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| The Militia Misconception |
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Posted on October 12, 2009 at 23:53:25 EST
If you don't care for Barack Obama, his policies and so on, you are a right-wing extremist. If you don't like the federal government breathing down your neck, you are a domestic terrorist. Really? Since when? Last time I checked, disliking your leaders and their policies was nothing more than freedom of speech and wanting the government to leave you alone was called privacy. And isn't dissent supposed to be "patriotic", according to the leftists? But what do I know... I’m just an American. The feds, in their latest scare tactic, are telling us that militias are popping up all over the place and that "all it’s lacking is a spark," to set off a number of extremist attacks on the United States. Do these people (and I’m talking about both sides here) even know what a militia is? You know, I think that while we’re on the subject that we should look at what exactly a militia is and does. Militia – A body of citizens organized in a paramilitary group and typically regarding themselves as defenders of individual rights against the presumed interference of the federal government. Ok, so we know what a militia is. Now what does it do? Well, ever heard of the National Guard? That is what militias are. Now, these days the National Guard is both state and federally recognized, but essentially stays one and the same. That means that the National Guard is first and foremost a militia force made up of different units that resides in each of the 50 states, meaning that it’s a state militia. If deemed necessary, units from all 50 states can be called to active duty and be integrated into already active military units, thus leaving them in the control of the federal government. Essentially, a state militia becomes a military force controlled by the federal government of the United States. (The 2003 Invasion of Iraq is one example of the integration of the National Guard with regular military units.) With that kind of explanation, how can anyone in their right mind compare a militia with the extremists that have been unifying to commit acts of terror? Some of these extremist groups call themselves militias, but really it is a horrible misuse of the word. The feds are saying that because we are on the brink of economic collapse (I myself am still a skeptic of this), and because a black man is President, right-wing extremist groups (a.k.a. these so-called militias) are recruiting and plotting more frequently than they have in over a decade. In June, an 88-year old neo-Nazi shot and killed a Holocaust Museum guard. This seems to be one of several instances that the federal government wants to pin to the "militia movement." Now, I understand that there are groups out there who are plotting and training and organizing acts of violence that could put American lives at risk. However, that being said, I believe that the government and the media should be more careful in their selection of words used to describe these people. I also strongly believe that they should stop adding fuel to the fire and blowing things out of proportion (I guarantee you they are doing exactly that to fuel their own agendas. It’s happened many times throughout the course of the past century all over the world and in our own government). Also, if the government would stop sticking its nose in every bit of business that people have, maybe people wouldn’t feel the need to take up arms just to defend their beliefs and freedoms. Am I saying these people are right in what they do? Absolutely not. The use of force against one’s own people to prove a point or to achieve political gain is nothing short of terrorism and should be treated as such. However, do not go labeling the rest of us as right-wing extremists just because we disagree with the Obama administration or the rest of the government. The actions of few should not reflect the beliefs of many. Now, I know that this statement can seem void in other articles on this site, but rest assured, we keep that statement in the forefronts of our minds at all times while writing these pieces and we have come to the conclusion (by way of countless hours of research) that in certain other topics we write about, that statement truly is void, and for good reason. This instance, however, is not the case. At the moment, the federal government is judging a mass of right-of-center citizens by the actions of a select number of insane, racist, or brainwashed individuals. To do that is a huge mistake that may cause that "spark" that certain officials are talking about. *Now, what if the government was looking for a covert way to cause that spark? What then? Do we let them declare martial law and take away our gun rights? Do we let them rule over us in a totalitarian sense of the word government? What do we do? It seems that the more a particular group speaks out against the liberal-dominated government, the more they are labeled as "right-wing extremists" or "domestic terrorists." You can’t indirectly accuse people of doing wrong and expect them to not become agitated.* *Please note that the above does not necessarily reflect the views of the author or the ATC, but is merely a "what if" scenario presented to provoke thought. The ATC does not sanction the use of force without justified means in any situation and is a law-abiding organization.
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