Republicans Organizing Armed Militia on College Campus'

[ElsewheresDaughter]

Has anyone else heard about this? I find this very alarming!

I heard it mentioned in passing by someone ( can't remember who) this morning on one of the morning cable news programs. And knew I had to check it out, thinking I misheard it. I hadn't. I googled it and opps there it is!

So it is happenning in NY and I was wondering if it is going on at other university's acros America. If you have seen or heard anything of this please post it here?


http://adirondackalmanack.blogspot.com/2006/05/suny-potsdam-republicans-organizing.html

SUNY Potsdam Republicans Organizing Armed Militia on Campus
You read it right... SUNY Potsdam College Republicans, apparently afraid of something, are organizing shotgun-toting patrols.


Kelly Eustis tells NewsWatch50 he borrowed the idea from student leaders at SUNY New Paltz but also believes it's a Republican-oriented issue.

"I believe it is our constitutional right," Eustis said. "It will show people that it is the right to bear arms. It will also act as a defense organization for the students of SUNY Potsdam and act as a kind of a watchdog group for police."

Eustis said that after just a few days of soliciting he has 16 students interested in being a part of the militia.

At SUNY New Paltz, Student Association leaders are proposing patrols consisting of three students, two armed with shotguns and a third carrying a video camera.


Friends… prepare your arm salutes! We only hope there isn’t a beer garden nearby.


and their is a video at the top of this page:

http://www.newswatch50.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=53FD501C-6613-458A-9A79-A32718096F2C


Update: SUNY Potsdam's Deidre Kelly, Acting Director of Public Affairs issued the following statement:

At this time, there has been no student organization or individuals who have contacted anyone in the campus administration about forming a militia. It appears to be a conversation that is taking place within a student organization.

If students wish to engage in a conversation about students' rights or safety issues, we would be happy to meet with them and discuss their concerns. However, campus regulations and state law prohibit possession of firearms on campus, and we support those policies.

SUNY Potsdam's campus is extremely safe. We have University Police Officers actively engaged in patrolling the campus and the areas around campus regularly. The University Police Office is open 24 hours a day. We also offer a number of services to students, such as escorts, a Blue Light System and safety programing. (End of statement)




5/9/06

An armed student militia should patrol the grounds on and off campus at SUNY Potsdam, according to the Chairman of the College Republicans.

Kelly Eustis tells NewsWatch50 he borrowed the idea from student leaders at SUNY New Paltz but also believes it's a Republican-oriented issue.

"I believe it is our constitutional right," Eustis said. "It will show people that it is the right to bear arms. It will also act as a defense organization for the students of SUNY Potsdam and act as a kind of a watchdog group for police."

Eustis said that after just a few days of soliciting he has 16 students interested in being a part of the militia.

At SUNY New Paltz, Student Association leaders are proposing patrols consisting of three students, two armed with shotguns and a third carrying a video camera. They say this would act as a "watchdog group" against police abuses.

State law and SUNY regulations prohibit firearms on campuses. That means students at both campuses will have to confine their efforts off campus or without weapons unless the regulations are changed.

NewsWatch50: "So you're not pressing for on-campus weapons for these patrols?" Eustis: "Well we will be pressing for it but we probably won't be seeing it for a really long time."

Deidre Kelly, SUNY Potsdam's Acting Director of Public Affairs said she spent the day fielding calls about the militia proposal.

She said students she talked to feel that a student militia isn't needed.

"The consensus seems to be that they feel the university police office is doing a great job and if students want to volunteer to help out in some kind of, maybe neighborhood watch, then that would be welcome," Kelly said.

She said that far from making the campus safer, guns in students' hands would likely have the opposite effect.

"So it's always best to keep firearms in the hands of professionals who are trained to use them," Kelly said.

[marmar]

1. That's downright bizarre...and scary.

Everyone knows that college Repugs are the lowest multi-celled life forms on earth, but this is bizarre even for them. Sounds like they want to start shooting people!

:wtf:

[Freedom_from_Chains]

2. Well that is after all, their favorite sport.

[rodeodance]

3. beyond strange!. self formed militias on the Mex border-now this!

[HereSince1628]

4. Most campuses don't allow beer. I can't imagine accepting guns on campus

[rodeodance]

5. "I believe it is our constitutional right,"

......"I believe it is our constitutional right," Eustis said. "It will show people that it is the right to bear arms. It will also act as a defense organization for the students of SUNY Potsdam and act as a kind of a watchdog group for police."

[HysteryDiagnosis]

10. Nine out of ten

bears agree on this point.....

[ElsewheresDaughter]

11. bears to arm......

[izzie]

6. Just what everyone needs. Kids with guns and the right to use them

Must be one of those colleges that you do not need a test to get into. People seem to forget that most of our terrorist have been home grown. Looks like we are training them now in college. I see no reason for such a thing and I do not care what they say.

[Missy M]

7. I'm surprised those Republican students have enough.....

brains to get through college. I hardly think there is any danger in Potsdam, NY. Instead they might try signing up for duty in Iraq.

[Cassandra]

13. They can't go to Iraq...

they're doing the important work of guarding against boogymen in upstate NY.

[Missy M]

14. I feel so safe now that I know they are.....

guarding me against the boogymen in Upstate NY. I will sleep like a baby tonight! I won't have to hide in fear any longer.:hide:

[0007]

8. Is this just at this college?

[ElsewheresDaughter]

9. that's what i'm trying to find out...i find it hard to believe it is only

happenning here in NY

[0007]

16. Maybe its a Lynne Cheney & Bill Bennett thing? Remember

when they were touring all the universities and putting down the left wing professors.

[greekspeak]

12. Ummm...why isn't SUNY doing something about this?

Do these wackos have to shoot someone before someone stops them? What is these kids' interpretion of the Constitution? Does it involve open season on minorities? Liberals? The first person to challege the organization? The first people who protest Republicans who visit campus? What? Who are they protecting the campus from? The campus needs protection from over-grown gun toting Hitler Junge. In fact, it is the school's DUTY to do something about this potentially deadly situation before it gets out of hand.

[Cyrano]

15. Hi greekspeak. I knew I'd heard of this someplace before. They were

called Hitler Youth.

Many people bitch about comparisons like this, so I need someone to tell me when we get there and when Nazi comparisons are okay.

[Vickers]

17. Militia? Join the MILITARY, you pathetic cowardly assclowns.

You might see a little more action in Eye-rack (or maybe even Eye-ran!!!) than Potsdam, NY. :eyes:

[Arkansas Granny]

18. Maybe I'm missing something here, but isn't this the type of

rationale that brought us Timothy McVeigh, David Koresh and the Ruby Ridge incident? The thought of armed college students roaming the streets is enough to scare me to death.

[jonnyblitz]

19. "we only hope there isn't a beer garden nearby.." LMFAO

that was good! I hear ya...:thumbsup:

[phaseolus]

20. Thank you, Republikids!!

...for protecting us from hordes of illegal Canadians streaming across the border!!

Seriously I think they secretly wish they could patrol our Southern border with Arpaio's fat middle-aged "posse" and shoot brown people. So, in true juvenile fashion, they parade around, armed.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NVMojo]

22. who was the former senator who made all the racist comments a few

years ago? He carried a gun with his henchies back when the first blacks tried to go to to college in Mississippi ...can't remember his name but it was similar ...to this.