I know someone who has a T-shirt with rebellious US Colonists that says something like "right wing crazies" on it, which is patently wrong.
The US rebels were liberal in their politics (there is a reason "tory" means conservative in Commonwealth political systems). The rebellious US Colonists belonged to the liberal/whig tradition.
Which gets to the nest issue: Of all the formerly British Countries, why does the US have a problem with insurrectionism? The other countries have similar militia tradition. Australia had the most similar gun culture. Yet look how quickly Australia went from loose to strict firearm regulation.
And, yes, the other countries had rebellions.
Only the US, which fought a war for independence is the one that has a gun problem.
It was breaking with the rule of law and fighting the war for independence which led to this problem. It created the culture where Shays' Rebellion and all its various progeny, which includes the US Civil War could occur.
People should not be celebrating the American War for Independence, but looking at the suffering it caused both during and immediately after. The history which led to the US Constitution being written as an attempt to bring the rule of law to US culture.
An attempt which appears to have been a massive failure.
The French have tried to repair their similar mistake with five different republics (and a couple of Empires tossed in for good measure), yet the US is working with broken constitution.
It's time for a change.
Debate Magazine
