By Tom Czerniawski

I was wasting time on Wikipedia when, in the course of my meandering search, I ran across the entry for genocide.

I saw something that caught my attention and, frankly, worried me. The following is lifted largely verbatim from that Wikipedia article:

“In 1996 Gregory Stanton, the president of Genocide Watch, presented a briefing paper called "The 8 Stages of Genocide" at the United States Department of State. In it he suggested that genocide develops in eight stages that are "predictable but not inexorable".

The Stanton paper was presented at the State Department, shortly after the Rwanda genocide and much of the analysis is based on why that genocide occurred. The preventative measures suggested, given the original target audience, were those that the United States could implement directly or use their influence on other governments to have implemented”

The Wiki entry then continues to go over each of these 8 stages:

1.Classification: People are divided into "us and them".
2.Symbolization: When combined with hatred, symbols may be forced upon unwitting members of pariah groups.
3.Dehumanization: One group denies the humanity of the other group. Members of it are equated with animals, vermin, or diseases.
4.Organization: Genocide is always organized... special army units or militias are often trained and armed.
5.Polarization: Hate groups begin to broadcast polarizing propaganda.
6.Preparation: Victims are identified and separated out because of their ethnic or religious identity.
7.Extermination: "It is "extermination" to the killers because they do not believe their victims to be fully human."
8.Denial: The perpetrators deny that they committed any crimes.

It struck me that, using this as a check-list, America was pretty far down. Almost at "genocide," really. Some may be inclined to fervently disagree, but consider each stage on this grim procession.

Classification: Do I really need to back this point up with evidence, or is the nation's division along racial lines not yet blatantly obvious? We all have names for the races outside our own, and they tend not to be friendly terms.

Symbolization: The very race of an individual has come to symbolize their stereotypical role in American society. Black? Gang member, criminal. Muslim? Terrorist, cab driver.

Dehumanization: I would like to enter into evidence as exhibit A, the comments section of a video titled “Violence in another McDonalds almost kills customer.”

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ec0_1303444048&comments=1#comments

While the crime in the video is abhorrent on its own merits, the reactions of LiveLeak posters are galling. Animals? Check. Diseases? Check. Vermin? Check. Would these terms be used if the situation were reversed, where the offender was white, and the victim black?

Let's find out in just such a video:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=8dc_1247056460

A comment by user PresidentZero: “It is only news when white people attack a black. He came after them at one point instead of walking away, so he is clearly not an innocent little lamb like they are trying to portray him.

Usually, it is the other way around. Gangs of vicious blacks murdering, raping, robbing, carjacking, selling drugs, holding up stores, shooting off their big ignorant mouths...

Don't worry folks, the race war is coming. 50 million blacks dragging down America was fine during the days of prosperity, but now under Obamunism and a collapsing economy, economic tension will breed increasing social tension and the breaking point will not be far behind.

WTSHTF day is not too far off now...”

A black man is attacked by a gang of whites. The comments section attempts painting him as the criminal, and fantasizes about the coming race war against the blacks.

Well, that's three points out of eight.

Point number four: Organization. As evidence, I would like to enter the growing Minuteman movement, purportedly created to guard America's borders and maintain the sanctity of our Lebensraum. Already, these militias have flexed their murderous muscle, as evidenced by the grim events surrounding Shawna Forde, whose para-military posse rounded up a Mexican family and executed them in cold blood. Beyond the Minutemen, there are hundreds of established hate groups ranging from the Aryan Brotherhood to the Black Panthers, each a violent manifestation of fear and anger directed at an opposing race.

Point number five: Polarization. Tune in to Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck lately? Their slice of the airwaves appeals – let's be honest with ourselves – to racists. Whether screaming about the grave anti-American offense of the NYC mosque site, or President Obama's secret racism against white people, these demagogues whip the most violent elements of our society into a froth, and focus their hatred like a laser upon non-white minorities.

Five out of eight. Scary stuff, isn't it?

I look forward to reading your comments.