[MountainWoman]

This is a good question...but what is it going to take for people to take up their arms and start a revolution? Whose blood is spilled first?

[Melas]

That's so simple even a 1st year government student could answer it.

Successful revolution = legal.

Unsuccessful revolutions = treason

[the long march]

I believe in the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson enumerated the times and causes by which a nation is required to throw off the shakles of an oppressive government. (When in the course of human events, it becomes NECESSARY...)

[bamahead]

The 'right of revolution' as sometimes called is very succintly enshrined in our founding document:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Note the care the founders took, however, to indicate the extreme transgression of human rights that must take place before such a right should be excercised.

[fortunate sun]

Civic responsibility.
Acceptable triggers? I would probably say the standard could be quite flexible. A “Vichy” situation could be acceptable or taxation issues or anything in between.
I think there would be a severe, palpable change in national mood that would precede it.

[ConservaTexan]

"...and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." DOI, 1776

Rampant crimmigration, confiscatory taxation, RKBA infringements, free speech restrictions, and unresponsive representation for starters, sure seem to be a modern day "long train of abuses and usurpations." The question is when will all this become insufferable?

[count-your-change]

The founders of this country did not want to overthrow the government they felt oppressed them but rather to to get from under it and be independent.
Their justification was that they as a people had the right to dissolve political bonds with another people and exercise their God given rights.

The individual states hewed to this understanding until some tried to actually dissolve their political bonds to another people during the Civil War and discovered that the Declaration of Independence only applied to the people who won their war.

[toomuchcoffee]

It’s already been overthrown. Now we have to get it back.

[Yo-Yo]

When I enlisted in the Air Force, I swore to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; [and] that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same."

Note that I didn't bear true faith and allegiance to the United States, but to the Constitution of the United States.

[SampleMan]

Yes, its illegal to overthrow our corrupt government. That doesn’t make it wrong, just illegal.

All of our Founding Fathers were criminals in the eye of the Crown.

That’s how revolutions work. Don’t start one unless you are ready to fight to the death in order to win.

[Mi-kha-el]

I’ ve come from a country where revolution and what followed has killed several dozen million people. I don’t think it’s a good idea.

[WayneS]

It all depends on whether you actually BELIEVE the philosophy outlined/stated in the Declaration of Independence.

PS - I DO!

[seastay]

The movie starts with the killing of civilians by accident as part of the war on terror, perpetuating the myth that more civilians are killed that terrorists and that the US military is reckless.

The plot is about a government super computer that was built to spy on everyone. The plot perpetuates the myth that the Bushes Patriot act is a bad thing, and things will go awry in the future when the big brother knows above and beyond just what library books we check out.

The rouge computer knowing of everything has the ability to calculate objects to fall on anybody anywhere, to kill, it can ring anybodies cell phone, know where they are to give messages to somebody else, anywhere, in time, just in time. It does this by watching everyone in the US through surveillance cameras anywhere they may be, and keeping track of all 300 million US citizens whereabouts.

(We don’t even know today in 2008 where the 30 million illegal Alain’s are now, or where the president of the United States was born , so how a government computer will be all knowing any time soon, is a leap of faith).

The computer has decided that the executive branch is a threat to the public good and must be eliminated, so by its powers begins to knock off people in order to take over the government. We are lead to believe that a computer can calculate a crane to dump an object in the middle of a car chase, in order to prevent the police from discovering the computers intentions.

I didn’t catch the part exactly where it is assumed that if the government is out of control that it must be overthrown. But is is certainly implied in the movie that this is why the computer’s logic thinks it needs to remove the executive branch. Its not stated specifically, but I can see why somebody watching this might think that the Constitution says this, because the computer has come to the conclusions of its mission from reading articles the Constitution in its memory.

The casting is really bad, there some PC actors cast to play the parts of computer geeks, and military officials...Its really dumb...To see this movie, one needs to suspend all logic and succumb to a willing suspension of disbelief.

[Centurion2000]

bump

[Reflex]

If you read the Declaration of Independence, you will see 27 reasons why King George got his letter. I suspect that when We The People have grievances equal to that number, we will be close to the trigger.

[Reflex]

“1. Conservatives form large protests in several cities at the onset of a tax revolt. The government in an effort to stop the tax revolt and shut conservatives up orders government troops to open fire on the crowds at some point.”

“This could result in the troops refusing the order which would result in the collapse of the government in power. Or if the troops fired on the crowds, the next time they met the protesters there would be a different outcome as the crowds would be armed.”

“Actually there may even be armed patriots in the crowds the first go around and return fire.”

I think something similar happened once at a place called “Lincoln Green”

Its amazing how much you can learn from reading History.

[Jack Black]

Yes, I saw it. It is a decent thriller movie, somewhat reminescent of other “big brother is everywhere” movies, with a twist.

The movie is FAR from a call for revolution, however. Without giving too much away I’ll just say that all the quoting of the Constitution that is done is by THE VILLAN.

In that sense it follows many other Hollywood movies that consistently show anyone who styles themselves a Patriot as: delusional, psychopthic, Nazi-sympathizing, racist, hyper-religious, subject to hearing voices, dangerous and most importantly - WRONG.

Yes, there is a clever twist to it, but the basic messages are pure Leftywood.

[Eye of Unk]

I just saw this movie on DVD.

I do believe it has sent us a message, when the machine fails humans still have to step in and uphold the Constitution.

This was a film that escaped me or it had minimal advertising, I never heard about it and just bought it on the basis of having something to watch when the weather is too cold, I was amazed at a lot of things, it has a surreal political sense of timing and some scenarios that are almost believable, if you really think the technology is there. Arguably most of it really is there.

It was a really good action flick.