That these and other such schemes would not work as advertised would not prevent them from being tried-and being stubbornly persisted in, too, their serial failures notwithstanding. So America would be wracked with chronic, incurable economic instability. Which would engender continuous political confusion, as the Armed Forces manipulated or even installed token civilian regimes staffed with incompetent puppets and "yes men", followed by new bouts of military sting-pulling or outright intervention aimed at cleaning up the last crisis, and so on, along the sorry lines South American republics such as Argentina have followed for generations.

In addition, thoroughly politicized Armed Forces, unfettered by effective civilian constraints, would likely feel the need, and would have the ability, to justify the expensive existence of the military-industrial complex by inserting themselves into, if not instigating outright, ever-expanding overseas military adventures. Thus, the present "war on terror"-in addition to whatever other forms of aggressive imperialism could be fomented, ostensibly to "defend our freedoms" in a "homeland" that the "war on terror" itself had rendered no longer free-would drag on forever, at untold costs in lives and treasure.

As dark as these clouds would be, they could contain something of a thin silver lining. Perhaps America would be minimally fortunate. Perhaps she would end up with her own version of Juan Domingo Peron, who if an authoritarian was at least not a murderous thug. Even better if he were accompanied by an Americana version of Evita Peron, who truly cared for los descamisados gringos: America's "shirtless ones", the common people. But for that horse to run in the money in History's derby would be the longest of long shots.

There are, of course, other, more-desirable alternatives available:

1. Reform of the monetary and banking systems along constitutional and free-market lines is certainly possible-although it will not be easy, because: (i) the Federal Reserve System cannot simply be "abolished" at one fell swoop without generating massive dislocations throughout the markets; and (ii) the legislation necessary for proper reform cannot be enacted in Congress in the foreseeable future.

Instead, Americans need to create an alternative constitutional and sound currency-actually consisting of, not simply "backed by", silver and gold-to compete with Federal Reserve Notes in the marketplace. This step must be taken at the State level, for several reasons. First, it cannot be moved through Congress, whereas among the fifty States there must be at least a few in which the political and economic climate is such that State legislators can be convinced to take appropriate action. Second, the States enjoy the legal authority to adopt an alternative currency-indeed, as the Constitution declares, "No State shall * * * make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts".[7] Third, the States' exercise of their legal authority to adopt an alternative currency is constitutionally immune from interference by Congress, as even the Supreme Court has held on more than one occasion.[8] Fourth, the States have a political and legal responsibility to their own citizens to protect the public health, safety, and welfare-which under contemporary conditions necessitates adopting a sound currency to replace the collapsing Federal Reserve Note before it is too late. Fifth, this approach has the benefit of being prudent, because it is both experimental and incremental-yet once the experiment has been tried and proven workable in one State it can (and surely will) quickly spread to others, because no real alternative exists, other than Americans' supine and stupid acquiescence in the collapse of the Federal Reserve System, with all the dire consequences that will entail. Admittedly, the adoption of an alternative currency will not eliminate all of the economic problems the present faulty monetary and banking systems have caused; but it will mitigate them and provide a solid foundation for further reforms.

2. Reform of "homeland security" would be even simpler than dealing with the collapsing Federal Reserve System. As the Second Amendment to the Constitution declares, "[a] well regulated Militia" is "necessary to the security of a free State". Not a Department of Homeland Security based in Washington, D.C., let alone the regular Armed Forces, but "[a] well regulated Militia". "A well regulated Militia" is the only thing the Constitution identifies as "necessary" for any purpose, and the only thing it identifies as serving the specific purpose of "security". Moreover, the only other place in which the Constitution uses any other word related to "security" is in its Preamble, where it lists as one of its purposes "to * * * secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity".

Thus, the Constitution links "security" to freedom and liberty, and only to freedom and liberty. Therefore, to have "homeland security" in the constitutional sense requires "[a] well regulated Militia" in each and every one of "the several States". And what is "[a] well regulated Militia"? As Article 13 of Virginia's Declaration of Rights of 1776 so aptly put it, "[a] well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defence of a free state". That is, "[a] well regulated Militia" consists of WE THE PEOPLE themselves-in the final analysis, the only possible guarantors of freedom in a self-governing society.

http://oathkeepers.org/oath/contact/