There is a world not to far off in the distant future where the United States of America is in the process of internal collapse.  The house of cards that had been built on credit and paper money is tumbling down upon itself.  The frightened citizens of the United States demand more government intervention to stem the tide of collapse. Corruption is rampant and many of those who have taken the oath of office to " support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic"  now consider the U.S. Constitution nothing more than toilet paper. Civil Rights are routinely abused by law enforcement and politicians with the wrong doers being only punished with monetary fines if at all.  The corrupt US Government passes legislation nationalizing mega corporations and levies heavy penalties upon small business owners driving them out of business. Violence rises as illegal activities become a way of survival for many communities. Amidst the turmoil, the continual levying of heavy taxes destroys the Middle and Lower classes. In its drive to take advantage of the economic crisis and the rise in crime and violence, the US Government passes legislation to ban personal ownership of fire arms and begins at first limited and then full scale gun confiscation, offering tax breaks and other incentives to a desperate population for those who would willingly turn in firearms. However, a few determined citizens knowing what was to come have drawn the line in the sand years ago. Their belief in the principles of self-determination, freedom, and the right to bear arms to protect the Natural Rights of man as laid out in Declaration of Independence has compelled them to actively resist the tyrannical government with all force necessary in order to restore what has been taken from the citizens of the United States bit by bit over the generations. These men and women are your average day citizens who still believe in a Republic. These citizens are your last line of defense against tyranny, the Militia.   

Many people with common sense can read the above scenario and realize we are already living in such situation. We and our fathers before us are responsible for this current mess we are in.  Rationalized voting by choosing the lesser of two evils. Borrowing money we could not comfortably pay back. Paying more attention to sport team stats and players achievements than while our 'lesser of two evils' representatives we elected pass legislation to destroy our rights to property, ownership, speech, and wealth. The politicians we favor because they are 'conservative' or 'liberal' have signed our rights away repeatedly and have entrenched themselves and their oppressive policies like ticks into our skin. How does one go about fixing the mess we are all in? The current situation and the tribulation we are going to face must run its coarse before the changes to restore the constitutional republic can take place. What will be the instrument of that restoration when the need arises?  The Militia.   

What Is The Militia?  

Often the Department of Homeland Security, the Main Stream Media and the Southern Poverty Law Center make reports depicting organized and unorganized Militia groups as front organizations for racist Nazi skin-heads or Klu Klux Klan members or domestic terrorists such as Timothy McVae who was not even associated with any organized or unorganized Militia even though it is falsely reported he made such claims. These stereotypes are simply not factual of the of true Militia groups.  It is true that some racist based organizations may declare themselves to be a "militia" often spouting  racist and non-sensible rhetoric that is easily demonized and marginalized by the authorities and society and should be because it is wrong.  However, this demonization by the Government, Main Stream Media and other "Watchdog" organizations serves only to embarrass these "authorities" because the facts about the true Militia, once researched, do not stack up to the incredibly inflated hype and inflammatory lies coming out of these "authoritative" government-corporate sources. Focusing on individual fringe racist nut-cases and saying these individuals are the face of the American Militia would be like assuming all Asian people act and appear the same as Charlie Chan or Mao Tse Tung because the depth of your research doesn't go past one's effort to change the TV channel with the remote control.   

The Militia is you, it is I, it is our neighbors of all faiths, races, and backgrounds. "I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials."— George Mason, in Debates during the Virginia Convention on Ratification of the Constitution, Elliot, Vol. 3, June 16, 1788.   "The militia, when properly formed, are in fact the people themselves, ... all men capable of bearing arms;..." — Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republic, 1788.  The 2nd Amendment of the Bill of Rights echoes these statements when it legalized the existence of the Militia, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."  Here in the State of Florida, the Florida Constitution defines the legal term of the Militia, organized and unorganized segments thereof in Florida Statutes Chapter 27 Section 250.01 as: "(1) The Militia consists of all able-bodied citizens of this state and all other able-bodied persons who have declared their intention to become citizens. (2) The organized Militia is composed of the National Guard and any other organized military forces that are authorized by law. (3) The unorganized Militia is composed of all persons who are subject to military duty but who are not members of units of the organized Militia."  It is clear from these statements that the organized and unorganized Militia is everyone who is military, police or private citizen that can preform the duties of the Militia.  What are the duties of the Militia? Plainly stated, the duties of the Militia are "mutual defense" for their local and state communities against invading or oppressive tyrannical forces. Every able body man or woman can fulfill this purpose of their home State.  However, this does not make the legal unorganized Militia the National Guard. The National Guard is legally the organized Militia which is Federally funded and is a State regulated reserve Army that responds the needs of the Federal Government in the event of natural disasters or to supplement US Federal Troop deployment abroad. The unorganized Militia throughout American history has traditionally not been called up for this purpose. However, in 1903, legislation was passed by the Congress of the United States to make a professional standing organized Militia.  This transformation of a State or unorganized Militia into a Reserve force for the US Army was the Militia Act of 1903 which created the National Guard.  The National Guard's duty is to preserve the Union, Suppress Rebellions and to reinforce deployments in time of War. The duties of the  National Guard however is not to guard against Federal tyranny as they, the National Guard, have become the domestic military enforcement arm of the Federal Government. Unknown to most, when the radical transformations of the 1903 Militia Act and the 17th Amendment which opted for the direct election of Senators by the citizenry was passed and ratified in 1911, the States were stripped of any real power to contain Federal expansion. Over the years since many patriotic citizens in keeping with the ideals of the Founding Fathers still saw the unorganized Militia as the last line of defense to guard against anarchy and the forces of tyranny internal and external that would deprive the citizens to the right of property ownership and the pursuit of happiness and even life itself.    

