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Episode-30- Is it Time for a “New” Civilian Militia

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Is it time to organize a new civilian militia? No not the camo wearing paramilitary type but a true “civilian” dedicated to assisting first responders and local law enforcement. I am not looking to lead or spearhead this concept just get a dialog going about the concept and some ways I think we can change the preception of exactly what militia means and make it a badge of honor vs. a separatist concept with the mainstream population.

Here is the outline I used for this show, there is some redundency in it. My hope is that discussion groups and forums will begin discussing this concept and it may or may not take off. Either way I think it is a conversation worth having.

My Outline

Civilian Militia

  1. National Level Organization
  2. Complies with all local, state and federal laws
  3. Marketed as a force for assistance, not anti government
  4. Main objective – to provide assistance and additional security at times when law enforcement, emergency responders and other organizations are stretched to their limits
  5. Armed is an individual choice but is subject to all laws
  6. Each local branch will register or notify or some how be on record with local law enforcement and possibly other emergency responders
  7. Any uniform devised should be “non militant” though there may need to be a militant division of some sort
  8. Training focused on
    a.Communications and Reporting
    b.First Aid
    c.Supply Distribution
    d.Working with emergency responders
    e.Use of non lethal force for the protection of civilians
  9. National Organization governed as a “Constitutional Republic” including a judiciary committee
  10. Membership should have some “dues” associated with it, annual and low.
  11. Should focus on recruiting, current and prior service law enforcement, prior service military, professionals in various disciplines, EMTs-etc.,

Part Two – The Marketing Plan

  1. Recruit professionals with a background in marketing, sales and public speaking – make them the voice of the company.
  2. Position the organization as a “helper” to local law enforcement, emergency responders and local charities.
  3. Make membership on par with membership or association with the Salvation Army, Red Cross or Rotary Club.
  4. Invite law enforcement personal to all meetings (most often they won’t show up).
  5. No videos, pictures, etc of camo clad para military personal
  6. Mission statement – “To observe, report and notify first, to intervene only when absolutely necessary and then as a “concerned citizen”.
  7. Any firearm use and or carry will be done as a “citizen”, in other words a CCP holder carries during “service” because he/she always carries.
  8. Strict code of ethics – violations of them result in termination of membership.
  9. No military ranks, – Sgt, Col, etc.Replace with things like Member, Organizing Member, Neighborhood Coordinator, Regional Coordinator, etc.

While the above outline is useful it may be necessary to listen to this show in full to avoid misunderstandings. NOTE – I have no issues with existing militias and I support their right to exist and in general the work they do as patriots.

I just believe there is an opportunity to create a new type of militia that can help local communities in times of need and I also belive there would be a ton of interest in joining such an organization for many individuals if they had the option.

My plan is by NO MEANS perfect or complete, I simply am submitting it to the community as one possible starting point for a new organization that may be seriously needed in the coming uncertain times. It is humbly submitted to the survivalist and self sufficiency community as a concept for discussion.

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show.

Comments

Episode-30- Is it Time for a “New” Civilian Militia — 24 Comments

  2. Offroad, The best way to contact me is by the form on the Contact Us page. This prevents me getting tons of spam. I replied to you by email so you now have my direct email. In general I am happy to give out my email address to any listener. I just don’t publish it on the site to reduce the spam I get. As an Internet Marketer I already get about 500 spams a day.

  3. i believe that the podcast got published too early. It gets cut off at about the 4 minute mark

  4. @Chris, I think you are having Internet connection problems or some other issue. I just checked it and all 28 minutes are there and working just fine. Give it another try and if you still have issues let me know. Also you may want to just download the entire show if streaming is giving you trouble.

  6. weird i downloaded it first and it cut out at about 4 minutes…then I DLed just now and got it all… Keep up the good work…

  7. Jack, it seems like your talking about more like a civil defense system than a militia in my mind. I can respect that. The potential problem I see is government/military/law enforcement acting more in the unproductive paramilitary mode, instead of actually helping people get food, shelter, medical care, etc. Like Katrina, outfits like FEMA set up check points, block help from coming in, confiscate guns, etc. I wouldn’t want to be part of or be underneath someone like FEMA telling me what to do if it’s wrong or unproductive.

    Thanks for the podcast.

