[Schöneboom]

In addition to "exercising their rights", these guys were most certainly sending another political message. IMHO, the subtext of greeting the President with guns goes something like, "We the People are still capable of overthrowing our tyrannical government -- by force if necessary."

However, I think an insurrection by riflemen could "liberate" at most a few isolated patches of the country, esp. given government infiltration of the militias. The essential ingredients for a violent Second American Revolution are (fortunately) still missing: i.e., a charismatic leader who can pull together all the anti-government factions, and a high-level military conspiracy supporting a coup d'etat.

Having studied the Spanish Civil War in detail for several years, I'd definitely say it is not the scenario that any sane person should hope for. But the increasing polarization of left vs. right -- and the coarsening of political debate into name-calling -- could easily lead to a spiral of violence & repression.

Let us hope that cooler heads prevail.

Ciao,
Wayne