It's the Election, Stupid
Notice the progression. Started with the Confederacy, spread to plains states, & now on to concervative-leaning northern states. A concerted effort to take over all state governments, Congress & the Presidency.
Once they control the government, corporations will run free, religious fanatics will impose their will on everyone, and the rich men will dominate poor, old, sick, women, minorities, liberals, and others who don't measure up to their standards and go along with their program.
The rest of the world will unite against us out of self-defense. The world we know will be replaced by a bleak futuristic scenerio out of film noir. Oops, damn -- I used a french word there. Oops, I used a swear word. Giving new meaning to the term "politically correct".