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Originally Posted by Jiggymike
Meet the Militia
So here's an article that serves as a mini-profile of some of the militia members involved in the Bundy ranch defense and sort of the mindset behind their movement. Yes it's from the highly partisan website ThinkProgress but the article makes few judgement statements and doesn't even seem to "take a side" on the issue, even if you know where the author stands.
What I would like explained is exactly what part of the Constitution is being defended here, or by militias in general (other than protecting the right to own a gun). During the rhetoric-fest of the 2012 election, I noted that the Constitution has become America's new religious document (a comparison that is also made in the article). People love to selectively cite it and hide behind it, even if they don't fully-of so much as partially-understand it. Also LOL at this quote:
"Bundy’s supporters are also adamant that they love America — they just don’t agree with (or in many cases, even recognize as legitimate) its government or the laws it passes."
Do they even realize that the Founding Fathers were establishing a country by forming a government? The comments also are quick to point out how George Washington, who was apparently representing at the revolt, was quick to send in troops to quell the Whiskey Rebellion, which was due to people refusing to pay taxes on the whiskey they produced. The reality is that the America that exists in these guy's heads never existed .
the gigantic irony of this type of constitutional fellatio is that those who seek to wrap themselves in the constitution are ignorant of the history that produced that document.
you mention the whiskey rebellion, but looking before the constitution is more helpful. the articles of confederation, which reserved more authority to the states while providing for an impotent central government, failed. the constitution fixed this distribution.
the document that they cite to argue for a smaller federal government came about because such an arrangement already failed.