Why Mess With the US?

Like many cities, especially State Capitols, Harrisburg, PA had what was billed as a "Pro 2nd Amendment" rally. The rally was in response to the measures that the president proposed that include a restoring of the assault weapons ban and restrictions on large-capacity magazines. While it looks as many of the people there, most of which who likley came from the more rural communities, were unarmed, though a few probably were carrying concealed, the groups that provided the fertilizer for this "astroturf" event; the NRA and the firearms manufacturers they basically represent, and a few of their followers may aspire to see an armed assault on Pennsylvania's Capitol, among other places.

As many of them espouse what the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence calls "Insurrectionism." The idea of "Insurrectionism" comes from part of a Supreme Court decison that determined that the 2nd Amendment applied to individuals:

This idea, which we call “insurrectionism,” is part of a broader ideological perspective that opposes a strong, activist government in nearly all of its forms. Insurrectionist philosophy degrades the democratic values and institutions that protect all of the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. Gun lobby extremists have been perfectly willing to trample on any freedom that gets in the way of their pursuit of unrestricted private access to firearms (i.e., property rights, access to justice, freedom of information, public safety, etc.). This toxic mix of ideology and firepower has moved beyond rhetoric and resulted in real violence in our country.

The idea, though more common on the American Right, is not confined to that side. Since Newtown, I have found myself debating insurgents among the left. Of course, the Democrats and progressives have done better relegating these folks to the fringes than the right, The rhetoric of folks like Gov Perry, Rand Paul, and Michele Bachmann would be examples of that.

I can see why the Right would see a need to plot for armed uprising, They see they are losing ground. The 2012 Elections and the support for paths to citizenship for the undocumented, gays and lesbian rights, marijuana legalization, and even gun restrictions, could all show that the United States is shifting left. There are still pockets of opposition; the South, the Plains States, and other places that are more racially and ethnically homogeneous; a sort of "bunker network" of AM-Radio and it's cable news channel (FOX), and bloggers like Drudge and internet programs like Alex Jones, create an echo chamber of sorts.

But do they know what they are messing with? The United States has shown time and time again that should the need to use force against domestic insurrection, they will; the Whiskey Rebellion, the Civil War, and times during the Civil Rights Movement where the National Guard needed to be called in are all examples. The same folks who cheer when a drone takes out a Taliban may find themselves victims of one.

Would there be deserters in the ranks, perhaps? But there may also be Americans who would join to oppose the new rebels. Also, since many of the members of the uprising would be from radical reactionary groups, organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center and One People's Project would likely provide intelligence and even act as footsoldiers.

There's also a matter of foreign support. There are few countries that would likley back a right-wing uprising against the United States, there may be some support from fascist, etc, elements of Europe, and a counter balance from the anti-fascists and anarchists of Europe.

I have for years believed that in my lifetime we will see an uprising in America. This is not that time, but I fear that the impetus will come not from the left, but the right. The rhetoric from the NRA and it's political hired guns seems to prove that correct.