My crystal ball

I'm not a prophet. In this world of wall-to-wall deception, it's hard enough for a journalist to figure out what's going on right now, let alone predict the future.

But since November's election is so consequential for America, perhaps existentially so, here are some of what I see as the inevitable consequences should Barack Obama be given the control levers of the most magnificent and divinely blessed nation in history for another four long years.

I won't talk about the policies Obama will likely pursue – like completing the devastation of our free-market capitalist economy, redistributing our wealth to nations that hate us, gutting our military and transforming millions of illegal aliens into voting Democrats.

Instead, I want to focus on how Americans will react to all of this.

First, consider that right now roughly half of us retain our traditional American (aka Judeo-Christian) values and sensibilities. The other half have been seduced by the Great Lie of the age – the Marxist dream of socialist redistribution (or as we like to say today, "social justice"). It matters not that socialism has led to a catastrophic loss of freedom and prosperity everywhere it's been tried, or that the last century witnessed over 100 million people sacrificed at the altar of collectivist "equality and justice." Socialism, which Churchill called "the gospel of envy," is essentially a false religion. For the faithful, it doesn't require proof, only blind belief rooted in an ecstatic vision of utopia – heaven on earth – but alas, one that can never work, since it violates all the laws of God, human nature, economics and common sense.

Thus we live today in a state of (mostly) nonviolent civil war. And regardless of which side prevails in November, we will remain divided into two Americas, two irreconcilable visions, two warring faiths.

Nevertheless, should Obama be re-elected, some things are almost certain to happen, in my view, including:

Civil disobedience: "I believe in the rule of law, and it has been my practice since I was in college to respect and honor those in authority over us," evangelical leader Dr. James Dobson wrote in WND recently.

"However, this assault on the sanctity of human life takes me where I cannot go," said a resolute Dobson, responding to Obamacare's controversial abortion insurance surcharge by defiantly chaining himself to the moral high ground. "I WILL NOT pay the surcharge for abortion services. The amount of the surcharge is irrelevant. To pay one cent for the killing of babies is egregious to me, and I will do all I can to correct a government that lies to me about its intentions and then tries to coerce my acquiescence with extortion. It would be a violation of my most deeply held convictions to disobey what I consider to be the principles in Scripture. The Creator will not hold us guiltless if we turn a deaf ear to the cries of His innocent babies. So come and get me if you must, Mr. President. I will not bow before your wicked regulation."

Believe me, if the beloved, 76-year-old Dr. Dobson is publicly taking this leadership role, thousands of others will follow. And that's just one example.

I anticipate an era of civil disobedience. Outrageous unconstitutional laws have a way of bringing that out of people. Those who remember or even participated in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement know how it awakened the conscience of millions and transformed America's attitudes and laws regarding segregation in a single generation.

Moreover, as a practical matter, many people confronted with laws and regulations that so fundamentally violate their conscience will simply – like the venerable James Dobson – be unable to follow any course other than what Gandhi called "non-violent non-cooperation."

Political violence: If working diligently within the system for constitutional government (and that includes peaceful, principled civil disobedience) is the noble response to intolerable injustice, the "dark side" response to the same provocation would be political violence. If Obama in a second term accelerates his relentless assault on the American system, there may be some who conclude all is lost and that their only response is to commit violent acts in the misguided belief they are channeling America's founding generation – refreshing "the tree of liberty," as Jefferson said, with "the blood of patriots and tyrants."

Of course, such miserable actions will fail to achieve any good result, innocent people will suffer, the perpetrators will rightly be reviled (along with millions of others), and the net result will be a level of government repression unprecedented in the modern age. Indeed, truth be told, deep down the radical left would love nothing more than to see an actual eruption of violence on "the right," because it would serve to validate all their delusions and self-projections of hatred and violence, of which they themselves are guilty but incessantly accuse normal Americans (i.e., "the tea party is racist and dangerous," etc.).

In response, we would see a blizzard of overreacting and unconstitutional legislative proposals and regulations, just as occurs every time a madman opens fire in a schoolroom or movie theatre or an unhinged anti-abortion activist shoots an abortionist. The leftist change agents in our society wait patiently for such events so they can unleash their overreaching legislative "reforms" at the most opportune and vulnerable time.

Bottom line: When people give in to their rage and lash out violently against evil, they are compounding evil and their efforts backfire. It's the Romans 8:28 principle ("All things work together for good to them that love God …") but in reverse: When you give in to and act from anger, frustration and hatred, thinking this somehow represents strength and righteousness, all things work together for evil.

More crime: Speaking of evil, just as a small number of deranged people may be tempted to commit political violence, countless more will simply feel pushed over the edge by another four years of the wretched Obama economy and some will turn to crime. In fact, crime is likely to increase regardless of who wins in November, since the current economic hard times are not likely to abate any time soon. Already we're seeing an epidemic of bizarre, desperate crimes – like the wave of copper wire thefts from publicly accessible power infrastructure, resulting in man-caused power outages (and sometimes the accidental electrocution of the perpetrators).

Widespread prepping: In response to crime, economic uncertainty, social unrest and other manifestations of an increasingly troubled and unstable society, an ever-larger portion of the American population will take steps to become more independent from government and "the system" – just as another segment will grow ever more dependent and angry. Whether it's growing and storing food, owning firearms and knowing how to use them, installing good locks and a security system, having a backup power generator or otherwise being equipped to live "off the grid," many are personally "hardening their assets" and becoming as independent as they can manage. Should Obama win, this trend will grow exponentially.

