Missouri during the American Civil War was, of course, also where the murderous career of one Jesse James got off to its start.

That said, if we do go down that road again, at least if it’s a red vs. blue affair I strongly suspect it will go beyond even family vs. family or neighbor vs. neighbor – it will also rip apart a good many extended families and quite a few immediate ones. The unpleasantness of 1861-65 tore the fabric of the nation apart, but at least it was a single, fairly neat tear that could be stitched back together. This will be more like putting that fabric through a shredder and turning it into so much confetti.