On the continuation of the same old same old, probably.

What do you think, is the country on a raft and heading for the falls? Or, alternatively, perhaps we're frogs in a kettle, just beginning to notice the rising temperature (catastrophism vs. declinism). On the other hand, I suppose you might think that we're riding on the train called the "Arc of History," on our way to Justiceland. But no one ever seriously believed that, did they?

The content of political conservatism is endlessly debatable, but one thing on which all the interested parties might agree is, we don't care for mobs. The reluctance to trust "street action" is part of the conservative's extreme mistrust of power. If we are to be consistent (though we seldom are) that would include all power. The power of kings, elected officials, bureaucrats, political parties, social media influencers, entertainment personalities, or mobs in the streets.

I've been avoiding "the news" for a while now. Oh, I glance through the headlines, but I've been avoiding the deep dive, mostly. I honestly don't know if the phenomenon of crowds pulling down statues is a major problem, an indicator of incipient revolution, or a kind of fever that will soon pass. I don't know if it's truly widespread, or if the media is exaggerating its prevalence. In other words, I don't know if I should be deeply concerned, or just (as per my fallback policy) cynically bemused.

You see the whole matter is complicated by the fact that we're in an election year. That means that the two main contestants and their minions will try to drag every issue into the spiraling maw of electoral brinksmanship. Every issue is a matter of doom or salvation for the Republic. It's always the Falls (or perhaps the boiling frogs) or its the Arc of History, the bright new tomorrow.

But what it really is, probably, is just the same old same old, one damn thing after another. The pendulum swings, favoring now the left and then the right, reaction and counter-reaction, with one side seeming ascendant, for the moment, and very soon the other. An election takes place. The winners sing "Happy Days Are Here Again," while the losers regroup, planning their next move, but for public consumption painting all things black until they come back into power.

Almost all our information comes from sources invested in one side or the other. We could be approaching the falls, but we're probably not. This coming election could be do-or-die, but it's probably not. Wary skepticism seems a reasonable approach. Keep your powder dry, avoid trouble, plow your piece of ground, and give glory to God for each given day.