Paranoid lunacy aside, a draft isn't the way to prevent that. Put pressure on Congress to pass legislation enforcing Congressional approval of all military action. Besides, at this point with technology, there is no gun you can get that is going to do a damn thing if the government decides they want to take you out. Guns are FAR more convenient to use than a bomb. Bombs also require planning, so snap decisions to grab a gun and take out a school aren't possible. Also, this.
In case you missed the last Presidential election, nobody gives a crap about the wars or the President taking us to war since nobody has skin in the game. Who exactly is going to put pressure on Congress? If the President was required to use a citizen army from a mandatory draft these wars would have been over years ago. There is a reason Nixon ended the draft and federalized the guard and it did exactly what he wanted it to do going forward, ended public commitment to going to war or stopping war.
And there's your answer. People don't care because those of us who aren't paranoid lunatics aren't worried about the army coming to our houses on the orders of the President. It simply isn't a worthwhile thing to worry about. And it's unrelated to gun control. Guns will NOT defend a citizen from a modern army. They would reduce you and your house to ash while laughing at you, no matter what kind of gun you had.
Guns can help defend citizens from a modern occupying force. Any modern military can obviously take and hold land from everyday citizens regardless of how many AR-15's the citizens have. On the other hand, citizens acting as a semi-coordinated gorilla force can terrorize a modern army that is an occupying force (See Iraq and Afganistan). Trying to occupy a place that is as well armed and educated (believe it or not) as the US would be nuts. The guns are part of the equation, but obviously not the whole thing, as IEDs in Iraq proved.
Guns are only 1 aspect of the second amendment. Without a citizen army the 2nd amendment has already become moot. I agree with you the 2nd amendment no longer has any meaning without a drafted citizen army. The ending of the draft and federalizing of the Guard by Nixon insured the death of the 2nd amendment. The "well regulated" state militia doesn't exist in any real sense anymore. The concept that citizens can be armed with any weapon that a US infantryman would carry into battle on foreign soil is absurd without training through a "well regulated militia" Even Scalia recognizes that while guns are a right that right is not unlimited.
I'm pretty sure it's not a right on the federal level. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Antonio_Independent_School_District_v._Rodriguez I could be wrong, did NCLB or something more recent change this? I would think it would have to be added to the constitution. The individual states require compulsory education for everyone (or maybe the fed requires it in order to get Department of Education funds?). I would call education in America a duty more than a right, since it is compulsory. What kind of "right to education" you have a right to varies from state to state (part of NCLB was to nationalize standards a bit better iirc). For example NJ has Abbott districts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_District), while some other states are very resistant to trying to provide an equal education. Detroit probably has cops in their high schools already. If they don't, they should. I'm pretty sure some high schools in non-wealthy districts have this already in NJ. I'm not sure why the cost argument is being brought up. Hiring an off duty police officer for 8 hours a day at $20 an hour would cost about 30k a year (assuming 180 school day years). That is nothing in the scope of some public school budgets.
It isn't a right under the Federal Constitution however since every State in the country has mandatory education the equal protection clause under the 14th amendment applies to education. Since much of the funding of schools comes from the Federal government they also exert tremendous power to standardize through funding.
I thought it was a pretty small amount that was kicked back to the states from the department of education, and that local and state taxes covered like 90% of the costs. But yeah, even if it's only 10-20% the federal government can force standardization through funding, and if the education funding isn't enough they can always pull the trump card of pulling federal highway funds which always gets the states in line.
You addressed the less important part of my post. The idea that we need to be armed to resist occupation by the US Army (or any other army) is absurd. It just isn't a plausible scenario.
I subbed in the Clark County SChool District (one of the largest in the country) while I was in college and they do have school police however they are not part of the Las Vegas Metro PD. They are a seperate entity that do not have the same powers as say highway patrol or rangers. Once they are no longer on school grounds I believe they have no jurisdiction. I don't know if they carry but they could have tasers. I also know because my mother works for the Lakewood, NJ school district and they also have officers that patrol the middle and high school however much like Las Vegas they are not actual Lakewod police officers but school district employees however once again I do not know if they are armed.
I didnt bother addressing it because of your tone. Your argument comes across as "If you disagree with me you are a paranoid lunatic" in some of your other replies. When someone makes a statement like that I usually find they're not worth talking to about the issue at hand. You do understand that saying something is absurd is different than saying it isn't plausible, right? Lets use specific examples, since it will make the coversation more precise. Do you think in the long term (assume 200 years) an attempted military coup in the US is absurd or impossible?
Yes, I do. Obviously, a ton can happen in 200 years, but I just don't see it. And it's not that I think anyone who disagrees is a paranoid lunatic, but if you spend any time worrying that it's going to happen soon you are. It's a fine thing to think about in a theoretical way, but to base policy on the idea that it's going to happen and we have to be ready is paranoid lunacy. We have real, ACTUAL concerns that we should be working on. Any time spent on treating this as a serious issue that's going to happen is time wasted.
Even if a paranoiac's fantasy mega-coup did happen, you would have no chance against tanks, drones, and ballistic missiles. You stupid dumbed down civilian assault riffle would be pretty much useless as you're being gassed in your sleep
OK you are part correct, as a Vegas Metro Officer the CCSD does have cops in most schools. They do carry but they have a very limited budget and really do not deter anything. Once off school grounds they have no true authority. If a felony/ gross mis is committed on school grounds we take it. They handle very minor stuff....
So basically they are there much like the TSA... to give people a sense that they are safe. The CCSD Police are more there for show then to actually resolve any potential issues that may arise. I had no idea that you worked for Metro, my ex wife and my ex brother in law both do as well. The ex wife is in the command center (getting ready to pull some major OT tonight) and her brother came out of the academy last year. Normally I donate some money to the K9 Unit but we are very Pro Metro in our house.
LOL. Yes, that explains why the U.S. Army hasn't yet been able to pacify Afghanistan in 11 years. A bunch of rebels with assault rifles can wreak asymmetrical havoc on a modern army regardless of how many tanks, drones, and ballistic missiles it has. Oh yeah, Vietnam says "hello, remember me?".
Yeah you are pretty much spot on as far as the TSA comparison. Yeah I worked at the CCDC for a year as a C.O. before I went through the patrol academy and went to good ol DTAC. The butthole of Vegas. My old father in law was a 30 year guy on the dept so I joined him. Most of my family/friends are on the dept. To me vice is the best gig going, picking up hookers is a great way to earn a living :grin:.
But if you are fucked in the head, you might have already made a bunch of bombs, so they are ready to go without all the planning. Put it where you want, set the timer and you're set. If somebody really wants to kill, they will find a way. I still don't believe you should blame the tool they use. A bomb could take out way more people than 1 man with a gun. It's just not realistic to ban everything you could ever use to make a bomb, just like its unrealistic to ban guns. There's only so much you can do to prevent a mentally unstable individual from committing a violent crime, whether it's knee jerk reaction or something he's been planning for years. Why should the 99.9% of gun owners who are responsible with their weapons have to pay for this? Besides he stole the gun from his mom, so it kind of makes that whole thing moot since he never legally purchased a gun in the first place. People need to realize that you can't blame anybody or anything for this act, besides the person who actually committed it.
I think my brother in law is in Bolden... not exactly the nicest part of the city. That's where he wanted to be though. When he 1st came out of the academy they gave him days in the SW and he was bored out of his mind. What's the big bar in the Ventian? Octagon Bar? Lol... I'm always in the Sands for the porn convention (working believe it or not) and I always hear about that bar.