From:	Robert Watkins robert.watkins@******.com
Subject:	Value and so on....
Date:	Fri, 16 Jul 1999 11:06:09 +1000

Schizi@***.com writes:
> um, the war was kinda fought that way:-)
> (I know other things happened along the way of course)

Yep... Didn't the British Expeditionary Force burn Washington to the ground,
then proceed to march without their artillery up the road to Baltimore, and
that's why they lost?

Imagine the American War of Independence today. Your civil militia has
lovely assault rifles, probably on a par with those of the opposition. But
the British Expeditionary Force now has tanks and aircraft support. A
beach-head is established with fire support from the ships, still, and tanks
are unloaded. After Washington is burnt down, the armoured force proceeds up
the road to Baltimore, where it meets the militia with their assault rifle
and proceeds to kick serious butt.

> This is also one of the reasons that the gun-banning laws are a true
> infringment. The very weapons first banned were the ones most
> useful to the
> overthrough of a government.

Umm... when was it _ever_ legal to own, say, a light anti-tank weapon? Or a
Surface-to-Air Missile? Or a working tank?

> "You don't need an uzi to hunt deer>"
> no, but yu may just need it when the drek hits the fan (mind you,
> not saying
> it will, but we buy insurance "just in case")

And in the meantime, while you wait for the drek to hit the fan, you have
teenage kids fighting gang wars with those same weapons. You don't need an
Uzi to hunt deer, but it comes in pretty bloody handy for holding up banks,
blowing away random passerbys, and committing suicide by holding up in the
office and waiting for the SWAT team to come.

Personally, I'm _glad_ I live in a society where we are comfortable with
having our freedom and security ensured by the armed and police forces.
Anyone who doesn't respect the "Boys in Blue (and Green)" should consider
the fact that they are allowed _not_ to respect them. I'd rather trust an
ethical (on the whole) police and army than see my neighbours bringing home
an AK-47.

> Mind you, in a nuclear war, such things are inconsequential, but a war
> fought to gain ground is fought differently.

And a war against an oppressive government would be very different again.

--
.sig deleted to conserve electrons. robert.watkins@******.com