Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Webleymkv
if every soldier takes that oath so seriously, why did the army uphold Lincoln's declaration of martial law and suspension of Habeus Corpus during the Civil War? Why did the military carry out the interrment of Japanese Americans during WWII? As you've already pointed out, both of these acts were tyrannical and unconstitutional, yet the military carried them out anyway.
|
And if an armed citizenry would prevent such tyrannical acts why didn't those armed citizen's resist?
Of course, we both know the answers
The suspension of Habeus Corpus was supported by the public because the country was involved in a civil war. Something that is not going to happen again. The Japanese Internment was actually upheld by the Supreme Court as constitutional in
Korematsu but later rejected and overturned. Also, the Japanese Americans were released after WWII and later paid reparations.
However, in neither case was the military used to overthrow branches of government as your scenario implied and all three branches of our government were complicit in the outrages you mention.
Our government made a terrible mistake by interning those Japanese Americans but no armed citizenry either prevented it or righted it. I have not said our government is perfect (as none is) but my point is that the righting of the constitutional ship was done by our democratic institutions not an armed citizenry which had no role whatsoever in the affair.
However, my question still stands if you can find a part of our history
since our government was formed
where an armed citizenry either prevented or overturned governmental tyranny I would be interested to hear about it.
PS Once again please not the rural myth of The Battle of Athens TN:barf: