[OT] [Long] [Inflammatory] Re: [Coco] Jingo - Jango - Mars

[Dean Leiber]

>Your guns were supposed to protect you against the government, if I read
>those early papers correctly. 

Well, basically the idea was that if the people were armed you would be a 
citizen, not a 'subject,' and the government would have to give you some 
modicum of respect. Also, if the government became unresponsive to the 
people, you would have a means to remove them and restore a government 
that would answer to the people. Actually, if the government were to 
stray too far, it really is susposed to be your duty as a citizen to take 
up arms and set it right (obviously after all else has failed.) If the 
founding fathers could see what has become of the US government they'd 
cringe. Like all political systems, it depends on the people in power 
upholding certain principles, etc. but we all know the opposite actually 
happens. If you read the federalist papers, etc you can really see how 
far we've strayed from the original vision. 

>After I lived outside the US, I realized how little we're told, and how your 
guns won't
> mean a thing when they really do come for you.

Ilived in europe (Germany) for a while, and they had much better news 
about what was going on around the world than you find in the US. As for 
guns not helping, it would make a big difference if the people actually 
stood together (fat chance, but the original intent of the founders), but 
as it stands in most places today you're probaby right. If you're a good 
shot you could go out in style, so to speak, but I wouldn't count on any 
help from your neighbors. I doubt if most people would lift one finger 
even if a persident declared himself 'king' and locked down the country 
like a prison.  


Dean