Re: LOLWUT?

"And they have assault rifles and rocket launchers, not to mention many of them have decades of military training"

Assault rifles are just like regular rifles, except that they have flash suppressors and a couple other superficial differences.

Afghan "military training" is not training, but experience. Their soldiers have virtually no formal military education.

There are at least hundreds of thousands of Americans who have the necessary know-how to make home-made rocket launchers - not to mention IEDs, remote controlled directional mines, and many other munitions.

What is more, an American insurgency would disrupt the supply lines of the American military, and would probably enjoy the support of many soldiers or ex-soldiers. Over 15% of American men have had military training.

In short, even a relatively small minority of Americans could seriously disrupt the American military, and a sizable separatist movement would have a good chance of succeeding. Without a clear moral imperative such as the elimination of slavery, there would be significant resistance even among loyalists to fighting a war to keep the States united.

But beyond that, even hopeless causes can have a significant impact. Just the knowledge that ordinary citizens are armed has moderated many government policies. It is one of the checks and balances of the American system.