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Are you part of the militia?

Do you consider yourself to be part of the 'militia'?

  • Yes, I am an able bodied person between the ages of 18 and 45. (Militia act of 1792)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yes, although I am not between the ages of 18 and 45.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yes, I am a member of a locally organized militia group.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yes, I am a member of the National Guard or the Army Reserves. (Militia act of 1903)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, it is not my duty to be part of an organized militia.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, the state does not organize a militia. Any other 'militia' would be unauthorized.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, other or unspecified reason.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

okboomer

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Hmmm, it won't record my vote.


Eta: finally recorded my vote: "no, my state does not ..."
 

eye95

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The problem with the word "militia" is that it is used in so many ways different from its meaning in the days of the Founders. In the days of the Founders, the men in the town were members of the militia and expected to defend the town and the State when needed.

Even though we have come to depend on the police and the standing military to defend us, we should always bear in mind that We the People are the ultimate line of defense against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Since many groups calling themselves "militia" are not militia in the Constitutional sense, I wish they would call themselves something else. Some of these groups are giving the word a negative connotation.
 

Ruger

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eye95 wrote:
The problem with the word "militia" is that it is used in so many ways different from its meaning in the days of the Founders. In the days of the Founders, the men in the town were members of the militia and expected to defend the town and the State when needed.

Even though we have come to depend on the police and the standing military to defend us, we should always bear in mind that We the People are the ultimate line of defense against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Since many groups calling themselves "militia" are not militia in the Constitutional sense, I wish they would call themselves something else. Some of these groups are giving the word a negative connotation.
+1 :)
 

groats

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eye95 wrote:
The problem with the word "militia" is that it is used in so many ways different from its meaning in the days of the Founders.  In the days of the Founders, the men in the town were members of the militia and expected to defend the town and the State when needed.

Militia is not the only word we have allowed to be turned 180 degrees and used by the liberals to destroy freedom and values.
 

GLOCK21GB

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groats wrote:
eye95 wrote:
The problem with the word "militia" is that it is used in so many ways different from its meaning in the days of the Founders. In the days of the Founders, the men in the town were members of the militia and expected to defend the town and the State when needed.

Militia is not the only word we have allowed to be turned 180 degrees and used by the liberals to destroy freedom and values.
True, but if you use it now in the wrong company or online. you get a no knock on your door at 3:45 am :(:(
 

eye95

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Glock34 wrote:
groats wrote:
eye95 wrote:
The problem with the word "militia" is that it is used in so many ways different from its meaning in the days of the Founders. In the days of the Founders, the men in the town were members of the militia and expected to defend the town and the State when needed.

Militia is not the only word we have allowed to be turned 180 degrees and used by the liberals to destroy freedom and values.
True, but if you use it now in the wrong company or online. you get a no knock on your door at 3:45 am :(:(
Oh? Do they use battering rams to knock now? :lol:
 

crisisweasel

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The militia question is complicated. US Code or not, I don't recognize any such "duty" any more than I recognize the legitimacy of a military draft.

That said, in the unlikely event we were invaded, I would certainly function in that capacity, showing up with my own maintained, ready weapon.

I think the militia concept in the United States needs a kind of reboot, as I don't think, overall, the public (the "people") trust militias - or even the concept of one, owing to the handful of loonies on the fringes of the movement who have given it a bad name.

Your local militia ought to be the people with guns the locals trust the *most*, relative to law enforcement and the military, because they are supposed to be drawn from, and represent, their local communities.

This isn't the case at present. Groups like the Hutaree are why. Even the language some militias choose to describe the orientation of their members is loaded with terminology ("New World Order," is one example) which causes a significant percentage of the population considerable dread.

All this said, I think there's a way you can go about things, and part of this is to expand the function of militias beyond the tactical/guns thing - which needs to be a part of the concept, obviously, but it'd be nice if you opened the paper and saw something like:

Springfield Civilian Defense Squad
offering free CPR courses in Johnson Park
Saturday, May 15th
Learn to save lives!

What really makes people uneasy are the insurrectionary undercurrents in militias, which frankly make me kind of uneasy too.

First, militias ought to ideally reflect the demographics of their community. I'm not talking about political correctness or affirmative action but militia guys really all tend to come off like they were cut from the same cloth (I'm in that white guy approaching middle age demographic myself).

Secondly, too many militias focus on "like minded" types ideologically. A mission statement is important, and way too many insist on dragging Christianity into it, which alienates Jews, Muslims, atheists, and even those wary of the way religion and guns tend to mix (though perhaps privately Christians themselves). There ought to be room for diversity and disagreement. I shouldn't have to pray with anyone to be part of my local militia. And I sure shouldn't be worried someone's going to mix up a batch of kool aid.

Third, a specific declaration that the job of a militia is to preserve civilization needs to be up front, because a lot of people are under the impression that militias really want the opposite: a breakdown in civil order, where they can be the local authority. This may be unfair, but it's a PR problem militias have. Militias ought to come off more like Eagle Scouts or Civil Air Patrol than paramilitary types, even if firearms training and related subjects are part of the overall experience.

