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(01-22-2018, 07:09 PM)nebraska Wrote: The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Good luck with that. My money is on the professionals.
Intelligence is not knowledge and knowledge is not wisdom, but they all play well together.
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(01-23-2018, 11:42 AM)David Horn Wrote: (01-22-2018, 07:09 PM)nebraska Wrote: The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
Good luck with that. My money is on the professionals.
In colonial and revolutionary times, Nebraska outlines common wisdom. What he says was semi true given slow rates of fire, poor accuracy and oceans. Standing armies were viewed as an evil to be avoided. The militias would supposedly badly outnumber them. Tyrants could ultimately not face down the People. Today, most put enough trust in democracy. Few put their faith in firearms effecting politics positively, at least among the urban population. Nebraska is riding old wisdom, wisdom which seems quaintly out of date.
I too would put my money on the professionals, but hope they would not stand by a tyrant. That is the real question. If tyrants can count on professional air support, on regulars opening up on the People, we are all in trouble.
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01-23-2018, 05:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-24-2018, 07:24 AM by pbrower2a.)
It's often the weapons-wielding professionals (the soldiers) who topple tyrants. As an example of a failure, consider the July 20 plot against Hitler.
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.
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When was the last time the USA won a war?
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(01-23-2018, 07:13 PM)nebraska Wrote: When was the last time the USA won a war?
Does overthrowing Satan Hussein count?
The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated Communist but instead the people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists -- Hannah Arendt.
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(01-24-2018, 02:59 AM)nebraska Wrote: Has the US left Iraq?
Last time, the US left because US soldiers were to be held responsible to severe Iraq laws. We will see if Trump throws them under any buses.
That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
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The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing bankruptcy and economic turmoil to our people.
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(01-24-2018, 08:06 AM)nebraska Wrote: The moral and constitutional obligations of our representatives in Washington are to protect our liberty, not coddle the world, precipitating no-win wars, while bringing bankruptcy and economic turmoil to our people.
Some people in Washington serve the oil industry, would rather see cheap oil than enhance the life style of third world peoples. If we get selfish, we get attacked. If we are attacked, we attack back. It is a mess. Shifting from an agricultural culture and government to something newer generally is. Shifting another's culture at gunpoint is hard.
We are used to being a superpower, in spreading what we are. I agree we do it too much. I understand why some individuals try. Sometimes in the process we are arrogant, selfish or otherwise let our vices show. When we do, we should expect others to respond with vices themselves.
That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
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(01-23-2018, 10:19 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: (01-23-2018, 07:13 PM)nebraska Wrote: When was the last time the USA won a war?
Does overthrowing Satan Hussein count?
It was never clear what Bush 43 was trying to do when he started Iraq War II. Did he want to overthrew Saddam? Was he trying to establish a puppet state for ongoing attacks? Was he trying to eliminate weapons of mass destruction? Was he trying to expand democracy and human rights? Was he trying to put troops near the oil? Was he trying to destabilize the Middle East, to center Arab violence away from Israel?
It seemed to me at the time that the objective kept changing from week to week, and parts of the government had different goals than others. This is not good. Some goals were met. Some goals were not. Some goals never were, and existed only for propaganda purposes. Some results are clear only after the fact.
The question of who 'won' is not easy.
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(01-23-2018, 07:13 PM)nebraska Wrote: When was the last time the USA won a war?
and pretty much all of the time, the countries on the other side have governments too.
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If you control the Fed, Wall Street, Hollywood, and the media, you can rule the world.
You can give campaign donations and cushy job promises or make Deep State threats to politicians to make any law, tax, or subsidy that benefits you and punishes your competition.
You can brainwash and distract the population to support anything that benefits you.
You can call for wars that benefit defense companies, protect Israel, and lead to more refugees.
You can call for anti-family laws, welfare, and illegal immigration that weakens and divides Americans.
You can use political correctness, lawsuits, hire protesters, and buy off websites, search engines, and reporters to shut down any free speech.
You can call for new laws that fill private prisons.
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