The Battle of Athens TN 1946 USA Citizen led Rebellion against Tyrannical Gov.

A bit of UNITED STATES HISTORY:

Upon learning about something called 'The Battle of Athens in which American People of TN took up arms against a Tyrannical Government in 1946. I thought it would be of interest as, there appears to be a whole lot of that going on in our world right now. Some here may not like it, some may even scoff but yes, it did happen, and is an example of just how pissed off people will get when pushed to their limits.

Point in case, has the World changed and been subdued so much so, that people can't tell the difference between Gov. Tyranny and a beckoning cozy chair by the warmth of a safe fire? It seems so, i'd like to know what You think. Is this time and era different from back then? Is there a Peaceful way to deal with Criminals with narcissistic tendencies? If so how? If not then what should people do when not being heard or acknowledged by the minority? Is this Topic even Important to most Americans or People of the World?

Personally the only difference to me, is that people have more 'stuff' to occupy and lull them to inaction. Maybe i'm wrong in some pc minds, but i doubt it.

And finally should all the power and decision making be left to a handful of corrupt officials running an entire Nation speaking on behalf of millions of people? Most people don't want War nor Corruption in a land where little has changed in the past few decades. Is there in fact a tyrannical gov in power right now, or is it all whispers and heresy? What do you think?

If the America's continues the way it is, in chaos, who will be the next demon to offer promise and hope to a failed experiment called The American Dream.

As, rip, dear old George Carlin once said, 'It's called The American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.'

en.wikipedia.org...

The Battle of Athens (sometimes called the McMinn County War) was a rebellion led by citizens in Athens and Etowah, Tennessee, United States, against the local government in August 1946. The citizens, including some World War II veterans, accused the local officials of political corruption and voter intimidation. The event is sometimes cited by firearms ownership advocates as an example of the value of the Second Amendment in combating tyranny

www.constitution.org...

excerpt:

The Battle of Athens
2 AUGUST 1946
I. Introduction

On 2 August 1946, some Americans, brutalized by their county government, used armed force to overturn it. These Americans wanted honest, open elections. For years they had asked for state or Federal election monitors to prevent vote fraud -- forged ballots, secret ballot counts, and intimidation by armed sheriff's deputies -- by the local political boss. They got no help.

These Americans' absolute refusal to knuckle-under had been hardened by service in World War II. Having fought to free other countries from murderous regimes, they rejected vicious abuse by their county government. These Americans had a choice. Their state's Constitution - Article 1, Section 26 - recorded their right to keep and bear arms for the common defense. Few "gun control" laws had been enacted.

These Americans were Tennesseans of McMinn County, located between Chattanooga and Knoxville, in Eastern Tennessee. The two main towns were Athens and Etowah.

McMinn Countians had long been independent political thinkers. They also had long:

accepted bribe-taking by politicians and/or the Sheriff to overlook illicit whiskey-making and gambling;
financed the sheriff's department from fines - usually for speeding or public drunkenness - which promoted false arrests;
put up with voting fraud by both Democrats and Republicans.

Tennessee State law barred voting fraud:

ballot boxes had to be shown to be empty before voting;
poll-watchers had to be allowed;
armed law enforcement officers were barred from polling places;
ballots had to be counted where any voter could watch.



www.constitution.org...

SOURCE: The Daily Post-Athenian, Athens, Tenn., August 7, 1946; pages 1, 6.

Mrs. Roosevelt Grasps Local Facts Better Than Most

Editor's Note — Our attention has been called to Mrs. Roosevelt's column upon McMinn. She seems to have grasped the facts and significance better than any other outside writer:

McMinn aka 'Battle of Athens' A Warning — By Eleanor Roosevelt
www.constitution.org...

War is kind of a double edge sword. Combat veterans aren't as easily intimidated. This battle being fought just after WWII over election ballots shows how corrupt the system is, has always been and how willing to fight returning veterans are.

The government wages war for profit, the people fighting it for them might wake up and bight back.

As the polls closed, deputies seized ballot boxes and took them to the jail. Opposition veterans responded by arming themselves and marching there. Some of them had raided the National Guard Armory, obtaining arms and ammunition. Estimates of the number of veterans besieging the jail vary from several hundred to as high as 2,000.

When the men reached the jail, it was barricaded and manned by 55 deputies. The veterans demanded the ballot boxes but were refused. They then opened fire on the jail, initiating a battle that lasted several hours by some accounts, considerably less by others. In the end, the door of the jail was dynamited and breached. The barricaded deputies—some with injuries—surrendered, and the ballot boxes were recovered.

a reply to: awareness10

Thank you for the links!

