Ganulv:

For not knowing too much, you sure have laid out a cornucopia.

The Flynn gap was always that it remained threat-focused, and, thus, missed its own hard-earned points.

From ancient days, the first thing an occupier did was go out and count things (Domesday Book, census). Then, based on whatever system existed or didn't, either impose its own political/administrative control systems or coopt and commandeer existing ones.

Locally levied militias were part and parcel of the local levies, taxes, and fealty to the new occupier.

Ours is one of the first times where an occupier occupied in embarrassment and denial, fielded off the controls to others, and left its responsibilities to endlessly spiral out of control---including where the unfocused money as weapons, drives its own illegitimacy, corruption and distance between people and government.

It just didn't work, doesn't work, will never work... Been there, done that.

Now, in the unwind, how do we find the best path?