Will Americans kill Americans?
Political, Guns ·Sunday January 10, 2010 @ 03:09 EST (link)
To clarify, I do not refer to criminals, but American soldiers and police (or draftees, if it comes to that). I've started reading Russell Longcore's excellent DumpDC site (start with Secession: The Hope for Humanity), and considering (quite hypothetically) writing a novel on same; and a rather long thread developed when I asked on Facebook about existing (modern) books on the subject. (I ended up with one off-thread suggestion and offer to lend Boston T. Party's book Molon Labe!, which was much appreciated. Perhaps "the book" has already been written.)
As to the title question, I think the answer is, unfortunately, "Yes." Americans killed Americans in the War for Southern Independence—and one would think perhaps it was for the noble reason of freeing the slaves, but in fact, most of the white soldiers at the time would have refused to fight if that had been the war's purpose. No, they fought merely to restore a union, to bring back states that wanted to leave a covenant of equals so that their territory and revenue might be seized. It is impossible not to conclude that they will do so again.
More recently, in WWII Americans marched their fellow Americans of Japanese descent, into what amounted to concentration camps, depriving many of life and all of liberty and property. Police forces will usually honor orders rather than individual rights to life, liberty, and property—especially the foreign troops that are being allowed onto our soil.
My Uncle John gave me a book when we were there on New Year's, Lt. Col Dave Grossman's On Killing, which I think would be an effective source for learning and thus writing about what would make not only one person kill another against which he has no personal quarrel in war, equally foreigners and any fellow citizen deemed a target (at least, so the cover and reviews indicate). We also finished watching Outbreak, containing scenes when American troops were called on to follow orders and murder all inhabitants of a California town, which will provide dramatic inspiration and gives much to think on.
Consider also why the military usually transfers people out of their home state and around the country: it is to break or render void any allegiance to one's home town, county, or state; in short, to make it easier for United States troops stationed in newly independent states to murder their own "When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another."
What can be done to stop such fratricide if a state, or any geographic region, from a town, county, on up, declares independence and the United States again decides to murder those that would "assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them"? I think education is the only way to offset the desensitization to death and the installation of unquestioning obedience in our military: in particular, of our own history, of world history, of economics and philosophy and the rights of man. What would be so bad about troops that could think for themselves? Certainly devolution to a rabble would never be desirable, but all ranks should be aware of and feel able to refuse an unconscionable order, facing the necessary consequences if the refusal is for any light reason.
It is reasonable to take up arms against the infringement of rights, but not in suppression of them. Will the President have the wisdom to extend the hand of friendship and open trade with the new nation, or will he follow the tyrant Lincoln and (without the excuse of slavery this time) continue to destroy freedom? If not, the tree of liberty may again be watered with the blood of patriots and tyrants alike.
DVDs finished: Outbreak.
