oct 1st: us standing army

[uniconr]

its not just the national guard anymore

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/0...eland_090708w/

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'The highest number to which a standing army can be carried in any country does not exceed one hundredth part of the souls, or one twenty-fifth part of the number able to bear arms.' -James Madison

actually the senate rejected a vote to limit the size of the standing army, and i dont think madison's statement was ever amended into the constitution.. but coming from james madison, the message is clear.

i would say that national guard, blackwater, and other mercenary groups all count towards the total, but its not really near the 1% mark of three million soldiers.
who wants to do the numbers? the national guard is about 500 000, and according to the almighty wikipedia blackwater trains about 40 000 people a year?

fun fact
keeping a standing army was a main reason that /king george III/ lost his american colonies

[clarkkent]

excellent post- i just emailed link to my friends...

k