The Battle of Athens

Image via Wikipedia BALLOT BOX

True story.

During WWII, a corrupt, greedy family took over McMinn County in Tennessee.  WWII ended and the veterans came home, but the corrupt political machine tried to retain control of the county by stealing the ballot boxes in the A.D. 1946 election.  During the ballot box theft, one of the citizens in favor of honest government was shot.  The sheriff and deputies took the ballot boxes and baracaded themselves in the county jail.

The veterans organized, armed themselves with firearms and dynamite and counter-attacked the knee-breakers for the corrupt county government.

Before it was over, the sheriff’s knee-breakers surrendered, the veterans regained the ballot boxes–and the veterans were never prosecuted for having shot up the jail and rebelled against against the “duly-constituted” local government.

The story is a small, proud moment in American history.  It is, in part, a tribute to the need and purpose for the 2nd Amendment–to protect the People against governmental tyranny.

But it’s also a reminder that instances of armed, American resistance to corrupt or tyrannical government are not confined to the “ancient history” of our Revolutionary and Civil wars.   As recently as A.D. 1946, Americans were standing up to governmental tyranny with firearms.  Unless you can think of reason to believe today’s government is any more honorable, less corrupt and less tyrannical than the government of A.D. 1946, the need for the 2nd Amendment and firearms is no less necessary today than it was in A.D. 1775, A.D. 1860 or A.D. 1946.

Americans stood up to governmental corruption and tyranny in A.D. 1946.  We could be called upon to do so again.

video

00:13:32

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncdXfUAkMUI&feature=player_embedded

 

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