Yes, -we must Maintain and Better ourselves, -as Civilly as All Possible!

But failng that, and should a True Need still exist for a Truly "Spirit of 76" Nation and Government, -then We the People Rightly *do* have the Inalienable Right to Take Back our Country and Government! As a Last but Definite Resort.

It is *not* only our Government's manifold enuff typical Failings, -but also our Many Enough Own! "We the People" have to Stay on Freedom's Ball, -as well!

I Share in some, but not all, -of your Pessimistic Side here. It is at least Very Understandable of you. I don't think that things are Neccessarily all that Bad! But I too Fear for my Country!, -and any Children as I at anytime may have.

It Reminds me of the Fight I once got into as a Teen. Peaceable, Kind Ole me. I was Standing Up for my Brother, with another Kid. He so Challenged me to a Fight! The Fighter Part of me replied, -"Yeah!, -I'll Fight you!". And so the Gang got the Time and Place all Scheduled and Arranged. I duly appeared at the appointed Place and Day. one Guy was Amazed that I even Shoed Up, -and to me said so. I replied in my own mind, -"But of Course!..." Just like a certain Condiment Ad says. "Why the Heck you Think I wouldn't!, -The Cause is Right and Just, -I've been Duly Challenged", etc. "Only Naturally and Of Course!, -I'll Show Up!

But then when the Actual Fight got underway, at the appointed Time, -that Great Peaceable Side of me!, -only also Naturally and Of Course came out! I just Stood Around like a Dolbo!, -not knowing What to Do! Getting Bounced Around like a Basketball! All over that particular Lawn. I think I didn't even get one Punch in!, -though I think I put up only a few Half Effective Blocking Moves. My Opponent got in, -to say the least, -Many. Guess who Won the Fight? It certainly *wasn't* me! Some assembled kids then Walked Away Laughing! Just couldn't Beleive!, -that I *Wouldn't* even Try!, -to Stand Up for Myself and Fight! "Showed Up, -Fine!", -they may have thought. -"But What was his Showing Up even *For*?!..." Considerably Acheing in at least 7 spots, -which was to last maybe a week, -I could only "Limp" back onto my Beloved Golden Bike, (which I had from Age 8 to 16), -and Ride one to two miles Homeward and Away. All by myself and Lonesome. I *Came* Nobly, But *Didnt* Follow Thru! And to No Surprise, -was Creamed as a Result! I Never Told my Brother of my Nobly Intended Sticking Up for him. And not just because I was Creamed in the Resulting Fight!

On another occassion, -two Good Ole Guys (one present at the aforementioned Fight), -got together with me to give me Fighting Lessons, -one Sunny Summerish Afternoon in the Field back of their House. I fared Much Better there! One remarking that I landed a Pretty Good Blocking Blow, at him! But while Real Enuff, -This was all in "Friendly Lessons". They may not have been Intellectually Smart and all like me. But these Good Ole Country Boys were Smart in other ways! Lessons which I have since Duly Long Taken On! Another Kid back in the Scout Troop was Urgeing me to be Tuff! "You've Got to be Tough!...", or something like that, -I Remember him saying! And in this particular Department of Life of his, -He was of course Quite Right! I Fondly Look Back and Remember these Good Lessons! Butof course *Not* so Fondly Remember that Creaming Fight! Save for its Vital Lesson!

Point of this all is!, -Applicability to our *National* Situation is!, -that we as a Nation, Culture, and People!, -just Can't and Shouldn't Stand Around like Dolbos! Like *I* once did! Before the various Opponents of our World! That is such a Large, -though Far from Complete Part, -of *Why* I am such an all round, National Security and Defense Hawk! (Not All and Only, -because it only Long and Always has come from Deep Inside of me anyway! The "Yeah!, -I'll Stand Up and Fight You!", -here too!). If we are so By and Large Much on the Downward side of the Curve, as you speak of, -then this is cause we largely Stand Around like Dolbos, -when we *Really Don't* have to!!! As well as various other "Loungeing Around on the National Couch", -like Potatos, -as we variously here at Home do! We *could* end up Getting Creamed as a Result! Again, -When we So Much Really DON'T Have to!!!

Again, -I do think I substantially Differ with you in the extent of the all round Downward Curve, -but I do Chagrinedly and Concernably think that it is Considerable! (Also, as you say, -You too Don't think that things are all Bad!, =-I here do Hasten to Acknowledge! But I still substantially Differ with you on your "Downward Side Remainder"!).

(NOTE to Anyone, -"Dolbo" and "Dolbos" are my own Apt, Made Up Words, here. Any samesuch Similarity to any Slang Word which may actually exist somewhere, -is Unknown and Unintentional of me! I once got into a Real Misunderstanding with a Gal, -over another such Aptly Made Up New Word of mine! I *Would't* want any samesuch, -to Unintentionally but Defitely Happen here!!! -So to speak along the lines of TV and Movie Disclaimers!,...).

As to your first paragraph, -I don't mean to Braggingly Toot my own Horn! But Put me there in Washington or the White House! And I seriously think I can do a Darned Good Job of Leading and Protecting this Country! NOT that I seriously want to do such! But hypothetically given the Position, -I think that I Materially Very Well Can!, Lead so! I've Got the "Spirit and Sense of it All"! As well as much other National Security and Defense / Nuts and Bolts of it all Sense, here.

Like an Old Man I used to Know said, -"If I were President! / You just Make me President, ...-I'll Straighten this Country Out!".

