The Case for a Home Guard

[schnellfeuer]

http://www.theamericanenterprise.org/issues/articleid.17357/article_detail.asp

The Case for a Home Guard
By Robert Cottrol


"The September 11 terrorist attacks did more than bring a tragic end to over 3,000 American lives. They also helped shatter two long-cherished illusions. The first, that we live in a secure homeland, was shared by most Americans. Blessed by geography, twentieth-century Americans came to think of wars as unpleasant events that happened "over there. "With the exception of those who witnessed Pearl Harbor, no living American can remember a time when civilians were under enemy attack on American soil. No more. September 11 was a searing indicator that warfare in the twenty-first century will be brutal, indiscriminate, and over here.

The second shattered illusion, that we can avoid violence by being passive, has gained widespread currency among our academic and professional elites. This illusion and its corollary, that the average citizen is too feckless to defend himself, much less participate in the defense of his community, must be shed quickly if American civil society is to survive this new and terrifying century. This will involve rediscovering, and re-defining, the venerable but badly eroded tradition of the citizen soldier. It also means revitalizing the role of the Reserve Officers Training Corps on the nation's campuses."


" One reason for the firm entrenchment of the myth of the feckless citizen is the great gulf that has developed between our university-educated leaders and the armed forces. The end of the draft in 1973 brought with it the end of a longstanding tradition of widespread participation in national and community defense. From 1940 to the late 1960s military experience was common among men of every social class. Not every man was a combat veteran, far from it, but most men learned important lessons even in basic training: that you have unrealized strengths, that you can do more than you thought you could, that you must be dependable and be able to depend on the people in your unit, and, most important of all, that supermen are rare and that the people who are important are ordinary folks who put aside their fears and get the job done. Add to these lessons a few basic skills, safe handling of firearms and rudimentary first aid, and you have a person who has learned how to be an asset instead of a liability in a crisis. Increasingly, military service and these important lessons are unknown among those who teach our college classes, write in the nation's newsrooms, draft memos in law firms, serve in the nation's legislatures, or produce or perform on TV. One consequence is that we readily accept the myth that ordinary citizens do not have a role in protecting society."

[Hielo]

1. Morally superior.

I find it disheartening to see that we are actually thinking about using violence in this way. There is never a justifiable reason to be aggressive nor is there a moral reason.

Have we not learned from history that meeting violence with violence is just an endless loop?

We have to look into ourselves and see where we need to change so that those disgruntled peoples lose their desire to do us harm!

If we learn to embrace them and to be respectful of their needs, they will no longer have the desire to harm us and we have broken the cycle of violence.

[Set]

6. meeting violence with pacifism...

is a good way to end up dead. Want to break the cycle of violence? Attack the root causes....poverty, inequality, lack of education and jobs, things like that. Telling people "if you are violent to me, I'll give you stuff" is just a surefire way to guarantee that violence will be perpetuated.

[DavidMS]

11. Is it a viable ideology?

Peacifsm is an intresting idea but how many groups survive by being pasifistic? Probably none. There are alwasy people and groups that are always willing to impose their will by force. At that point ine has the option of either being destroyed or subjecated or taking action against one's attackers or oppressors.

Edited for clarity.

[tcsd1236]

27. assumptions

You are assuming that once you give in to the demands of the attacking party that somehow they'll be satisfied and leave you alone. There are people out there who want nothing more than to see everyone of us dead. Big time. Appeasement didn't work in the 20th century and it wont work now.

[Devils Advocate NZ]

2. This is just a veiled way of calling for compulsory military service...

Basically, more fodder for the PNAC war machine. Sounds like a great idea. Not.

[Hielo]

3. Agreement - 100%

I completely agree. I shudder to think of this country overrun with people waving their guns in my face every time I go outside.

Peace is the most powerful force in the universe, we just have to teach the neanderthals how to tap into it.

[Set]

7. Tell us....

how many wars have been averted by one side calling for peace?

Ever hear of the term "appeasement"? It's the idea that if you feed the lion your neighbors first, the lion will eat you last. Either way, you're still going to end up lion shit.

