For the Common Defense by Allan Millett & Peter Maslowski
Progressives who never served in the military tend to overestimate its conservative population. Progressives who have served in the military tend to accept the self-serving nature of the propaganda they received while training. Millett and Maslowski's tremendous one-volume history of the US military provides an important background helpful to both camps.
In order to understand why the laws governing the military are the way they are it's important to understand the role of the militia in the pre-Revolutionary era. Millett and Maslowski start with the first militia at Jamestown and carry through with the development of the American-style militia until the Revolutionary War. The history of the militia, and not wanting to have a standing army like the British, deeply influenced the structure of the US military in those early days. The latest editions of the book continue the history of the US military until Desert Storm.
The reason we have a second amendment is not so that we can overthrow the government if it becomes tyrannical. The reason we have a second amendment is so that we can keep our standing army small, and still have the firepower to repel an invasion if necessary.
Why this is progressive/liberal: Too often of late the conservative elements of our society claim legitimacy for their ideas by quoting our revolutionary forebears out of context. Progressives need to be able to counter these distortions with well-researched facts, arguments, and evidence.
For the Common Defense helps provide much of that information when it comes to the military.
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