I listened to the podcast llast night as you discussed your desire for a battle rifle in a major caliber. You discussed the Springfield M1A, the FN-FAL, etc. These are all fine rifles and I'd be proud to own any of them along with my Springfield M1 Garand and my IBM M1 Carbine (the original PC).
I have an off-beat suggestion for one - though not a semi-auto - which may appeal to your sense of whimsey. It is the Ishapore Lee-Enfield 2A1 which is the Indian-made Lee-Enfield in 7.62 NATO. It is a 12-shot bolt action rifle which is cheap, strong, and, in trained hands, can put out a heavy sustained rate of fire. So, you say, why in the heck would I want this heavy brute of a rifle? Think about it - what could be better to fight Islamofascists than a rifle designed by a Christian, built by a Hindu, and with the express purpose of killing Muslims aka Pakistanis? The God Indra, God of War and Weather, would be smiling over this choice!
SOG International has these rifles for $169 and I'm sure with a little looking on the Internet you can find one for less than that.
Thanks, also, for reminding me of the Appleseed Project. One of these days I should get down to Ramseur and take their training. A nation of trained riflemen, indeed!
John