Re: [FT][SG][DS] Canada, the US Civil War II, and the structure

Beth Fulton wrote:

> Not to get picky here John (especially since I haven't really been
> following the thread), but the only reason the US has such a sizeable
force
> is their economy. Now if I remember correctly the whole US civil war
thing

And the hardware just goes away if economy collapses?  US maintains a
vanishingly small army in relation to it's GNP--there is a HELL of a lot
of padding in our Federal budget. 

> >Of course, I don't buy a serious civil war in the US to begin with. 
But
> >that's a different rant.  Our military is not a very political one,
and
> >hasn't been since the Society of Cincinnatus.
> 
> They don't have to be if they haven't been paid for a couple of
months....

That was the Society of Cincinnatus.  A large group of officers owed
several years backpay after our Revolution, ready to Coup and install
General Washington as a king.  And it got shut down by one man (Granted,
Lieutenant General George Washington was a HELL of one man) making one
speech.  And it just went home.  And that was the last time any element
of our Army interfered in domestic politics.  

Of course, one could argue that the Army does have political
viewpoints--I doubt that the timing of a certain courtmartial is
coincidental[1], but overt participation in domestic politics would
definitely be difficult to sell.

John M. Atkinson
[1]They recalled a flag officer to active duty to court martial him for
having an improper relationship with a subordinate and perjuring himself
about it. . .