United States Biden administration policies and actions - megathread

[Arch Dornan]

Shameless.

 

[S'task]

The Consitution doesn't even make provision for a standing professional Army, they were anticipating a militia that would be federalized into the Army in the event of a crisis.

This is both true, but also gives a false impression.

The Framers of the Constitution did not want a professional standing army, seeing it as anathema to liberty in the long term. However, they were not idiots who were in denial concerning the ability of the Federal government to defend the country against foreign invaders or who though "Militia uber alles", no, they specifically set up for there to be a professional standing military to defend the country from foreign invaders: the Navy.

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

Note how the clause regarding providing and maintaining a Navy is set apart from the section regarding Armies and note it has no limiting aspects like the Army clause (no two year provision on appropriations, even though today the Navy's budget is put on the same two year appropriations timetable that the rest of the US military's it).

Long story short, yes, the Framers envisions no professional standing Army in the US. They did, however, envision a professional standing Navy, which would include the US Marine Corps for ground operations. So this idea they envisioned the militias as the major defense of the country against enemies is incorrect, the militia was meant to be the backup to be called upon if the Navy couldn't hold the line.

 

[Lord Sovereign]

Wow. I knew America took after us in a lot of ways, but I didn't realise they had a boner for the navy as well.

Like father, like son.

 

[Rocinante]

This is both true, but also gives a false impression.

The Framers of the Constitution did not want a professional standing army, seeing it as anathema to liberty in the long term. However, they were not idiots who were in denial concerning the ability of the Federal government to defend the country against foreign invaders or who though "Militia uber alles", no, they specifically set up for there to be a professional standing military to defend the country from foreign invaders: the Navy.



Note how the clause regarding providing and maintaining a Navy is set apart from the section regarding Armies and note it has no limiting aspects like the Army clause (no two year provision on appropriations, even though today the Navy's budget is put on the same two year appropriations timetable that the rest of the US military's it).

Long story short, yes, the Framers envisions no professional standing Army in the US. They did, however, envision a professional standing Navy, which would include the US Marine Corps for ground operations. So this idea they envisioned the militias as the major defense of the country against enemies is incorrect, the militia was meant to be the backup to be called upon if the Navy couldn't hold the line.

IIRC, There was quite a disagreement between John Adams And Alexander Hamilton on whether there should be a standing army. Adams believed we didn't need one because we weren't at war and he wanted to avoid war with the conflict going on between France and Britain, and Hamilton wanted one because he didn't think militia would be sufficient.

My point, was there was quite a disagreement on this even from the early founding fathers.

 

[Zachowon]

Didn't 1812 kinda make the point we should have one?

Wow. I knew America took after us in a lot of ways, but I didn't realise they had a boner for the navy as well.

Like father, like son.

And look at how the son is doing compared to the father

 

[BlackDragon98]

Didn't 1812 kinda make the point we should have one?

Ay, ay, ay.

Lemme clear this up here.

You greedy scrubs invaded us Canadians.

You started the war.

And it ended with us marching down the streets of Washington and torching the White House.

So as long as you do not anger the peaceful Canadian, there is no cause for concern.

Spoiler

It's all jokes, so don't take anything seriously

 

[Lord Sovereign]

And it ended with us marching down the streets of Washington and torching the White House.

So as long as you do not anger the peaceful Canadian, there is no cause for concern.

To be fair, that was the British Army which did that after the battle of Bladensburg (as it turns out, militias aren't worth spit against professional soldiers in open battle), but Canadian troops played a vital role in stemming the US invasion of Canada. Either way, the redcoat handily asserted his dominance of the battlefield.

 

[Zachowon]

To be fair, that was the British Army which did that after the battle of Bladensburg (as it turns out, militias aren't worth spit against professional soldiers in open battle), but Canadian troops played a vital role in stemming the US invasion of Canada. Either way, the redcoat handily asserted his dominance of the battlefield.

And then lost at New Orleans

 

[Lord Sovereign]

And then lost at New Orleans

"Tripped on the way out after burning down Washington DC."

You lost that war. America achieved none of its war goals and got its capital city put to the torch. In what way is that a win?

 

[Knowledgeispower]

Wow. I knew America took after us in a lot of ways, but I didn't realise they had a boner for the navy as well.

Like father, like son.

Well we do have a lot larger moat than you guys do. Alas the USN wasn't given the funding it needed and a lot of the money it got was spent on worthless gunboats by Jefferson as in enough money was spent on those pieces of crap that alternatively it could have given the USN a fleet of six ships of the line and added roughly another 6 frigates and at least dozen lesser vessels like sloops,brigs, and schooners to its order of battle by 1812. That would have made the RN's life in the early parts of the war not fun to say the least. The USN as it was should have been bigger but we lost 2 frigates by the time 1812 rolled along due to bad luck ie weather in one case and the whole USS Philadelphia running aground and being captured by Tripoli thus requiring a daring raid to destroy her

 

[Zachowon]

"Tripped on the way out after burning down Washington DC."

You lost that war. America achieved none of its war goals and got its capital city put to the torch. In what way is that a win?

Yes. We won New Orleans. It also gave us a reason to keep a standing military. And one that has only caused us to lose...two wars since then.

 

[Chaos Marine]

 

[Bassoe]

All things considered, maybe we should give him this one. He certainly looks old enough.

 

[Arch Dornan]

Lol.

 

[boomghost]

Maybe not sucking their blood in particular no..

 

[strunkenwhite]

Maybe not sucking their blood in particular no..

I would bet that there are more than two card-carrying Republicans who think Biden is a literal bloodsucking vampire, which qualifies for the plural "people who think that". The real question is whether the number is significant, for the reporter's question and his riposte. But in a country as big as ours you can always do a stupid gotcha question and then retreat behind "the number of such people isn't literally zero!" for pretty much any political opinion.

 

[Robovski]

Joe Biden is probably the picture of a white man my idiot niece has in her head when she thinks of the evil white guys who kidnap black people for their organs and blood. Best I can hope for is she doesn't vote tbh.

 

[DarthOne]

This alone should be enough to get Biden removed from office...if our political system had anything but the remnant of a backbone to it.

 

[Zachowon]

This alone should be enough to get Biden removed from office...if our political system had anything but the remnant of a backbone to it.

Has he done thay since in office?

 

[Rocinante]

This alone should be enough to get Biden removed from office...if our political system had anything but the remnant of a backbone to it.

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We won't see anything happen