Sometimes we all get caught up in the hyperbole, the emotions of the moment. Many of us are upset at the course of the Government under the Socialist Democrats. I suppose some of the leftists felt the same way under GW. I am not sure why, since he was a most liberal Democrat President; a true RINO. What I am about to write will likely anger more than a few of you. I may even lose a few readers. After careful thought, I think you may conclude I am right.
Some people in blogland are hinting at the need to feed the Tree of Liberty with Revolution (see Thomas Jefferson's quotes for the reference). Certain people are talking of "taking the country back" under the force of arms. We saw a similar panic-mode when Clinton came to power and the militia movement reared its head. A U-Haul packed with fertilizer parked in Oklahoma City put an end to most of that nonsense. I do not think anyone is really afraid of a bunch of middle-aged white guys holding maneuvers in the woods dressed in camouflage and carrying black plastic semi-automatic weapons. I used to dress up in a blue wool suit and shoot at make-believe Confederates with my 1863 Springfield. That did not make me a Civil War soldier either.
Two hundred and thirty some years ago a bunch of farmers and shopkeepers took on the greatest power on earth and won our independence. In no way do I short-change the monumental shift in politics that victory signaled for the world, but we should also recognize we were a small and insignificant theater in what could only be described as a World War between France and England. The British were literally fighting us with one hand tied behind their back. At that time military technology and small arms were not much different than what the average Joe kept above his mantle. The same could be said even in the time of the Civil War.
By the turn of the Twentieth Century military technology advanced to the point that citizen soldiers had little effectiveness against a standing army. The Boers made a heroic effort against the British. They were successful only in that the battlefield was vast rural country. The Boers were fighting a war of attrition. Victory could only be defined by the more powerful side quiting. They did not have to defeat the British Army, they only had to convince the British people South Africa was not worth fighting over.
The later half of the twentieth century has taught us determined group of insurgents can effectively tie up great quantities of troops in guerrilla warfare. If your object is to bleed the other side until he just gives up, you may succeed. If, as revolutionaries, your goal is to win a war-- you have no chance without modern guns, armor, and communications. To win a modern revolution or civil war, you need effective military tactics. You need armies, and the ability to take and hold objectives. You cannot hope the other side tires of the cost in funds and lives. You must defeat the other side in battle. Read your Clausewitz for goodness sake. The only way to overthrow a sitting government is to defeat its army. The Current Government cannot quit and go home. Only true war is an option. Remember no revolution can succeed without the support of the people (or at least the majority has to support or be indifferent). Russia, China, Cuba, Vietnam, the fall of the Soviet Block, Iran ousting the Shah -- all these successful changes in Government had the tacit approval of the people. The list of failed revolutions is countless.
How are you going to fight the established Government? Do you have body armor, satellites, hardened communications? Do you have an air force, a navy, artillery and tanks? Do you possess vast quantities of fuel, water, food, ammunition? How long do you think your three thousand rounds of hoarded ammunition will last in a sustained firefight?
Sorry fellas, Red Dawn was a movie. Shotguns and .30-06 rifles and model 1911 .45 handguns do not win battles or even skirmishes. Even that treasured M-1 you lovingly clean is obsolete. How long will you last against a .50 water-cooled machine gun or a BAR? How many armor-piercing rounds are in your gun cabinet? Do you have LARS rockets, bazookas? How will you defend against satellites that can track you to within a few feet or thermal imaging that can find you in your bunkers? Sure, we could hold remote sections of the mountains. We could hide like Eric Rudolph in the forests of Carolina. To win a Revolution you need to take the cities, the towns, the arsenals of Democracy. You must capture the political and military strongholds of the enemy.
All is not lost. We must continue to fight the Revolution of ideas. We must win the war at the ballot box. If Obama can can win with a platform that consisted of nothing more than vague promises of Hope and Change, so can we. Socialism and Communism are not irreversible -- ask the people of Poland, of the Czech Republic. Will it take work? Will it take patience? Will it take generations? Yes, yes and maybe. The good news is the cost of Socialism will soon burden us all. Nothing brings a person around to Conservatism faster than having you money confiscated. As my son cried when he got his first paycheck from McDonald's -- "who is this FICA and why is he taking my money?". Another Conservative was born. Fortunately the means of peaceful change are part of the fabric of our nation. If the will of the people supports the change you desire, the Revolution will occur without a single shot fired. That, my friends, is the true genius of our Founding Fathers. No President, no Congress, no Court can force us to change if the majority of the people are not in favor. Your vote carries the power of an atomic bomb.
I am not saying we should never fight, we must stand for our beliefs. If it ever comes the time when the black helicopters hover over your home while jack-booted stormtroopers kick in your door to get your guns, sure. We must defend our homes, our families, our rights. If The Obama declares himself President for life, if Pelosi refuses to relinquish the gavel, if armed troops take over your city and town, you must fight. That time is not here yet. Until then, put aside the paranoia, the panic.
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