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Originally Posted by Stabby
That is a better term. If it actually comes down to the point of revolution it is presumable that there will be more than just a few for the idea. The Iraqis are doing a really shitty job of fighting off the US because they are killing off many of their citizens in the process. That's not a very good way to be getting supporters. It does show that even an unpopular rebellion can get their opinions felt. It would draw a lot more attention in America though, because Americans only really care about whats happening in America and what influences America. Vietnam was a better example of what that kind of insurgency can accomplish. America never really won that battle
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It isn't that we never really won that battle, we lost. Anyway, Vietnam or Iraq, both are not very good comparisons. In both cases we're talking about a foreign occupying power vs local insurgent population. Civil war is almost better, as that was an uprising against the government. Problem is that, during the Civil War, the Confederates were pretty far from an insurgent army and much closer to a standing army. There for, the fight was more like two nations clashing. It just so happens that one of the nations rose up from within the other. Still, the fledgling Confederacy rose up in the south, which had a population that shared their views of the Union's actions and a good chunk of, if not the majority of, the citizens supported them with material aid, comfort and shelter. That's when they didn't outright join them.
In the modern day it would be like if the fledgling confederacy would have tried to form in the heart of a northern city. In which case the would be rebels would never have had a chance to form into the Confederacy as they would have been put down quick. This is also failing to take into account modern surveillance technology.
As for your "night time militia" of goodies by day, insurgents by night. It wouldn't last long as the cover of being a goodie two shoes by day would be quickly blown. There's sophisticated software out there, first developed in Las Vegas to catch cheats and crooked dealers, that finds even obscure connections between people. With the government and private databases out there to draw from, it wouldn't take more than to catch a few before the government knows where to watch to find the rest of the militia.
Anyway, if you want to dispel any illusions you may hold of just how the vast majority of the population would react to an uprising, google phrases like police taser abuse or police protester abuse and find sites with comments. You'll see just how the vast majority of our fellow citizens feel about those who go against authority. I've found that, on most sites at least, for every person saying the police were out of line, in cases where they clearly over reacted, there's 10 that say things like "the idiot should have just done what the cop said" or "I would have tased them too!".