Invisible Republic

The fifth incarnation of the United States... 1) Democratic republic (for whites, at least) 2) More politicized nation with stronger federal government forged by the Civil War 3) Empire, with overseas possessions, beginning with the Spanish American War and annexation of Hawaii in 1898 4) Frighteningly corrupt and bizarre corporate conglomerate, as became frighteningly apparent after George W. Bush's theft of the White House in 2000 and the 9/11 terrorist attacks he exploited so ruthlessly 5) The next stage in the evolution of the United States, which can't be predicted with certainty but will hopefully be an "invisible republic" in the tradition of a campfire discussion featured in the late environmental activist Edward Abbey's book Desert Solitaire.