Talk of insurrection by its citizens to overthrow the federal US government may be constitutional but;

The consequnces would be I fear be similar to the Proclamation, by mad King George III at http://www.founding.com/library/lbody.cfm?id=97&parent=17.

A new national security presidential order would be almost identical.

It may read something like,



or how about this recent Presidential Order that seems to have slipped by the US news media this month. Some consider it to be an affront to the US constitution. Recent events this month are just as important as those from the eighteenth century.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070509-12.html

Um, I don't want to rain on the parade here, but we aren't the only nation to send men to the moon.

We aren't event the first ones into space.

As for Vietnam POWs, ours is the only country I think you will find where our war heroes get spit on, insulted, and generally discounted by the very citizenry they served.

Who here would think the old USSR wasn't a sick society? Yet look at all they accomplished. Also, they were darned near the end of us all. Accomplishments and sacrifice do not a great nation make.

As for the Presidency, it isn't being in the White House that makes you powerful, it is what got you there that does. Any modern president will have to deal with congress, and congress has a way of really stifling a president's desire to effect change. What gave Bush the clout to influence congress to his will, his ability to capitalize on the emotive response of the public opinion during crisis, and his lobbying influence with big business. Pitiful souls such as we would likely be congressional puppets for our lack of solid corporate backing these days. Heck, look what it takes to run a campaign even.

Much as I would desire such ideals to come to fruition, the reality is that we must fall considerably deeper before we as a people will rise up to compel change. Even then, given the magnitude of our technological development, I don't know if we have the capability to overcome the last desperate gasp of tyranny without being cancelled out in whole. Such things take tremendous sacrifice, and our ability to annihilate each other may be too great. We're not talking about legions of unwilling solidiers anymore, we're talking about one man with his finger on a button, and an attitude of if he can't have it all, then no one can...

I don't think "affront" means what I think you think it means. For example:

I'll admit I only skimmed it but it seems like the idea is to make sure that the gov't doesn't drop the ball if TSHTF.

Forgive my confusion, but no other nation has landed on the moon. Not the Soviets/Russians or the Chinese.



Some of their accomplishments include millions of their own citizens killed in purges, frequent crop failures and famines. Their economy was so out of whack that they couldn't even manage any industry other than labor intensive heavy industry. Their military was impressive until the mid to late 1980's. Today it's a shell of its former self.

The true tragedy is how the leaders of the USSR raped and pillaged their country.

Hi BrianTexas

Actually benjammin is technically correct in his statement. The Soviet Union did have space project to send men to the moon just as the United States of America did. The Soviet Moon Rocket was actually more massive than the Apollo Assembly. It blew up on the Launchpad. The reason why the Soviet rocket was more massive was because of the 3 inch Stainless Steel walls of the lunar space vehicle, which was required to protect the cosmonauts from the deadly radiation of the Van Allen Radiation belt. The US Apollo space craft had a few fractions of an inch of aluminum and mylar to protect the US astronauts from the radiation. The failure of the Soviet moon mission was airbrushed from Soviet history. Apparently the US astronauts landed successfully on the moon and returned successfully!!

Well both the Presidential Directive, (that you provide a Link to), and any modern day Rebels wishing to Preserve our Free, Constitutional Govt, -are Both trying to Preserve that Freedom and Constitution. I as such have no problem with either. My only Qualm or Problem occurs, when either or both are acting Contrary to these. Of course even there, the Directive can be Cited and Implemented, -in the Constitution's own Co-Opted Name. Or what could perhaps be called a "Backwards sort of Advocacy".

There is certainly No Need yet for Constitutional Rebels to overthrow and Retake our Govt, be that Govt Constitutional or otherwise. There may Never come such a True Need to ever do so. Certainly lets Hope that No such
Need or Day ever arises. But our Freedom and Constitution however its done, -be that either a Maintenence of, -or a Replay of, -our Spirit of 76!

(I Better start Avoiding the Political!).

But we've Got, and Always had, -many Fail Safe Safeguards, -where it would certainly take more than one Person's finger on the Nuclear Button. (Unless you're talking about a Presidential Order or Directive here).

Also, -I don't know where you get the Idea that others besides just us have been to the Moon, -but we're the Only ones who yet have! And Thank God and our Sticktuitiveness, -that the Flag of Freedom was the First and Only one!, -to yet Fly there! I wouldn't mind a Union Jack, Tricolor, (Present Day) Rising Sun, or Maple Leaf, -also Flying there someday. But Never any ones of Tyranny or other all round Oppression! I recently heard something on Art Bell's and George Norrie's Coast to Coast, -about how we suppossedly first went in 1962, and are Mining there now!!! But *I Don't Beleive it!* I just Don't Beleive it! And Thats That!

Heck!, -the Red Chinese have only Recently begun doing MERCURY type Missions! And this some 40 years After our Fact! And how many of these have they sent up yet?, -maybe 2 or 3 ?!

Indeed they're now so Belatedly Shooting for the Moon! If Mao and all his Revolutions were so Great, -then Why Didn't they Race us then!? A la the Soviets, -who at least were in a Very Respectable Running! In *this* vein, -"Respectable" and "Chinese Space Program" *Can't* be said in the same Sentence! (Save this one). Our Renewed Space Resolve, -that of our Upcoming Orion and Aries Programs, -an Enhanced "Apollo II", (thats Roman Numeral Two, -not Apollo 11 !), -will again Beat the Pants Off of them there! (Notwithstanding the Fact that between Everything Else, -I don't know where *all* the Funding and Resources for such, are going to come from!).