The Collapse of America is Happening Live.

A large study confirms one in five Americans believes violence motivated by political reasons is — at least sometimes — justified. Nearly half expect a civil war, and many say they would trade democracy for a strong leader, a preprint posted on medRxiv found.

The part that scares me the most?

Many say they would trade democracy for a strong leader.

Read that as often as you need to for the magnitude of that attitude to sink in.

How many is “many”? That was my first question. A dozen? Two Dozen?

40% of those surveyed.

Nearly half of the adults surveyed — from varied backgrounds — want a strongman as a leader over a democracy. That is shocking!

Furthermore, “Although almost all respondents thought it’s important for the United States to remain a democracy, about 40% said having a strong leader is more important. Half expect a civil war in the United States in the next few years. (The survey didn’t specify when.) “The fact that basically half the country is expecting a civil war is just chilling,” Wintemute says. And many expect to take part. If found in a situation where they think violence is justified to advance an important political objective, about one in five…