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Bring back state militias
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Bring back state militias
Posted: June 14, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern
c 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
Now that terrorism has finally come to the United States, most analysts believe it's a shoo-in more attacks are being planned and will eventually be carried out. That's scary stuff, but reality often can be frightening.
Nevertheless, Americans are a robust people and when threatened are pretty scary themselves. Just ask the now-retreating al-Qaida and Taliban forces running from our special operations troops in Afghanistan and beyond.
But because of this renewed threat, it's time to revive a constitutional concept that would provide us better protection on a personal level: the reintroduction of true constitutional state militias.
Much of the modern-day battle over the meaning of the Second Amendment has pertained to gun control or, more appropriately, fighting gun control. But the same amendment also maintains that arms should be possessed by "the people" in order to equip "a well-regulated militia" that is "necessary to the security of a free state. ?"
Now, how many constitutional heroes do we have left in our statehouses, state capitols and state government apparatuses? This idea will demonstrate that once and for all.
Wait, you say. We don't need to do that; we have the National Guard.
First off, the National Guard is not a true constitutional state militia, federal laws saying so notwithstanding. Guard units fall under the command of state governors and state adjutants general, unless or until they are called into national service by the federal government.
A true constitutional state militia is beholden not to the central government, but only to its particular state. And imagine the kind of military force each state could bring to bear in this ongoing and soon-to-escalate fight against terrorism.
As it stands, according to a recent USA Today investigative report, National Guard units are unprepared in many ways for this mission. Gutted by years of neglect and poor funding via the Clinton administration, most Guard units are in no way prepared to protect assets deployed in their respective states. Many cannot even effectively support federal Army and Air Force units (and aren't supposed to anyway ? that is the job of each service branch's reserve forces).
But each state already has a mandate to build its own military units from the ground up and to get it right from the beginning. That means, of course, cutting out the bloated Washington military bureaucracy that currently hampers the Defense Department and prevents it from doing anything quickly, efficiently or well.
How well could another 10,000-20,000 troops augment existing state and local police, fire and emergency units? How much more quickly could they deploy in the event of an attack? How much simpler could the chain of command be than governor-unit commander-troops?
Also, state militias can also be used to protect state assets from specific threats, such as illegal immigration and penetration by terrorist groups.
Then there is the other reason why genuine state militias are needed: The more Washington usurps power from the states and the people in its quest to become today's Roman Empire, the more local and state governments are going to need a little muscle.
Whether state governments are liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, supporters of the welfare state or advocates of self-improvement ? they have a right, under our founding principles, to manage themselves as they and their people see fit.
When threats surface, such as terrorism, immigration or too much centralized power, state governments have a right to defend themselves. But as it stands, there are no true constitutional state militias to help state governments assert needed control.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution provides this authority, but so far only one state ? Texas ? has a genuine state guard.
In this age of growing central government power and dangerous threats from outside and inside, it only makes sense for citizens of each state to push their leaders to adopt a military force dedicated to only protecting the home front ? not someone else's borders 10,000 miles away ? and which can actually be deployed in time to do some good.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27961
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Posted: June 14, 2002
1:00 a.m. Eastern
c 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
Now that terrorism has finally come to the United States, most analysts believe it's a shoo-in more attacks are being planned and will eventually be carried out. That's scary stuff, but reality often can be frightening.
Nevertheless, Americans are a robust people and when threatened are pretty scary themselves. Just ask the now-retreating al-Qaida and Taliban forces running from our special operations troops in Afghanistan and beyond.
But because of this renewed threat, it's time to revive a constitutional concept that would provide us better protection on a personal level: the reintroduction of true constitutional state militias.
Much of the modern-day battle over the meaning of the Second Amendment has pertained to gun control or, more appropriately, fighting gun control. But the same amendment also maintains that arms should be possessed by "the people" in order to equip "a well-regulated militia" that is "necessary to the security of a free state. ?"
Now, how many constitutional heroes do we have left in our statehouses, state capitols and state government apparatuses? This idea will demonstrate that once and for all.
Wait, you say. We don't need to do that; we have the National Guard.
First off, the National Guard is not a true constitutional state militia, federal laws saying so notwithstanding. Guard units fall under the command of state governors and state adjutants general, unless or until they are called into national service by the federal government.
A true constitutional state militia is beholden not to the central government, but only to its particular state. And imagine the kind of military force each state could bring to bear in this ongoing and soon-to-escalate fight against terrorism.
As it stands, according to a recent USA Today investigative report, National Guard units are unprepared in many ways for this mission. Gutted by years of neglect and poor funding via the Clinton administration, most Guard units are in no way prepared to protect assets deployed in their respective states. Many cannot even effectively support federal Army and Air Force units (and aren't supposed to anyway ? that is the job of each service branch's reserve forces).
But each state already has a mandate to build its own military units from the ground up and to get it right from the beginning. That means, of course, cutting out the bloated Washington military bureaucracy that currently hampers the Defense Department and prevents it from doing anything quickly, efficiently or well.
How well could another 10,000-20,000 troops augment existing state and local police, fire and emergency units? How much more quickly could they deploy in the event of an attack? How much simpler could the chain of command be than governor-unit commander-troops?
Also, state militias can also be used to protect state assets from specific threats, such as illegal immigration and penetration by terrorist groups.
Then there is the other reason why genuine state militias are needed: The more Washington usurps power from the states and the people in its quest to become today's Roman Empire, the more local and state governments are going to need a little muscle.
Whether state governments are liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat, supporters of the welfare state or advocates of self-improvement ? they have a right, under our founding principles, to manage themselves as they and their people see fit.
When threats surface, such as terrorism, immigration or too much centralized power, state governments have a right to defend themselves. But as it stands, there are no true constitutional state militias to help state governments assert needed control.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution provides this authority, but so far only one state ? Texas ? has a genuine state guard.
In this age of growing central government power and dangerous threats from outside and inside, it only makes sense for citizens of each state to push their leaders to adopt a military force dedicated to only protecting the home front ? not someone else's borders 10,000 miles away ? and which can actually be deployed in time to do some good.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27961
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Comments
"The powers delegated by the proposed constitution to the federal governmentare few and defined, and will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace negotiation, and foreign commerce"
-James Madison
We never went anywhere. The Sheeple are content with the collar around their neck and the "safety" it provides. So, we simply protect our own liberties and interests.
Well said, Salzo.
Stand And Be Counted
Were can and old viet-nam veteran sign up?
"The great object is that every man.... everyone who is able may have a gun." Patrick Henry
All due respect, but the NRA has zero expertise in that arena. They are compromisers, not leaders.
Stand And Be Counted
The expertise is found amongest the membership; this is what I meant to say.
Thanks for pointing this out.
The organization with all their faults, still makes a good advocate for the cause. Imagine not having a national "right to bear" lobby.
What politicians need to see, is a united front, in each state.
"The great object is that every man.... everyone who is able may have a gun." Patrick Henry