Depression and mental illness: One could jest that another four years of Obama is enough to give anyone a case of depression, but it's no laughing matter. Presidential character is enormously important, especially during difficult times. While things were very tough during the Great Depression, America was basically unified and citizens respected and looked up to their president (first Hoover and then FDR). Today's president, in contrast, is neither a unifying nor inspiring figure, but quite the opposite – a grossly unqualified, polarizing, ideologically driven and jarringly narcissistic politician widely perceived as dragging the nation downward.

Let's remember that a president of the United States is a lot more than chief executive of a gigantic "corporation" and commander in chief of the armed forces. He is also, in a very real sense, the "father of the country" during his time in office. Just as fathers exert an immeasurable, almost cosmic, influence on the well-being of their family, so is the national family similarly influenced by its presidential "father." During Reagan's presidency, for example, more Americans became pro-life, because he was pro-life; they became confident, because he was confident; and they became more hopeful ("It's Morning in America"), because he was hopeful. And it was all real: Unlike Obama's "hope" campaign slogan, Reagan exuded genuine hope and confidence – rooted in a deep understanding of, and love for, America and an enlightened determination to enact policies that would lead to greater freedom, prosperity and security.

The influence of a good presidential "father of the country" is like sunshine; though far away, it warms everybody with its life-giving rays. Likewise, a troubling father figure like Obama – who himself has never matured, but rather is a profoundly broken person and has developed into a ruthless and deceitful Chicago politician with a winsome persona – exerts a malignant "radiant" effect on the American mind and culture. Thus, while ours is already a nation of drug-takers, with approximately one in 10 adults currently taking dangerous anti-depressant drugs, I believe psychiatric drug dependency – and much more to the point, the mental-emotional conditions that lead to their use – will increase under a second Obama term. He's one stress Americans really don't need.

Creative restructuring of American life: OK, you might well be asking, but what about all the solid, clear-thinking Americans who are not on drugs or falling to pieces? What about all the military veterans who still hold dear the sacred values they fought and bled for? What about all the homeschool families who have labored and sacrificed to create a decent educational and cultural environment for their children? In short, what about the tens of millions of Americans who have not drunk the Kool-Aid? Are they just going to give up?

I think not.

Just as the Sept. 11 attacks – expressions of unspeakable evil – brought to the surface great goodness, heroism, sacrifice and mutual cooperation in the service of one another, so would the re-election of Obama. Americans will not give up their country so easily, because there is quite literally no place else to go. Don't talk to me about Costa Rica or New Zealand. I'm not giving up on America, and neither are the vast majority of Americans – it's just not in our national DNA to run.

I don't know what Americans' creative response to chaos will look like this time around, but we've dealt with great difficulties before, and we can do it again – even if that just amounts to taking good care of our own families for the time being. But the combination of the courageous can-do American spirit and today's revolutionary technology that spirit has created allows for endless possibilities. Here's just one of them:

De facto secession: Two factors will combine to result in a movement I would call "de facto secession." By de facto, I mean that actual, legal secession will not happen. We fought the Civil War over this issue and the secessionists lost, costing over 600,000 lives (and recent authoritative research shows the number of Civil War dead was probably closer to 750,000). Secession from the union is extremely unlikely simply because the national government won't allow it.

However, the Internet plays a crucial role here. Just as commerce, communications, recreation, education, the news and information media and many other areas of life have been revolutionized by the Internet, the same amazing technology – which allows unfettered free communication with basically anyone on earth, without middlemen or gatekeepers – will enable society to re-align over new lines of force: common values. In other words, people of like mind, who believe in traditional American constitutional values, will be able to find each other over the Internet – and if they wish, move to a common geographic location. They can pick a state – Texas, South Carolina, North Dakota, wherever – and do what the Mormons did in moving en masse to Utah. Utah didn't secede, but the massive influence of the LDS church there sure made it a great state to live in if you're a Mormon.

Wouldn't the federal government interfere? Well, of course. But imagine that enough God-fearing, Constitution-loving people (or as the Department of Homeland Security refers to them, "dangerous right-wing extremists") move to a particular state and exert sufficient influence on municipal, county and state government that the state eventually stands toe-to-toe with an overreaching federal government and says, in essence: "We don't need your unconstitutional laws and regulations here, so you can keep them, along with your precious federal funding. We're creating a climate here that attracts businesses, and we can raise our own revenues and solve our own problems, thank you very much. Goodbye."

Yes, the federal government would sue the state and make a lot of noise. After all, such insubordination sets a bad example for other states. But lawsuits can take years (especially if the state has good lawyers), and even if the state ultimately loses it can regroup and find a new and different way to exert its 10th Amendment autonomy. Maybe the feds will sue again, just to save face. But eventually they may give up the fight, even if they persist in going through the motions. Washington may well be too preoccupied with other real problems it has created – wars, terror, civil unrest and so on – to send thousands of armed troops into Texas or some other rebellious state to enforce its will.

Ultimately, I think Washington will just write off the rebel state with all its "wing-nuts" and "bitter clingers" and leave them alone. To some degree, this exact scenario is already playing out across the country right now, with the federal government challenging various states in court over just this sort of dispute. So this is, in my view, how "de facto secession" could occur. What's more, since it's not a divorce – but only a separation – if Washington ever comes back to its senses, reconciliation is possible.

Ultimately, the most important response people of sound mind will have to a second Obama term, should that occur, will be to turn to the Creator for help and direction. With God, we are told, all things are possible. Maybe He Who blessed America – Whose blessings we have not only taken for granted, but have largely forgotten and forsaken – will still, if we turn to Him with all our hearts, save us and our families. And perhaps even our nation.

The preceding was reprinted from the October issue of Whistleblower magazine, titled "THE TIPPING POINT: Life in America under 4 more years of Barack Obama's leadership." For more information about Whistleblower, or to subscribe, visit the WND Superstore.