This post is in response to the Southern Povery Law Center’s report that there has been an increase in “anti-government” militias, due to the election of the first black president. They also chose to lump every person who disagrees the the current Administration’s policies in with a few people who decided to terrorize people.
First off, let me quote from the Declaration of Independence:
WE hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness– That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient Causes; and accordingly all Experience hath shewn, that Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security. [emphasis mine]
Read that whole statement. It says that whenever any form of government becomes destructive, the People have the right to “alter or abolish it”. It also says that this should not be done for superficial reasons; but when a long history of abuse by the government leads to absolute despotism — a form of government by either an individual or tightly knit group which rules with absolute political power — then it’s the people’s right to stand up against such tyranny.
Our Constitution dictates exactly what the federal government’s role should be in regulating armed services:
- To declare War, grant letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
- To raise and support Armies, but no appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two years;
- To provide and maintain a Navy;
- To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
- To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
- To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;…
The states were supposed to select the militia and its officers. Unfortunately today that is no longer the case (just look at our National Guard).
It should be noted that when our country was still a colony, our founding fathers organized militias in direct subversion to the ruling government of the time — Great Britain and King George III. The founding fathers had enough foresight to provide We the People with the right to do the same, as long as we do not break any common laws. If any militia is breaking the law, then they are criminals and should be dealt with accordingly.
Mike Johnson, of the North Central Florida Regional Militia, wrote the following:
The well regulated militias whose officers were appointed by the State governments, and whose training was the responsibility of the State governments have ceased to exist. The National Guard does not fill that bill as its officers are appointed by the national government and more and more we are seeing the national government either disbanding National Guard units or employing them overseas. The net result is to render them ineffective as any sort of check over the power of the national government. We have also seen that the State level governments as a rule do not seem to want to recreate their Constitutional State Militias. Indeed, more often than not, the State level governments permit themselves to be subordinated to a greater and greater degree to the national level government. Hence, the most effective check that the Founding Fathers placed on the power of the national level government has all but disappeared.
Given that this is the case, those people who see the problems in this situation have little choice but to exercise their rights as the Founding Fathers did initially and organize militia units regardless of the level of support or hostility that they receive from their national, state and local governments. The alternative is to permit yourself to be rendered all but helpless to reply to the threat of significant military force in any reasonable manner.
He also says, however, “Realize that if you are setting yourselves up to be the defenders of the Constitution and the Common Law, then you are bound by their dictates.”
In a word, they are legal — as long as they abide by what our Founding Fathers intended them for. The whole purpose was to guard against invasion or a strong, despotic federal government. And right now, I believe our federal government is on a slippery slope. Our Representatives and Senators do not listen to us. Our voices in Washington are not being heard. That is why the latest “town hall meetings” have been shouting matches. People are disgusted and frustrated. I truly hope that those in Washington will wake up and do what they were elected to do: represent their constituents. Otherwise, we may have another revolution on the horizon. And I hope that is not the case.
For further reading, go here: Modern Militias
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