McMinn aka 'Battle of Athens' A Warning — By Eleanor Roosevelt
www.constitution.org...

Any local, state or national government, or any political machine, in order to live, must give the people assurance that they can express their will freely and that their votes will be counted. The most powerful machine cannot exist without the support of the people. Political bosses and political machinery can be good, but the minute they cease to express the will of the people, their days are numbered.

When the people decide that conditions in their town, county, state or country must change, they will change them. If the leadership has been wise, they will be able to do it peacefully through a secret ballot which is honestly counted, but if the leader has become inflated and too sure of his own importance, he may bring about the kind of action which was taken in Tennessee.

Or, as JFK put it:

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - John F. Kennedy

It's natural law. Good people can only take so much... and will come out fighting when they just can't take any more. And when we ignore bad behavior by government, we're asking for it.

tv adaption.

I read something very interesting recently about how and why the police force got to be so corrupt and racist.

During the war, young men could avoid going to war if they joined the police. And what happened is apparently a lot of cowardly white-supremacist types flocked to join the police so they didn't have to go and fight overseas. And it resulted in endemic corruption and racism.

originally posted by: Painterz
I read something very interesting recently about how and why the police force got to be so corrupt and racist.

During the war, young men could avoid going to war if they joined the police. And what happened is apparently a lot of cowardly white-supremacist types flocked to join the police so they didn't have to go and fight overseas. And it resulted in endemic corruption and racism.

Wow. I heard the same thing -- from my dad, in the late '60s and early '70s. I'd completely forgotten about that. If I remember correctly, it was about that time that the military ended segregation, and many southerners refused to serve alongside other races(???). I cannot repeat in polite company (nor on ATS) exactly what my dad called such folks -- but "cowardly" was in there!

Uh, I feel as if I should have heard about this before now. Sadly, that isn't the case. As some have pointed out, people seem content to live in their little bubbles and ignore critical thought. How strange to think a few years after WWII, this would take place in the US followed by a Cold War. Enemies that often were depicted as being brain washed infiltrators

a reply to: intrptr

Yes a tyrannical gov is most definately a double edged sword!

originally posted by: Boadicea
a reply to: awareness10

Thank you for the links!

McMinn aka 'Battle of Athens' A Warning — By Eleanor Roosevelt
www.constitution.org...

Any local, state or national government, or any political machine, in order to live, must give the people assurance that they can express their will freely and that their votes will be counted. The most powerful machine cannot exist without the support of the people. Political bosses and political machinery can be good, but the minute they cease to express the will of the people, their days are numbered.

When the people decide that conditions in their town, county, state or country must change, they will change them. If the leadership has been wise, they will be able to do it peacefully through a secret ballot which is honestly counted, but if the leader has become inflated and too sure of his own importance, he may bring about the kind of action which was taken in Tennessee.

Or, as JFK put it:

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." - John F. Kennedy

It's natural law. Good people can only take so much... and will come out fighting when they just can't take any more. And when we ignore bad behavior by government, we're asking for it.

I'm surprised more people haven't responded to this to be honest, thankyou for adding in the quote as well from JFK! He was right, being peaceful and holding signs doesn't always work. Sometimes people have to push back to get what they rightfully deserve from the gov they've employed to put a chicken in every pot and clothes on their backs, jobs for all with decent wages to boot.

a reply to: jellyrev

I almost added that, but didnt' so thankyou.

a reply to: awareness10

I'm surprised more people haven't responded to this to be honest, thankyou for adding in the quote as well from JFK! He was right, being peaceful and holding signs doesn't always work.

No, unfortunately, it doesn't. Especially when the ones being protested are the ones with all the power -- but little to no accountability, while holding the little guy to the fire for whatever they deem a "crime."

Sometimes people have to push back to get what they rightfully deserve from the gov they've employed to put a chicken in every pot and clothes on their backs, jobs for all with decent wages to boot.

As important as that is, I increasingly fear that's the least of our worries from government tyranny... and I doubt we know the half of it. But you're right about needing to push back when government gets too big for their britches. Sadly, there is a growing faction (or perhaps just growing louder?) of might-makes-right thought in government and society and even on ATS, so I expect it to get worse before it gets better. And I do expect it to get better!

a reply to: Boadicea


Boadicea i love your attitude. I wish there were more people like you in the world, really i do. Society has become somewhat depressing has it not? People are far too accepting of it, it should be better than this, people deserve to live on the planet they were born into with certain freedoms, not under tyrannical rule of psychopaths who steal from the poor and give to the rich. That's not life, that's death.

