ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Why Mess With the US?

Updated on June 18, 2013

The Insanity of Insurrection

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.


working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)