The Unorganized Militia Today  

As stated earlier, a true unorganized Militia will not reject any able bodied man or woman on any religious or racial basis. The unorganized Militia today is open to any citizen that seeks to take a stand against the forces of tyranny whether they emanate from the halls of Government or from an external threat. All of your unorganized Militia members want the current form of republican Government guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution to exist and persist! Many of your local unorganized Militia are former members of the Federal or State Armed Services that feel Government has gone too far and seek to re-establish the boundaries on the Federal Government that made this country free at its inception. The unorganized Militia takes the Oath seriously to defend against Tyranny, all enemies of the Constitution, foreign and domestic.  The unorganized Militia today are watchful and are studying the political climate closely. They keep a calm disposition doing everything they can do to peacefully protect the freedoms the Founding Fathers fought and for. The unorganized Militia seeks to uphold the US Constitution, not the laws and edicts of the United Nations or any other form of international treaty that the political establishment seeks to bind the country to. The unorganized Militia seeks to uphold basic order and retain the sovereignty of the United States. The unorganized Militia seeks to control the national borders from illegal immigration and promotes legal immigration of foreign nationals with the hopes that they might become naturalized United States citizens.   Most States of the Union do not participate in raising and training unorganized Militias. So it falls to the private citizens to band together and form their own unorganized Militias which are privately sponsored and supplied, always keeping in harmony with local and State law and careful not to engage in illegal activities. The unorganized Militia today are God-fearing Americans who want their children to grow up in a land where the rule of law, the rights of freedom and property ownership are cherished and more importantly, respected by the politicians and ruling classes.     

The Florida Free Militia  

Today in the State of Florida, concerned citizens are taking a stand for the U.S. Constitution and are organizing themselves in preparation for the time alluded too in the beginning of this article. One of many groups taking this stand is the Florida Free Militia. The Florida Free Militia is open to anyone no matter race, religion or background and the group is supported by private personal means. The Florida Free Militia seeks to educate its members on the U.S. Constitution, American History, Defensive Tactics, First Aid, Emergency Survival and Preparedness, Home Invasion Defense Tactics and Water Purification processes. The Florida Free Militia teaches its members to move away from modern conveniences and to live off the land like our pioneering fore-fathers. Additionally, they seek to teach members to can and store food and they help those that come to them when disaster strikes. However, in addition to educating their fellow citizens the Florida Free Militia has justifiable fears of where the direction of this country is going. Members of the Florida Free Militia include former decorated veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who have led soldiers into combat and have served in Bosnia, Kuwait, Iraq and many other countries. They are businessmen and respectable members of their community. They are housewives and working mothers. They are the average everyday citizens we meet in our lives.  Some are nationalized US Citizens from Cuba who came over legally to escape the tyranny of the Communist Government of Cuba and are now seeing a repeat of that tyranny begin here in the States. The Florida Free Militia are inclusive and diverse and are open to anyone who cares to prepare to defend their country, the United States of America and all the principles that it was founded upon. The Florida Free Militia and other unorganized Militia groups around the country have drawn a line in the sand and have petitioned their Government under the right of Redress. Some criteria of that figurative line in the sand are  (1) Federal Government or State Government seek to pass legislation banning private ownership of firearms. (2) Declaring martial law on frivolous pretexts in order to kill or seek to remove political dissidents by arrest and indefinite incarceration in FEMA internment facilities or any other such facilities for the purposes of interment. (3) Seek to force vaccinate the citizens against their will.  Rest assured that the Florida Free Militia and other true unorganized Militia are not extremists or fanatics but are citizens that will not go quietly into the night while the country descends into a corrupt bureaucratic dictatorship.  

What Can You Do?  

Concerned citizens that wish to do more than just "write their Congressmen" can seek out the unofficially recognized unorganized Militia resource:  Mark Koernke's Intelligence Report.  Those who cannot or are unable to find an already existing unorganized Militia in their local area can get enough resources at the aforementioned Website to build and start their own unorganized Militia from scratch.  Use discernment and be smart with your research. Do not get caught up in sensationalized views of 'militias' that are perpetuated by propaganda movies and the corporate media establishment. For further information about the unorganized Florida Free Militia mentioned in this article please visit http://www.floridafreemilitia.com/    Other recognized groups that are affiliated with the true unorganized Militia groups are The Oath Keepers, comprised of current and former Military and Law Enforcement and open to anyone who wishes to take the Oath to uphold, defend and protect the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. For further information on this group please visit http://oathkeepers.org/oath/.          

Credits: 

I would like to thank Don, Paul, Debbie and Jeannie from the Florida Free Militia for their time in providing me an interview for this article. Thank you all and God Bless. 

Byron Tripp