But internet flame wars and real civil wars are not equivalent. Yes, there's always been some level of civil strife in America, just as there has in every count

But internet flame wars and real civil wars are not equivalent. Yes, there's always been some level of civil strife in America, just as there has in every country, at every moment in history. People argue, often angrily. But, it's not until there is actual, physical violence that it becomes a civil war. The question is, are we close to an organized faction taking up arms against the state? Anything short of that is interesting in its own way, sociologically and culturally, but it is not a civil war.