Common Sense 322 - Betting on Long Shots

[Smitty-48]

So you are saying is that America is no longer a republic... its something else now (what would you call it?)

America is not like Rome, because America is 50 different countries within an United States

so it's practically impossible to overthrow the Republic as was done in Rome

Washington doesn't have anywhere near that much central control

I will say that I agree with Marty Hash

there has been a soft coup d'etat by rigged election and this has resulted in a military Junta taking control of Washington

this however does not mean the Republic itself has been overthrown

the entrenched interests in the beltway have made a Junta, but Washington doesn't actually have that much domestic power

America is much more decentralized than Rome, for this very purpose

I would say the Junta in Washington has power over the overseas operations, but vastly less at state level in America itself

[DrYouth]

America is not like Rome, because America is 50 different countries within an United States

Also it isn't surrounded by bad ass barbarians...

The cartels aren't gonna make a run at you.

Worst thing that can happen is the Russians decide
"ah fuck it, lets nuke 'em"

That would be bad tho.

[Smitty-48]

most people don't understand how the 2nd Amendment works

it's not a license for individuals to make war on Washington like Timothy McVeigh

the way it works, is that States can decide to refuse to obey Washington

then if Washington sends federal troops to overthrow the state government, the citizens can then form a militia to defend their state

if multiple states do this all at once, that's the Civil War

this is not what Rome was like, if you simply took the Senate in Rome, you had central control of everything

[Smitty-48]

bear in mind that the Roman civil war had nothing to do with government

the Roman civil war was a family feud

the Roman Legions were personally loyal to their Praetors, they were in effect mercenaries

when Caesar was assassinated, the two richest most powerful families in Rome went to war, just over that,

it was just for the killing of Caesar, it was Hatfields vs McCoys

Caesar's family won the war, when Augustus defeated Marc Antony in Egypt, in a sea battle

at which point, Augustus became emperor by default

so unlike America, the 1st century Romans did not fight for principle

fighting for principle only comes with Christ, that is an entirely Christian value

the Romans were like mafia families, they only fought over honour and power

[DBTrek]

most people don't understand how the 2nd Amendment works

it's not a license for individuals to make war on Washington like Timothy McVeigh

the way it works, is that States can decide to refuse to obey Washington

then if Washington sends federal troops to overthrow the state government, the citizens can then form a militia to defend their state

if multiple states do this all at once, that's the Civil War

this is not what Rome was like, if you simply took the Senate in Rome, you had central control of everything

Well, when the 2nd Amendment was added Washington DC didn't have permanent troops. The permanent, standing army was never intended to exist, which is why you have ARTICLE I, SECTION 8, CLAUSE 12 of the Constitution, giving Congress the power:

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

That's it, buddy.
Two years of Army is all you can fund.
Other than that, just handle shit with your citizen militia.

Suffice to say, we've moved pretty frickin' far from those days.
And they didn't even amend the Constitution.

[Smitty-48]

most people don't understand how the 2nd Amendment works

it's not a license for individuals to make war on Washington like Timothy McVeigh

the way it works, is that States can decide to refuse to obey Washington

then if Washington sends federal troops to overthrow the state government, the citizens can then form a militia to defend their state

if multiple states do this all at once, that's the Civil War

this is not what Rome was like, if you simply took the Senate in Rome, you had central control of everything

Well, when the 2nd Amendment was added Washington DC didn't have permanent troops. The permanent, standing army was never intended to exist, which is why you have ARTICLE I, SECTION 8, CLAUSE 12 of the Constitution, giving Congress the power:

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

That's it, buddy.
Two years of Army is all you can fund.
Other than that, just handle shit with your citizen militia.

Suffice to say, we've moved pretty frickin' far from those days.
And they didn't even amend the Constitution.

ah, but it doesn't say you can't renew the funding to fight an ongoing war

this is the whole thing about the NDAA

first they nominally declare some sort of war, let's call it the "Global War On Terror"

then they fund that with the NDAA, renewing it each year as they go

it's not one big war, it's one year of war at a time, funded for one year at a time

[DBTrek]

ah, but it doesn't say you can't renew the funding to fight an ongoing war

this is the whole thing about the NDAA

first they nominally declare some sort of war, let's call it the "Global War On Terror"

then they fund that with the NDAA, renewing it each year as they go

it's not one big war, it's one year of war at a time, funded for one year at a time

No doubt.
I sometimes like to fantasize tho, about what would happen if one year Congress just said "Nah. No need for an Army this year. Let's cut that funding and just spin it back up sometime in the future, if necessary".

Awwwwwww shit.

You want to see the Deep State come up out of the Swamp and start thrashing some shit?
That would do it.

[Smitty-48]

ah, but it doesn't say you can't renew the funding to fight an ongoing war

this is the whole thing about the NDAA

first they nominally declare some sort of war, let's call it the "Global War On Terror"

then they fund that with the NDAA, renewing it each year as they go

it's not one big war, it's one year of war at a time, funded for one year at a time

No doubt.
I sometimes like to fantasize tho, about what would happen if one year Congress just said "Nah. No need for an Army this year. Let's cut that funding and just spin it back up sometime in the future, if necessary".

Awwwwwww shit.

You want to see the Deep State come up out of the Swamp and start thrashing some shit?
That would do it.

don't forget that the only leverage Congress has is to fund, or not to fund

they don't actually have the power to declare "no standing army", that is Executive powers

all they can do is refuse to fund an army, if they vote to fund it tho, then they are stuck with it

[DBTrek]

Sure - but the Executive and Judiciary don't have the power of the purse, so if Congress doesn't fund it, your Army is done.
Unless you've unlocked the secrets of running a free army.

[Smitty-48]

like General Washington used this leverage in the War of Indepedence

Congress was constantly trying to tell him what to do and he basically told them to fuck off

then Congress wouldn't threaten to cut off funds

Washington would then say, go ahead, and then the British will come and hang you from the nearest tree

so Congress was all, never mind, General Washington, carry on

they basically do the same thing now

they say to the Congressman, go ahead, you be the one to say you want to disband the army, we dare you to say that