The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity. William Butler Yeats
REPUBLICS ARE RARE. Like coal, they can be reduced to dust. But those well-organized—even when under great pressure—become diamonds.
This nation is a miracle taken for granted by too many. But in the old days, the smart money was not on the Colonies. No one was saying, “I’ll take the Americans and give you ten points.” Sacrifice, the high tax of greatness, made it all possible—“our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” Something too often forgotten—citizenship consists of rights and duties.
“The American militia, in the course of the late war, have, by their valor on numerous occasions, erected eternal monuments to their fame; but the bravest of them feel and know that the liberty of their country could not have been established by their efforts alone, however great and valuable they were.” (Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist Papers, No. 25)
In the aftermath of the war, fear of a standing army remained because memories of the Redcoats lingered. But Alexander Hamilton knew the inadequate arrangements of the Articles would be corrected under the Constitution. The report President Washington had Secretary of War Knox send to Congress in support of Universal National Service was to be a constant reminder of the benefits and burdens of citizenship. Hamilton had foreshadowed the Knox Report in The Federalist Papers, where he made it clear that “a well-regulated Militia” concerns “national security” and is under the control, initially, of a Governor and, ultimately, the President of the United States. (The Federalist Papers, No. 29)
The South has been a major source of confusion regarding the Second Amendment. It is not about slave patrols, which were in effect long before, nor stand your ground and concealed carry. Yet the South’s claims have served as an example to others to do the same. Nevertheless, assertion and repetition do not equal truth. But that does not stop some from trying.
The Southern strategy is lying. The South pays lip service to the Constitution while longing to live under the Articles of Confederation. Thus, the supremacy clause of the former must yield to the States’ rights of the latter. (Article VI, Clause 2)
Treason—“levying war” against the United States—is the only crime defined in the Constitution because it is a threat to the life of the Republic. (Article III, Section 3) Treason—firing on Fort Sumter—was committed based on falsehood. Reconstruction was halted based on falsehood. And the Capitol was invaded based on falsehood, by those who followed in the footsteps of the Confederacy.
A proclamation to “insure domestic tranquility” is necessary to serve notice on the rebels and put them in touch with reality. (Preamble) Like Lincoln, Biden must wed the “take care” clause and the war power to enforce the “guarantee to every State in this Union a republican form of government.” (Article II, Section 3 & Article IV, Section 4) The objective: crush the rebellion and save the Republic. Pursuant to Article I, Section 8, Clause 15 that gave Congress the power “To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions,” the Insurrection Act was passed—and must be invoked, because Article IV, Section 4 requires the United States to “protect each of them against invasion; and…domestic violence.”
America is a child of the Enlightenment, not the Dark Ages. In the beginning, our cause seemed unlikely and, at times, hopeless. Now, in the minds of some, nothing hung in the balance then, because the matter was never in doubt. But the inevitable is an illusion, the appearance of what had to happen, after the fact—and from a safe distance. In the end, patriots do not risk life and limb so others may simply lie and push Lady Liberty off her pedestal, then laugh as she stumbles, staggers on her way, possibly to die. And now, the naysayers are nervous, for those who take things for granted forget that the existence of the United States of America is against all odds.
(c)2022 Marvin D. Jones. All rights reserved.
[Against All Odds]
https://marvindjones.blogspot.com/2013/08/much-is-required.html
[The Second Amendment]
https://marvindjones.blogspot.com/2021/01/an-effective-executive.html
[Lincoln and Biden]
