[TheForge] Criminal Background Check

[Andrew Vida]

Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
> Does the range and accuracy of a modern,precision, high powered, scoped 
> sniper rifle change the balance of power back in favor of the individual 
> significantly?..PF

	Impossible to tell without trial-by-doing - something I hope we will 
never have to test.  But consider 150 million pissed off, motivated 
citizens against perhaps 1 to 2 million questionably motivated soldiers. 
  Remember Korea?  We were vastly superior to the Korean/Chinese forces 
in terms of equipment, yet the sheer numbers kept us well at bay in many 
cases.  A force that large and willing to lay down their lives for 
something they believe in can probably be defeated by one means: nukes. 
  If "they" are willing to go that far, then the entire world is in a 
very deep pit of trouble... not that we are not anyhow in some ways. :(

	Long distance rifles with capable marksmen behind them would give an 
enemy something to think about... like their families, and whether there 
is life after death.  I have a so-very-wickedly tricked out 98 Mauser in 
270 that, if I can hit you at 1000 yards (in my case doubtful) you will 
not likely live long enough to say "ouch".

	I would also point out that the US military has one very serious 
weakness - it's grotesquely imbalanced dependence on high technology. 
They are very capable fighters as long as the comm lines are running 
right.  Disrupt that and at this point I am not sure anyone knows how 
they would fare in the longer term.  How many soldiers learn dead 
reckoning anymore?  Any?  It's all GPS guided, internet enabled...  Good 
stuff as long as the basics are there and I'm not sure they are.

	Anyone know one way or the other?