  8. Good points Scott! Like I said as well this is not “the plan” just an outline and an idea.

    One thing is that unlike a true “Civil Defense Force” (which is what Obama is proposing funded by the government and TAXES)this would be a private and democratically driven volunteer organization. True volunteer as in our Military is not truly voluntary (not that it should be) in that a solider, sailor, marine, etc can’t quit, refuse an order, stop his employment at will etc.

    This “force” I speak of is much different, it would never be “underneath someone like FEMA” just obedient under the law and authority as to what not to do, not at all what to do.

    Such as Katrina if this force existed and was told you can’t go in, fine we don’t do it. It sucks but you can’t just go defying authority, if let in the force would control what it does and does not do, simply complying with “stand down” orders. This group would not be controlled by any government authority.

    They could be asked to secure a neighborhood and they may or may not depending on risk, need, personal choice, etc.

    This may be hard to fully get at first because it is a organized group of truly FREE individuals which is hard to find today.

    So again, tornado hits a neighborhood, local group responds, prevents looting, searches for injured, directs paramedics and law enforcement as they show up to what they have found. At some point the law says, “we don’t need you please leave”, so long as they are asking anyone not from the neighborhood, we leave.

    Conversely we are asked lets say to go specifically do something we don’t want to as a group. We decline. Just like any individual could choose to, no authority of this group would exist in government beyond the authority they have over any individual already. Make sense?

  9. @DrGonzo, No problem I love what ya’ll are doing at Zombie Squad, I plan an entire show about your group at some point.

  10. I think it should be more of a group of Civilian Respondents rather than a “Militia”. I actually looked up Texas +Militia in Google and there were a few hits on articles about militants. I think the media has really gone wild with the term “militia” and brought it into a negative light.

    In Texas, it may be a good idea to require a Concealed Handgun License. License holders are required to submit fingerprints and are subject to an FBI background check. These are a group of people already proven to be the Good Guys. You mention not being openly armed which I do agree to. However, there’s no way I’m not going to be discretely armed. ;-]

    Minimal First Aid and CPR training should be a requirement and I would hope training for such to be offered at no cost given this is a volunteer organization.

    This is definitely a tricky situation. I’m sure many law enforcement groups would not want civilians involved in most scenarios. However, if you are talking about something like post-Katrina where they are stretched beyond limits, it may be welcome. However, getting them to realize that allowing it now to prepare for something like that in the future may be difficult.

  11. How about just being a part of the AUXILIARY Police Force. Just meet their requirements and they call you up to help when needed. else you take care of yourself.

  12. You could also be a part of the local AUXILIARY sheriff office, or maybe a part of the folks who enforce game laws in an AUXILIARY capacity only.

  14. That’s an interesting concept, Offroad. I’m curious how many LE Groups actually have an Auxiliary force. My city does (Police “Reserves”), but it’s only limited to 20 members. And that’s only good for the jurisdiction of the police dept. itself unless invited by another organization to assist (afaik).

  15. Found out our Sheriff Dept does have reserves as well. Requires full training and a commitment of 16 hours a month (which isn’t that bad). But again, it has a very limited jurisdiction.

    Now, it may allow for some credibility if members of police/sheriff’s reserve are members. (just musing)

  16. What you want to do is help the police force to do their job, and not to be labeled as a NUT CASE.

    You could even join the STATE POLICE force in the AUXILIARY; or what about the state reserves (NOT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT) and meet the requirements for Military Police training. What you want is to not be subject to call up by the FEDERAL GOVERMENT. The State of New York has a force like this that is not subject to federal military recall, and is totally voluntary.

  17. That’s what I was thinking. By being a member of some organization like that, it would lend serious credibility not only to yourself but also the voluntary organization (in this case, the Civil Response Unit). =-]

  18. Ahhh…now that I have thought about your comments, you were saying to do this INSTEAD of the subject of the ‘cast.

    The point of this was that it is a voluntary organization. If you are a member of a State Guard, you could be “deployed” to an area for disaster relief. It’s not truly “voluntary”. Same is true for an LEO Reserve.

    I think the best approach for this would be for medical relief, but there’s other capacities it could operate under. Strictly boxing it to medical will do just that and would end up limiting membership. However, I see it as doing things like workforce for disaster shelters, food/water/supply drives for disaster relief, etc.

