Much has been made of Obama's former Communications Director Anita Dunn quoting Chairman Mao as one of her two "favorite philosophers", and Ron Bloom (Manufacturing "Czar") saying "... We kind of agree with Mao that political power comes largely from the barrel of a gun... "
I have conflicting opinions on this. The first one I'll call the Glenn Beck opinion because it's the one he says. In so many words - no it doesn't; political power comes from the consent of the governed. It says so in our founding documents. The other opinion is the pragmatic one. If you don't think power comes from the barrel of a gun, try not paying your taxes for a while. I guarantee you someone with a gun will show up at your door after a while. You are then free to decide if they have power. Of course, in theory, we have loaned them that power so that they may enforce laws.
Practical matters like that aside, power really does come from the consent of the governed. That's why this is so unsettling: only 21% of Americans say the federal .gov has our consent. The article has more demographic breakdowns, but even a majority of Democrats agree that the Government has lost the consent of the governed. If you think of 21% as being loyalists to the government, that's essentially the same percentage that was loyal to the British in the Revolutionary War. What does that mean if or when civil unrest hits the country? Denninger has some thoughts that are well worth you reading.
By the way, did you notice how the brave Peoples Army soldiers hold the girl at arms length and get as far away as they can - to keep from getting too splattered?
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