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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>John Clark via extropy-chat<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, March 19, 2020 4:38 AM<br><b>To:</b> ExI chat list <extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org><br><b>Cc:</b> John Clark <johnkclark@gmail.com><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [ExI] > Taiwan is standing strong<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>On Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 5:57 PM spike jones via extropy-chat <<a href="mailto:extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org">extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'> <o:p></o:p></p></div></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><i><span style='font-size:13.5pt'>></span>…The militia doesn’t fight the military. The military takes an oath to defend the constitution, not obey the POTUS…spike</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><i>I might add that your bunch of silly rednecks with little hunting rifles are former military with rifles very similar to the ones the military trained them to field-strip, service and reassemble in the middle of the night in a rainstorm, as well as hit a human-sized target from 800 meters. This is what makes the AR-15 the most popular rifle in America. It isn’t a hunting rifle: in most states .22 caliber ammo is illegal for hunting, for it doesn’t insure a clean kill.</i><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><i>Would you like to rethink your attitude on militias please? </i><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></blockquote><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>>…I'll try, but there is something I don't understand. If the professional army remains loyal to the constitution and not the President, as you are certain they will, then who do the people in these private redneck militias imagine they'll be fighting? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>The militias fight those who join the insurrection.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>I consider it most unlikely the military would join that, but also keep in mind that the military must be paid, whereas the militia does not. It was intentionally set up such that if the US government cannot pay its military, the newly-formed states would not be defenseless. It still works that way today.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>>…I think they just like to have fun playing soldier on the weekend…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>You would be surprised at how seriously some of these people “playing soldier” take this kind of thing. Plenty of them are former military, and they are quite good at what they do. You would learn a lot if you were to look into this deeply.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>>…and would be useless in any presidential power grab…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>John you were aware that a presidential power grab was attempted before, by Andrew Jackson, who had a lot more advantages: he was very popular with the masses, there was little communication, and the US had far fewer precedents for handling government power.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>>…or worse would actively join sides with the oppressor…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>John if you go against the constitution, you are the oppressor. I am betting the constitution will hold strong, even as the US government begins to default on its debts, most likely starting with Medicare and Social Security.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>>…The Roman Republic lasted about 200 years and then they got an Emperor, we may be going down the same road. John K Clark<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>The constant wariness of power grabbers is a good thing. The power of the US presidency has decreased considerably in the past decade, even more steeply in the past three years. This is a good thing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>I can assure you, the current POTUS whose name escapes me at the moment, is not plotting to take over the government or the military, and is not planning any kind of insurrection. The military is legally obligated to refuse illegal orders. They know what those are.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt'>spike<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></div></body></html>