[Paladin]

4. No Sale

If you RKBA proponents resort to displaying this kind of crypto-fascist, militaristic, chest-beating sentiment, from the pages of yet another far right-wing publication, don't be surprised if your Democratic bona fides are questioned. Just further proof of the obvious: pro-gun advocacy is overwhelmingly positioned on the conservative part of the political spectrum.....

[Set]

8. Are you questioning Cottrol's liberal bona fides?

Have you checked them out?

[Paladin]

9. Yeah, As A Matter Of Fact......

....I AM questioning his liberal bona fides. I guess it has something to do with his article appearing in the American Enterprise site, along with such Democratic-friendly individuals as Newt Gingrich and Jonah Goldberg.

And as far as this Home Guard notion goes.....who do you suppose would end up running it from sea to shining sea, in the extremely unlikely event it got established? My guess is militant gun enthusiasts, NRA lifer types, with 95 out of a hundred of them swearing fealty to the Republican Party. As if we don't have enough over-armed right-wingers in this country already......

[jody]

10. Most states already have laws giving the governor complete control

over a states "unorganized militia". Many states already have partially organized their "unorganized militia" and some give its members periodic small arms training. Those laws have been around for decades and used by Democratic and Republican governors without abuse.

State Guard Association of the United States

[MrBenchley]

13. It's a call for brownshirts

or for something like the Central American death squads.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

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[MrBenchley]

18. Next ask me if I care

what you think.

And please DO keep on peddling the ridiculous claim that the NRA is a civil rights organization. We could all use a laugh.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

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[MrBenchley]

20. I didn't remove it, bub

Now go cry to someone who cares...

[jhfenton]

14. "Bona Fides"

If you RKBA proponents resort to displaying this kind of crypto-fascist, militaristic, chest-beating sentiment, from the pages of yet another far right-wing publication, don't be surprised if your Democratic bona fides are questioned.

And if you ostriches continue to spout your don't-worry-we-know-what-is-best-for-you-anti-self-defense authoritarian rhetoric, don't be suprised if we 2nd Amendment civil rights activists question your "progressive" bona fides. A real commitment to civil rights must be universal, or it's just lip service.

As for me, I'm an elected Democratic city council member and Democratic candidate for municipal prosecutor. What are your Democratic bona fides?

[jody]

15. That's one powerful second paragraph.

:thumbsup:

[jody]

5. Congress should organize, arm, and discipline all the militia, not

just the National Guard and Reserve.

Constitution Article. I
Clause 16, Section 8 says:
QUOTE
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repeal Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
UNQUOTE

Federal law defines the militia.
QUOTE

QUOTE
(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.
(b) The classes of the militia are -
…..(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and
…..(2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia
UNQUOTE

Congress has been derelict since 1933 because it has not done its job as required by the Constitution to organize, arm, and discipline the entire militia.

For those who object to that action, then they need to amend the constitution to say that "all men are not equal and some are required to die for their country and others are a special group and are exempt". Current examples are AWOL, Cheney, and the Chicken-Hawk flock.

[Emoto]

17. As our friend Madge would say...

"You're soaking in it!"

Hey, MrBenchley, how do you feel now, knowing that you (I am assuming US citizenship and within the age range - correct me if I am wrong, please) are in the miltia????

This is too funny...

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

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[jhfenton]

22. What a dumb post

Why thank you. I take being called a "gun nut" as a compliment. What could be more respectable than having a civil liberty as a hobby?

Do you spend time ridiculing "free speech nuts?"

Do you have any hobbies other than suggesting that we "gun nuts" "peddle" our "lies" to someone "dumb enough" to believe it?

[MrBenchley]

23. Do get near a fact

some day. You'll find the experience new and refreshing.

[jhfenton]

24. Every day is new and refreshing and fact-filled in my world. (eom)

[MrBenchley]

25. Too bad it's not the real world

Here right wing loonies are calling for an armed death squad at Americanenterprise.org.

[jhfenton]

26. Armed death squad

I guess I'm just missing the part about death squads. Please enlighten me.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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[oneighty]

28. Reads like

it is written by an avoider of US Military Service.

It is easy for non-producers to stand back at a safe distance

and bravely fight a war.

Now should "Universal Military Service" become the law of the land,

without exemptions I might be interested in this proposal.

180, Veteran.