Sharp as a Marble - Two out of three, James. And they're working on number three.

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Two out of three, James. And they're working on number three.

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Oppressors can tyrannize only when they achieve a standing army, an enslaved press, and a disarmed populace.

James Madison

The fact of the matter is that I don't think Uncle Sam could get the Marines, Army, Navy, and Air Force to attack Americans. Being that our's is a volunteer force, I don't think that kind of army exists.

But we have the police, who are practically armed and trained just like the military. And I think they'd do the job just fine.

As far as the press, ours is not enslaved. But as the press slide further and further away from actual reporting and roots itself in pushing its agenda above truth (this is evident in all mass media, regardless of political leaning). Blogs and the Internet help alleviate this to a degree, but that's only good for people (like you) who actively pursue their news rather than have it spoon fed to them. Maybe in time, online news will be the primary vehicle, but until then our media is as corrupted as it can get.

As for the third, they're trying James. They're trying real hard.

posted @ 6/8/2007 11:04:57 AM

Comments

_Jon says:

on 6/8/2007 2:45:51 PM

I have a lot of faith in the public to be informed.

I've started conversations at the barber shop, for example, and been pleasantly surprised by how much these people - without PC's at their fingers all day - know that is outside the MSM.

I think Americans are staying very informed.

I am worried about how powerful and aggressive all police have become.

n.n. says:

on 6/8/2007 5:53:31 PM

The fact of the matter is that I don't think Uncle Sam could get the Marines, Army, Navy, and Air Force to attack Americans. Being that our's is a volunteer force, I don't think that kind of army exists.

if you wanted a standing army specifically for the purpose of oppressing the civilian populace, i'd think you'd start out by making sure the army was all-volunteer. then it's just a matter of ensuring people with the right sort of mentality make up the majority of the volunteers. that's certainly doable, as it's been done time and again.

a conscript army of regular folks who've only recently left civilian life, and who expect to return to it in not too much longer, would have far more incentive to treat their fellow citizens right. also far less incentive to "just follow orders" than would a force of career soldiers whose entire livelihood would hinge on the military and their chain of command.

Robb Allen says:

on 6/8/2007 6:35:13 PM

n.n. I assume you don't know too many military types then. We were trained in the Marines to never, under any circumstance, follow any order that would have us attack Americans. Most of my buddies in the other branches have said the same.

n.n. says:

on 6/11/2007 2:07:19 PM

i will grant that i don't have personal experience of more than one kind of army. (and really, how many do?) but my intention was not to imply that the current U.S. military structure could be used that way, merely that if you wanted to construct a military that could, making it all-voluntary would be an excellent first step.

you would still have to seriously corrupt its institutional nature as a second (and likely not final) step, that is true. i should have been more explicit about saying as much. i'll take your word for it that the Marine Corps, at very least, has not yet been so corrupted; that is most excellent, and may it always remain so. but i will also insist that if someone did want to seriously twist it in that manner, then having it be all-voluntary would likely be a necessary foundation to work from.

Sharp as a Marble says:

on 6/21/2007 8:45:35 AM

It's not the government's fault, by the way

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