Of course it's my bed time and I don';t have time for a lengthy debate on this but, you are incorrect when you read the BOR's to conclude that we "the people" only have a right to assemble to petition the government. (you are wrong when you conclude that we don't have the right to form militias)
You acknowledge the fact that the founders "wanted the people to be able to overthrow a bad government" and I appreciate that. But! To then suggest that that same "bad government" gets to "appoint the officers" for the militias that are being formed to overthrow that "bad government?"
That is ridiculous.
I think you might want to think that through again.
Well, I didn't say the people only have the right to assemble to petition the government. I said this was the reason it was in the Constitution. Just because something isn't protected by a constitutional right, doesn't mean you can't do it.
The point being that the STATES appoint the officers, not the Federal government. Thereby stating that if the Feds have overreached their position, that the States are the ones who are basically going to organize the militias.
And what about when the State and the Federal Governments are (tyrannically) in collusion with each other against the "people?"
What then?
Well then you're fucked, aren't you.
If you've managed to sit idly by and have done nothing up until this point, then there's a problem anyway.
Then the people can take up arms against the govt. Even with state governments appointing officers it's still ILLEGAL to fight against the Federal Government. So, if it's you v. state and federal governments, it's still illegal and doesn't really matter anyway.
What happens is, like the Civil War, the strongest wins.