I hear that sentiment thrown around a bit on FR but has anyone really considered the ramifications of such an event? Picture the Bosnia mess. Picture EVERYTHING as you know it coming to an end. You don’t just take up arms against the State and then go back to work on Monday. I for one am very nervous about the potential for such a thing. Let’s pray that we are being overly pessimistic about The One. That is something to HOPE for....
I have been an avid student of history my entire life (my degree is in History, as well). I know full well what a civil war is about, what it entails, and the sacrifices and tragedies of such a thing. Hence, that is why I said I feared we might be heading toward one.
I do not want a civil war. I want the government to act responsibly vis-a-vis the U.S. Constitution, and not “invent” new powers for itself or “re-interpet” or “re-define” those parts of the Constitution the government may dislike or find to be too restrictive of its authority. HOWEVER, the People retain the right to resist an oppressive or tyrannical or out-of-control government, employing whatever means necessary to accomplish that resistance. Remember, as Patrick Henry said:
“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government – lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.”
or, James Madison:
“Oppressors can tyrannize only when they achieve a standing army, an enslaved press, and a disarmed populace.”
or, Alexis de Tocqueville:
“A man’s admiration for absolute government is proportionate to the contempt he feels for those around him.”