    It’s not an organization that just barges in on the LEO’s and National Guard, but an organization that has a large enough national or state-wide credibility that a leader could contact the LEOs, etc and ask if we could help out. Essentially volunteer our efforts.

    I think you may be missing the point of it all (possibly). I hear what you are saying and respect it, but there is a way for something like this to progress.

  19. At what point do we act simply as ‘individual’ Citizens who arise in cohesive action because we share common values and self-interests? This plan is well intentioned but it sounds ripe for abuse and ‘mission drift’. I personally don’t wish to self identify my interests, abilities, skill set, equipment level, or any other such attributes to an ‘organization’ (read as – databases, outreach, funding, funding politics, partisanship, …). Just my preference and opinion.

    I think that a good emergency broadcast system would do most of the job. A voluntary ‘muster’ of citizens could meet periodically, perhaps once or twice a year. If people want to self identify for some potential emergency roll, then that can be of great value in the proper situation, but the existence or extent of such self identification should be entirely up to the individual.
    At such a muster the Citizens in atendance would get some basic education and briefings on emergency response scenarios; LE and government agency response to certain emergencies; and provided with maps of essential emergency shelters, routes, supplies, defensive points, etc.
    Let advertisers offer promotions, and government provide some form of tax break, or similar incentive, to those who attend.
    Offer civilian defense communications devices at cost to everyone. Then in an emergency, people will already be in the mindset to stay tuned to emergency communications, and to use appropriate reporting channels, to support LE and emergency response personnel.

    Other than that I am opposed to any further such organization of the Citizenry. I think that people should come to each others aid as a matter of being human. Therefore, what matters most is the availability of good information, hence the suggestion for a communication focus.

    If people won’t act to help others locally, without ‘organization’, then no amount of organizing will change how they will act when the SHTF. Thus, in the end the People will get the Government (and Community) They Deserve.

  20. Ham Radio people are also organized and volunteer during emergencies. They are usually the first communications up during times of desaster when all the phones and electric are down. Becoming a ham or connecting with your local Amateur Radio clubs seems like a sensible idea.

  21. I’ve often thought of this subject and watched as disasters unfolded here in the south. The reality is, in a disaster or crisis situation, help is not wanted or tolerated from the “citizens”. Law enforcement at all levels only wants two things from citizens…go away (evacuate) and stay away. If you don’t go willingly they will use force to make you leave and if you resist the force you will be arrested or worse. There is no room for any “citizen” to help in the disaster except from a very far distance. It’s not about “helping”. It’s about power and the state will not give up any power in any way even if it is just perceived power (or lack of it) by letting in average citizens to help. Even if you can supply vital supplies and skills you will not be welcomed.

  22. One more word on the point about complying with all laws, local, state and federal. The direction taken in recent disasters is that all laws and rights are pretty much suspended. Constitutional rights go out the window. The areas affected by the disaster (of all kinds) become a police state and any laws and rights are made up on the spot by the powers in charge. Your right to be secure in your home does not exist. They come to the door, request admission and if you refuse they will come in anyway at gunpoint. They will search your home and confiscate anything they wish (all firearms) and most likely force you to leave. It won’t matter if you have food and water to last. They want you gone. Your rights as they existed before the disaster such as search and seizure, arrest, personal property, etc. are nonexistent and you will be told what, when and where at the point of a gun. I hate to say things like this. I know many will dispute what I say. But, it is the sad truth.

  23. @Stumpy, I am sorry that your experiences have led you to this view so far. Yet I am here to tell you you are wrong. Having been part of two relief efforts myself (one as a civilian in the US and one as a solider in Costa Rica) I can tell you in many instances civilian help is a welcome addition to both LEOs and Military.

    Examples where civilians made a huge difference in the US include…

    1989 Earthquake in LA
    Hurricane Andrew
    Arlington/Ft. Worth Storms of 2000
    Hurricane Katrina (once Gen. Honore took over)
    The Tornado in Greensburg Kansas
    9-11

    Recently civilian volunteers poured into Haiti along with the US military many US civilians also went to Indonesia after the tsunami in 2004.

    There are times when authorities turn away civilian help, it is generally before they have an assessment of the situation made. Once they know what is going on and know they don’t have enough man power they generally welcome help.

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