're not, theris must decide how to deal with a command that is as world-shattering to them as The Changes were to ordinary humans. Those humans, meanwhile, are getting flashbacks to a paranoia of helplessness not seen since the "Duck and Cover" days.
Many people try to maintain a semblance of real life in this era -- after all, most adults have some Cold War experience and Mutually Assured Destruction isn't a new idea -- but everyone keeps one ear to the news, wondering just how bad it's going to get. After EventTheExecutiveOrder, troops are back out on the streets (although subtly, as peacekeepers); the U.S. has again ground to a near-halt; and things don't start to thaw until the country steps back from the edge.
