The Militia

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

During the Revolution the Militia and the Continental Army fought for the independence of the American colonies. It was the wisdom of the Founders that disdained the existence of a standing army in a time of peace. That wisdom also recognized the need to raise an army in short order.

During the War the British looked down on colonial militias. Frequently those regular citizens were defeated and run off due to the superior equipment, training, organization and experience of the regular army they faced. It was the dedication on the part of its members and the steadfast support of their friends and families that led to the success of the militias. For example, Paul Revere was a militia member. After Boston fell to the British, he and most of his family moved temporarily to Watertown, MA. His son, Paul Jr., remained in Boston to watch over the family's properties. Paul Jr. helped in establishing a mill near Boston capable of producing gun powder. Paul Jr. was 15 at the time. Henry Ludington was a militia commander in New York State. His daughter, Sybil, undertook a ride similar to Paul Revere's to alert the Duchess County Militia in April of 1777. She was 16.

The point is ordinary people successfully stood against a professional army. Today's militia, in part, staffs the military.

The militia consists of armed ordinary people capable of staffing a military force. We haven't had seen this type of independent militia action since the Battle of Athens in 1946. The Second Amendment protects the arms of the ordinary people.

[rfranklin]

1. Yours is a fantasy version of history...

One expert estimates that as many as 25 percent of the men who enlisted in the cause of American Independence ultimately deserted the ranks. As Joseph Lee Boyle explains in the trenchant Introduction to his new two-volume work, "He Loves a Good Deal of Rum" (see also Volume 2, June 30, 1777-1783), a number of factors coalesced to foster this problem. Short-term enlistments were the norm, causing some soldiers to take a casual attitude about remaining in the ranks for their full term. Others fled the service in response to harsh punishments meted out for relatively minor crimes. "Hardships due to poor or non-existent food and clothing, infrequent paydays and those in the face of rampant inflation, fear of combat, homesickness, family problems, crowded unsanitary life in camp, and rampant disease were all contributing factors to soldiers refusing to join or abruptly leaving military life."

Soldiers deserted from all theaters of the Revolution, although roughly as many deserted during the first two years of the war as in the period after June 1777, as the Patriot army became more professionalized.


http://www.genealogical.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&item_number=9946

The citizen soldier was very unreliable.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

5. No doubt all these problems were rampant.

Out of every hundred men, ten shouldn’t be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them, for they make the battle. Ah, but the one, one is a warrior, and he will bring the others back. - Heraclitus

[rfranklin]

8. Was Heraclitus under Washington's command?

I don't remember that name.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

10. Were you under Washington's command?

Your memory is not an issue.

[rfranklin]

12. Your ability to reply with a non sequitur is not in questions either...

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

13. Your ability to...

...provide only an example of irony is, while amusing, rather off topic.



While your initial response was factual, I don't see any fundamental conflict between it and the OP. Maybe you could highlight the issues for me.

[Atypical Liberal]

18. LOL, thread-crusher right there.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

20. I must confess...

...to being a bit amused with myself.

[ileus]

2. All one needs to ask is how long have citizens been allowed to own firearms?

3 weeks?

3 years?

30 years?

Who would make up the milita anyway?

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

7. That depends...

...on the urgency of the situation. In the most urgent situation the population will ultimately be divided into two groups, those who fight and an amalgam of causalities, prisoners, slaves and the disabled.

[safeinOhio]

3. Second Militia Act of 1792

The second Act, passed May 8, 1792, provided for the organization of the state militias. It conscripted every "free able-bodied white male citizen" between the ages of 18 and 45 into a local militia company overseen by the state. Militia members were to arm themselves with a musket, bayonet and belt, two spare flints, a cartridge box with 24 bullets, and a knapsack. Men owning rifles were required to provide a powder horn, 1/4 pound of gun powder, 20 rifle balls, a shooting pouch, and a knapsack.[4] Some occupations were exempt, such as congressmen, stagecoach drivers, and ferryboatmen. Otherwise, men were required to report for training twice a year, usually in the Spring and Fall.

Sounds a little different than what you are talking about.

[gejohnston]

4. ironic thing is

the act required you to go buy your own stuff including the gun. If SCOTUS decides that forcing one to buy a good or service from a private company (like health insurance in the latest version of NixonCare) by logical extension, would the Militia act would also be unconstitutional?

The Swiss issues the assault rifle or pistol and is your to keep after your service.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

14. You mean like...

...auto insurance?

[gejohnston]

15. kind of

but you don't have to own a car. You only need it if you own a car.

[Atypical Liberal]

19. And if you use that car on public roads.

You don't need insurance to drive a car on private property.

[Glaug-Eldare]

16. Big difference between state and federal authority

that I think a lot of people either don't understand or willfully ignore. The states are inclusively sovereign -- they can exercise any authority whatsoever (in accordance with their own constitution) not prohibited by the U.S. Constitution, including requiring citizens to purchase goods. The federal government is exclusively sovereign -- it has only the powers delegated to it by its member states, which may or may not (pending several SCOTUS cases) include requiring citizens to purchase goods. There is no reason a state could not exercise its authority to maintain a conscripted militia.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

6. Different how? n/t

[safeinOhio]

9. conscripted for one thing.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

11. I'm not sure that...

...that difference makes a difference.

[DanM]

17. Don't base your entire opinion on one section of law . . .

There is, in fact, both organized and unorganized militia, and "militia" is not a word that refers to any kind of military unit, but refers to the *individuals* in the society who are suitable to fight. And, to top it off, US law recognizes that there is an unorganized militia, and it properly uses the word "militia":

10 USC § 311 - Militia: composition and classes

(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.

(b) The classes of the militia are—
(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and
(2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.