We Have Met the Enemy--and He Is Us

What does the Constitution say about the meaning of common defense Not much. It tells us who is responsible for providing it That Congress shall provide the funds, the rules, and the regulations for military forces. That the President shall command those forces. That the Federal Government is obliged to protect the states against invasion. And it goes on to limit the possession or use of military forces by the individual States and to define treason. But more than that cant be found. If they didnt write it down, what did the authors of the Constitution mean when they said provide for the common defense Certainly the threats which they faced were evident enough The motivation for the document they were framing came largely from those threats Invasion, of course, from without. But also from within--rebellion or insurrection--something they had already experienced in local uprisings and whose shadow urged them toward a union. Theses. JES