🚀 go-pugleaf

John M Atkinson wrote:
> 
> Thus Spake klaatu <klaatu@clark.net>:
> 
> %>                         Article 1
> %>                         Classification of Militia
> %> Para 44-1.  Composition of miliita.--The militia of the Commonwealth of
> Virginia
> %> shall consist of all able-bodied citizens of this Commonwealth and all other
> %> able-bodied persons resident in this Commonwealth who have declared thier
> %> intnention to become citizens of the United States, who are at least sixteen
> %> years of age, and, except as hereinafter provided, not more than fifty-five
> %> years of age.  The militia shall be divided into four classes, The National
> %> Guard, which includes the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard, the
> %> Virginia State Defence Force, the naval militia, and the unorganized militia.
> %>
> %> Sounds like it to me.
> %>
> %Sorry - the Militia is more a creation of our simian ancestors who
> %banded together to defend against predators and competing simians, than
> %it is of law.
> 
> John Locke.
> 
> %Law defines the Army, the Organized Militia, etc, but the Unorganized
> %Militia, which is to say all persons between the ages of etc etc etc not
> %enrolled in either the National Guards, or the Armed Forces of the US
> %("standing army"), is not defined by law, it's simply an historical
> %tradition. Men of arms-bearing age are the unorganized militia, that is
> %all.
> 
> Negative.  Unorganized Militia is defined in both State Law and US Code.

My intent was to note that no matter whether or not it was defined in
the law, the unorganized militia precedes the law and in fact almost
certainly precedes the development of speech.

> 
> %Unfortunately recent developments no longer deliver funding and training
> %to militia units which qualify by adhering to certain standards,
> %instead, the National Guards are not being absorbed as a part-time
> %mostly-logistic corps of clerks who do part-time administrative work for
> %the "standing Army".
> 
> Excuse me?  I suggest that you have little or no experience with the Guard.

I'm quoting an article form the Washington Post from about three months
ago, wherein they interviewed several ranking Guard members, who were
not particularly pleased with what they perceived as a denigration of
their forces.

>  I'm
> a Combat Engineer (229th Eng BN, formerly 1/170th Inf).  Nothing remotely
> clerkly.  I also know a number of Guardsmen who are Infantry (116th Inf Reg,
> which went ashore at Normandy).  The Guard has fifteen independant combat (armor
> and infantry) brigades, and 8 combat divisions.  You're describing the Reserves,
> which are predominately CS and CSS assets.
> 
> %but insofar as regards civil war, rest assured, unless very radical
> %steps are taken (and not military ones, rather think "justice=peace"),
> %in my humble opinion I believe civil war on a variety of scales and
> %within a variety of modes to be absolutely inevitable - in fact, within
> %a purely philosophical mode, I call for it. there are huge segments of
> %our population that are hagridden, disenfranchised and abused - and
> %rather than that much blood be shed later, I call for a recurrent
> %program of disruptional demonstration at all levels from here on in
> %until justice is served and tyranny is recognized, in all of its forms,
> %and summarily quashed by whatever means are necessary.
> 
> Rest assured that in such an unlikely scenario, 

Such an unlikely scenario resulted in our present United States of
America.

> said traitors would get the
> buisness end of a riot baton.  Unless they start waving firearms, in which case,
> they'll get shot.

I do believe that such were the sentiments of King George III.

No, I do not call for armed revolution, but I do call for an ongoing
course of civil disobedience and litigation. Believe me, as long as
things are widely perceived as a course of increasing oppression and
disenfranchisement, civil dissatisfaction and unrest can only increase.
And that's bad for stockholders.

>  Next silly statement.
> 
> %But by design they are being reduced to a merely clerkly and logistic
> %role. Militias should be, like the Boy Scouts, Prepared to aid any and
> 
> I'm vaugely insulted.  Boy Scouts???

Don't be vaguely insulted - you'll find that many of our country's
greatest leaders and proudest servants learned a great deal from being
in the Scouts. 

> 
> %all of their fellow citizens, particularly in cases of natural disasters
> 
> Which the National Guard responds to regularly.  Why don't you ask all those
> Midwesterners who's filling sand bags?

You may or may not have noticed that in the recent Ohio River flooding,
some of the fastest responses and best organized responses outside of
the Guard were by regional militias. Doing what they're supposed to do.

>  Guardsmen, including some buddies I went
> to AIT with.  Remember the blizzard of '96?  First weekend of January.  300
> Guardsmen got called out to drive Hummers to take people in for dialysis,
> deliver prescriptions, and so forth.

As well they should - but you'll note that as a rule when there is such
nasty weather, people with four-wheel vehicles are requested by local
media to register their willingness to provide such services.
Technically, such volunteerism may be likened to a militia response.
Ordinarily the situation doesn't need a Guard response, and in such
situations local militias should be expected to organize. In such
situations even the Elks or the Rotary folks might be considered as
militia organizations, able-bodies people in a state of organization and
preparedness, not under State or Federal authority, moveing quickly to
take care of problems as they arise.

> 
> %As an aggregate of the taxational powers of the States, I argue that it
> %does. But I might be tempted to argue that this power to tax should be
> %only the result of a legitimately-enacted Constitutional Amendment.
> 
> There is an amendment to that effect.

And there are evidently questions as to the legality, something about a
quorum not being present, etc.

> 
> %What about every single citizen who can get their hands on gasoline,
> %fertilizer and diesel fuel? which is to say just about every citizen?
> 
> Go for it.  See what happens.  I predict you blow yourself up.

I might at that. But there might well be someone who could easily and
quickly teach people how to blow things up other than themselves.

> 
> %The Haitian Slave Revolution, where all on the same day absolutely every
> %servant served their masters with puffer-fish?
> 
> Bingo.

See? I read too.

> 
> John M. Atkinson
> jatkinso@gmu.edu
> "A nation which despises its soldiers will all too soon
> have a despicable army
>                  --Jerry Pournelle

-- 
Be kind to your       | When the going gets weird the weird turn pro.
neighbors even though | http://www.clark.net/pub/klaatu/
they be transgenic    | Now. chock full of uninteresting links.
chimerae.             |-- Genesis 19:1-13 - Hebrews 13:2 -- 
------ � copr 1997 TJH Internet SP all rights reserved  ------------
Usually I work within the system when it's not trying to get me killed.