INGERSOLL: Something’s Coming. It’s Either ‘Oceans Of Blood’ Or…

Posted For: Rotorblade

Greetings, Dear Reader,

Welcome back to State of the Day, where we strip away euphemism and get to the point. Ready to push through the week? Let’s dive in.

SOMETHING IS COMING

There’s a screenshot of a deleted post circulating widely online.
It reads: “There are two ways we get out of this. One is catastrophic and violent. The other involves being firm enough to say ‘no’ sometimes.”

The exact author is debated, but the message itself is what people seem to be reacting to.

Yes, the statement is exaggerated for effect—but it’s pointing toward something many Americans feel but hesitate to say: that we’re approaching consequences for long-ignored problems.

Before going further, it’s worth recognizing our recent track record at noticing the obvious.
President Biden’s cognitive decline was visible long before it became openly discussed.
Controversies over biological males competing in women’s sports continue even when the implications seem clear.
Major universities are adopting policies framed as “life-saving” despite evidence and public opinion being sharply divided.

We also continue to see headlines that understandably raise questions about immigration enforcement, public-safety decisions, and inconsistent prosecution. Tragic incidents—fatal traffic collisions involving improperly vetted drivers, repeated violent offenses that somehow avoid meaningful jail time—have become part of a larger national conversation about whether the systems meant to protect people are functioning as intended.

Local communities are struggling with these issues too. Residents describe neighborhoods changing rapidly, sometimes feeling overwhelmed by crime, strained services, or cultural tensions. When constituents ask why local officials didn’t intervene earlier, the answer often seems to come back to political hesitation or fear of criticism.

Which brings us to the second half of that quote: being willing to say “no” sometimes.

A theme I’ve written about before—what I’ve called “toxic empathy”—keeps resurfacing. It’s the belief that compassion requires overlooking warning signs or bending rules indefinitely. It starts with small accommodations and grows until it shapes entire policy frameworks.
It contributes to expensive migrant-housing programs that outpace resources, to prosecutors declining to enforce certain laws, and to educational debates framed entirely around social pressure instead of grounded evidence.

In its most extreme form, this mindset encourages parents, schools, and institutions to prioritize social approval over the well-being of children—rushing them into ideological or medical frameworks without adequate safeguards or scrutiny.

Culturally, this instinct sometimes aligns with a desire to avoid conflict at all costs. But avoiding conflict can produce even greater fallout later.

Across the country—whether in Michigan, Minnesota, or major coastal cities—people sense that something is shifting. Public trust in civic institutions, education systems, immigration policy, and law-enforcement priorities is eroding.

And so the question becomes: What stops the trajectory?

If we look to the UK, which faced many of these debates earlier, we see a warning: when problems are ignored long enough, the eventual correction becomes painful and chaotic. The hope is that the United States can choose a different path—one that restores order and accountability without spiraling into deeper conflict.

There’s still time for communities, voters, and leaders to step forward and say, clearly, “No—this isn’t working, and it has to change,” before the situation becomes irreversible.

Let’s hope enough people choose that path.

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