Necessary Evils
A friend pointed this out, and I somehow, I just felt that I had to share.
President Bush as quoted on [url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/ALLPOLITICS/03/15/bush.hezbollah/index.html]CNN.com[/url]:
"First things first," the senior Bush
administration official said. "Syria must get
out, and Lebanon must have unfettered elections,
then Hezbollah must disarm. ... There is no place
for an armed militia in a democratic society."
Per my [url=http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html]Bill of Rights[/url]
Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Now, I don't neccessarily feel that the 2nd ammendment guarantees me the right to buy a gun without a background check, and I might wish that a well regulated Militia were not necessary to the security of a free State, but I damned sure agree with the sentiment.
Hell, I'd even go so far as to say that the country would benefit from compulsory military service for all Americans age 18 (yes, national service exemption for pacifists, etc.).
We'd probably benefit from some nice old-school isolationism (of the non-Monroe Doctrine variety).