This was one of those unique things where you have the Vets, 10% of the population, return home to find things have changed. And what really sets them off is being harassed while they drink. Never mess with Vets and their beer. And of course they had the key to National Guard Armory so they could get some real weapons and make a move. The sad part to this story is they were out of office within a couple years and the Republicans and Democrats back in.

originally posted by: MrSpad
This was one of those unique things where you have the Vets, 10% of the population, return home to find things have changed. And what really sets them off is being harassed while they drink. Never mess with Vets and their beer. And of course they had the key to National Guard Armory so they could get some real weapons and make a move. The sad part to this story is they were out of office within a couple years and the Republicans and Democrats back in.

I think anyone would be offset while drinking though, Vets deserve their beer, they earned it defending America. Yes they did have access to real weaponry and i'm glad they did. They are and were the defenders of this land i agree. The real defenders of the United States of America had better stand up now before the Freedom to do so will no longer exist. People may mock now but, they easily forget, it's all been done before...

originally posted by: Painterz
I read something very interesting recently about how and why the police force got to be so corrupt and racist.

During the war, young men could avoid going to war if they joined the police. And what happened is apparently a lot of cowardly white-supremacist types flocked to join the police so they didn't have to go and fight overseas. And it resulted in endemic corruption and racism.

Sounds like Neoconservatives

If i close my eyes forever - Lita Ford and Ozzy
www.youtube.com...
I'm having an 'I remember the 80's kinda night, so here;'s a song for you'. Like it or not. If i had just one more wish, i'd wipe the cobwebs from my eyes..


Kind Regards,
awareness

a reply to: awareness10

I'm surprised more people haven't responded to this to be honest,

Not me. Haven't you noticed?

Like the US is bombing the world, behaving like the NAZI's…

who cares?

originally posted by: awareness10
a reply to: Boadicea


Boadicea i love your attitude. I wish there were more people like you in the world, really i do. Society has become somewhat depressing has it not? People are far too accepting of it, it should be better than this, people deserve to live on the planet they were born into with certain freedoms, not under tyrannical rule of psychopaths who steal from the poor and give to the rich. That's not life, that's death.

Yes, it sure has gotten pretty depressing. And, likewise, I think society is rather depressed itself -- individually and collectively. I understand the fear -- we have plenty to fear. I understand the anger -- there's plenty to be angry about. I understand the distrust -- there's not many (if any) that we can trust. But we can do so much better if we would only stop fighting each other and actually come together and work together. Money is a tool, not a weapon. Same for laws, jails, medicine, banks, and on and on. We can do better. We must do better. Eventually, enough people will see the real problems -- which is not each other! -- and then we will work together on real solutions.

a reply to: yesyesyes

Sounds like Neoconservatives

I think you're exactly right about that. At least as I understand it, the so-called "neocons" of the right are the once Democrats of the south who went to the Republican party after the civil rights act passed. What I'm not sure of is why they switched parties. I've read that they were disgusted with the Republicans for pushing civil rights and intended to infiltrate the party to stop their support of civil rights and minorities... I've also read that they were disgusted with the Democrats after they began supporting civil rights and minorities and switched parties in a huff.

Now, 60 years later, I don't think it was about Democrat/Republican or left/right at all... I think it was just part and parcel of the non-partisan but oh-so-political divide-and-conquer power hungry and greedy sociopaths running the show.

ETA: I found a Wikipedia page about it: Neoconservatives

originally posted by: awareness10

originally posted by: MrSpad
This was one of those unique things where you have the Vets, 10% of the population, return home to find things have changed. And what really sets them off is being harassed while they drink. Never mess with Vets and their beer. And of course they had the key to National Guard Armory so they could get some real weapons and make a move. The sad part to this story is they were out of office within a couple years and the Republicans and Democrats back in.

I think anyone would be offset while drinking though, Vets deserve their beer, they earned it defending America. Yes they did have access to real weaponry and i'm glad they did. They are and were the defenders of this land i agree. The real defenders of the United States of America had better stand up now before the Freedom to do so will no longer exist. People may mock now but, they easily forget, it's all been done before...

Well this was a unique circumstance and the local power was extremely out of control. It in no way relates to anything beyond that. And the fact it fell apart and the old powers were back with in a couple years makes for a depressing outcome.