Thomas Paine: Fear, Government Power and Standing Armies
From the earliest days of the republic, politicians have used fear to expand government power. This was the strategy the Federalist Party used to get a standing army. Thomas Paine called them out on it. The founding generation was extremely wary of standing armies....
Weaponizing the Bureaucracy: Who Will Protect Us from the Government’s Standing Army?
“A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty.” -James Madison The IRS has stockpiled 4,500 guns and five million rounds of ammunition in recent years, including 621 shotguns, 539 long-barrel rifles and 15...
Using Tyranny to Prevent Tyranny: A Warning on Standing Armies
One of the forgotten values of the American Founders was their deeply held opposition to a permanent standing army. This was born of experience. In late 1763, at the end of the French and Indian War, the British decided to station 10,000 troops for...