Just like the scouts have merit badges, there ought to be similar, achievable skill "certs," including a core curriculum (including first aid, cpr, basic firearms, probably other things), and then "specializations" like radio, paramedic, hazmat, and so on.

Information ought to be freely exchanged/taught. There is a place for private instruction for profit, and a place where people ought to be willing to exchange knowledge for reciprocal benefit. Those who do not have skills to teach can be trained, and in turn become trainers eventually. Sort of like a skills potluck.

Social events ought to be part of any militia, where there is no drilling or training involved. This is important for coherence. People ought to know each other well, place a premium on those relationships, and engender trust as a result. It is also an opportunity for public outreach where curious people can be introduced to people wearing "civvies" and eating hamburgers, rather than show up to an event where everyone is carrying firearms and dressed in camouflage. My own experience with firearms is that those who are uncomfortable with them can be "eased into" them, and I suspect the same is true for militias, in regard to those without any kind of military interest or enthusiasm (I am one).

To any constructive extent possible, militias ought to be very open to the public, including media and law enforcement. They should not be secretive or something that busybodies in the federal government or law enforcement feel they need to "infiltrate," when they can just come to any meeting and participate or observe. Law enforcement should have the militia in mind in the event of a national emergency where additional bodies are needed. It should be the most obvious pool from which to draw volunteers.

Militias ought to be democratic. Cults of personality or "my way or the highway" types will not, in the long run, succeed with people who will not assent to hierarchical, military forms of organization. A citizen's militia ought to be an extension of one's civic life, where one is a more or less sovereign individual fulfilling a role as a caretaker of the Republic he lives in.

Now as you defer to your surgeon on decisions about how to go about surgery, or as you might defer to your mechanic on how to fix your vehicle, quite obviously you'd defer to experts on how to go about doing things you yourself are not expert in. How "command structures" would work in is unclear, but trying to graft military hierarchy onto an ostensibly "citizen" militia is a bad idea. Seems to me there ought to be "coordinators" rather than commanders, with mechanisms for electing/recalling coordinators, "specialists" with advanced skillsets in certain areas, and "generalists" who would make up the bulk of the organization.

Anyway these are just my personal ideas, and just my own opinion. People will do what they want to do and organize as they please. But I still say militias have a much stronger chance of success, and becoming part of American life, when they are large and diverse rather than small and "fringe," which many are.
 

GLOCK21GB

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The Militia Act of 1792 ..........

Organization

The militias were divided into "divisions, brigades, regiments, battalions, and companies" as the state legislatures would direct. The provisions of the first Act governing the calling up of the militia by the President in case of invasion or obstruction to law enforcement were continued in the second Act. Court martial proceedings were authorized by the statute against militia members who disobeyed orders.

These Militia Acts were amended by the Militia_Act_of_1862 -Militia Act of 1862, which allowed African-Americans to serve in the militias of the United States. They were replaced by the Militia Act of 1903, which established the United States National Guard as the chief body of organized military reserves in the United States.
Portions of the Act The first portion of the Militia Act of 1792, the "providing for the authority of the President to call out the Militia" was signed into law by President George Washington on May 2, 1792 to give the President authority to call out the Militia

"whenever the United States shall be invaded, or be in imminent danger of invasion from any foreign nation or Indian tribe...........[or]whenever the laws of the United States shall be opposed or the execution thereof obstructed, in any state, by combinations too powerful to be suppressed by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings, or by the powers vested in the marshals by this act,........". The second portion of the Militia Act of 1792, providing federal standards for the organization of the Militia. was passed on May 8, 1792, and signed into law on February 28, 1795. The second portion clarified who the militia consists of and what duties, and penalties were placed upon the militia forces.
"That each and every free able-bodied white male citizen of the respective States, resident therein, who is or shall be of age of eighteen years, and under the age of forty-five years (except as is herein after excepted) shall severally and respectively be enrolled in the militia, by the Captain or Commanding Officer of the company, within whose bounds such citizen shall reside, and that within twelve months after the passing of this Act. And it shall at all time hereafter be the duty of every such Captain or Commanding Officer of a company, to enroll every such citizen as aforesaid, and also those who shall, from time to time, arrive at the age of 18 years, or being at the age of 18 years, and under the age of 45 years (except as before excepted) shall come to reside within his bounds; and shall without delay notify such citizen of the said enrollment, by the proper non-commissioned Officer of the company, by whom such notice may be proved. That every citizen, so enrolled and notified, shall, within six months thereafter, provide himself with a good musket or firelock, a sufficient bayonet and belt, two spare flints, and a knapsack, a pouch, with a box therein, to contain not less than twenty four cartridges, suited to the bore of his musket or firelock, each cartridge to contain a proper quantity of power and ball; or with a good rifle, knapsack, shot-pouch, and power-horn, twenty balls suited to the bore of his rifle, and a quarter of a pound of powder; and shall appear so armed, accoutred and provided, when called out to exercise or into service, except, that when called out on company days to exercise only, he may appear without a knapsack. That the commissioned Officers shall severally be armed with a sword or hanger, and espontoon; and that from and after five years from the passing of this Act, all muskets from arming the militia as is herein required, shall be of bores sufficient for balls of the eighteenth part of a pound; and every citizen so enrolled, and providing himself with the arms, ammunition and accoutrements, required as aforesaid, shall hold the same exempted from all suits, distresses, executions or sales, for debt or for the payment of taxes." The Militia act of 1792 was amended in 1795 to grant the President even more power over the use of the militia;

"Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That whenever the laws of the United States shall be opposed or the execution thereof obstructed, in any state, by combinations too powerful to be suppressed by the ordinary course of judicial proceedings, or by the powers vested in the marshals by this act,.........it shall be lawful for the President of the United States to call forth the militia of such state to suppress such combinations, and to cause the laws to be duly executed. And if the militia of a state, where such combinations may happen, shall refuse, or be insufficient to suppress the same, it shall be lawful for the President, if the legislature of the United States be not in session, to call forth and employ such numbers of the militia of any other state or states most convenient thereto, as may be necessary, and the use of militia, so to be called forth, may be continued, if necessary, until the expiration of thirty days after the commencement of the ensuing session."

After Shays' Rebellion, the need for an internal (and external if necessary) defense structure became quite evident to Washington and the Congress. In 1792, Congress enacted this law, strengthening the President's authority under Article 2, section 2, paragraph 1 of the Federal Constitution, by granting him the power to call forth the militia of the several states under certain conditions. The law was the very first to give the executive branch any war powers besides confirming a state of war if a declaration was passed by Congress. The law corrected the inefficiency and slow reaction of the Congress when it was not in session, as was evident during Shays' Rebellion. This law corrected the problem of any major rebellion becoming a significant threat to the shaky Federal unity of the various states.

The law was first invoked, in 1794, by George Washington to put down the Whiskey rebellion in Western Pennsylvania.
 

GLOCK21GB

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Militia's prior to the Militia act of 1792 ..were just normal everyday people. Farmers, blacksmiths, etc..... The Government now considers Militia's to be home grown terrorist & extremists....heck the ATF now teaches it's agents that the Founding Fathers were TERRORISTS for gods sake !!!! what the hell is that ??!!

The founding fathers are National hero's not terrorist's.

This Police state Government we now have in America is making our founding fathers spin in their graves, the founding framers have to be completely dumbfounded & awe stuck that we are not revolting against it now.
 

DMWyatt

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I think that the term "militia" is another one of those we tend to over think and abuse with rhetoric. In theory, I could support and join a local group which has a main reasoning for existence being to provide relief in times of local emergency. I think that a group of locals who store food, water, and medical supplies; as well as train in medical and first response techniques would be a great asset to the community. I think that a group that uses the guise of a "militia" as an excuse to simply get together and play with guns while discussing their political outlook is hardly anything close to a community asset.

I find it interesting that there are as many "militias" as there are in the U.S., and very few of them seem to recognize a natural disaster as the most likely situation where they might be in a position to effect good in their communities. That being said, I don't tend to paint the people in militias with a broad brush. I've known quite a few to be good people. I do, however, think that the whole concept is misguided by politics and that they often fail to recognize actual threats to their community that would fall within their legal sphere of influence.
 

Brimstone Baritone

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Wow! There've been some great comments in this thread. :) I wish more people would vote, but I think the trend would hold out. I agree that the most likely event one would need to prepare for would be a natural disaster, and I would like to think that the kind of people who are responsible gun owners would be the type of people to volunteer aid in the event of such a disaster. One of my regrets is not saying 'to hell' with my job and going to Louisiana to help in the aftermath of Katrina. I'm glad to say that I have matured quite a bit in the years since.

I agree that things like CPR and First Aid classes, Blood Drives, Self Defense training, and even Police fundraisers:shock: would be things we should do to help our community while getting the word out about Open Carry. The same things that would help to create an organized militia that society would accept, are the same types of things we should already be doing as community conscious individuals.

Just my $0.02
 

GLOCK21GB

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mcdonalk wrote:
Wow! There've been some great comments in this thread. :) I wish more people would vote, but I think the trend would hold out. I agree that the most likely event one would need to prepare for would be a natural disaster, and I would like to think that the kind of people who are responsible gun owners would be the type of people to volunteer aid in the event of such a disaster. One of my regrets is not saying 'to hell' with my job and going to Louisiana to help in the aftermath of Katrina. I'm glad to say that I have matured quite a bit in the years since.

I agree that things like CPR and First Aid classes, Blood Drives, Self Defense training, and even Police fundraisers:shock: would be things we should do to help our community while getting the word out about Open Carry. The same things that would help to create an organized militia that society would accept, are the same types of things we should already be doing as community conscious individuals.

Just my $0.02
does a zombie outbreak classify as a natural or man made disaster ? :D
 
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