From America's past, "The Sons of Liberty"

[Cleita]

The Sons of Liberty
In Boston in early summer of 1765 a group of shopkeepers and artisans who called themselves The Loyal Nine, began preparing for agitation against the Stamp Act. As that group grew, it came to be known as the Sons of Liberty. And grow it did! These were not the leading men of Boston, but rather workers and tradesmen. It was unseemly that they would be so agitated by a parliamentary act. Though their ranks did not include Samuel and John Adams, the fact may have been a result of a mutually beneficial agreement. The Adams' and other radical members of the legislature were daily in the public eye; they could not afford to be too closely associated with violence, neither could the secretive Sons of Liberty afford much public exposure. However, amongst the members were two men who could generate much public sentiment about the Act. Benjamin Edes, a printer, and John Gill of the Boston Gazette produced a steady stream of news and opinion. Within a very short time a group of some two thousand men had been organized under Ebenezer McIntosh, a South Boston shoemaker.

more at http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/sons.htm

They were the beginning of the movement to free the thirteen American colonies to form their own nation independent of England. I was especially interested in the fact that they had swayed the militias and sheriffs to back them up and not the English colonial government.

I'm wondering with that big purge Donald Rumsfeld had in the Pentagon to get rid of all the military brass that weren't in lockstep with the Bush administration, how many demoted, prematurely retired, and forced to resign brass are out there that might be willing to convince the local commands of our bases to follow them and not Rumsfeld. Without the military the Bush administration is powerless.

[atreides1]

1. Good Question

Unfortunately, the troops still believe that they are fighting to keep us free, only when someone can convince the grunts that this adminstration is trying to destroy their very existence, will they
be open to such an idea.

[Cleita]

2. So you don't think people like Wesley Clarke could?n/t

Here's something I dug up the other day:

http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,Galloway_042603,00.html

It seems Rumsfeld cleared out any dissension in the Pentagon, but it seems like some of these disenfranchised officers should be pissed.