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To: justshutupandtakeit
No, the Militias were NEVER a guard against "govornment" tyranny or even government tyranny....

They were never designed to fight governmental armies except in your fantasies.

"As civil rulers, not having their duty to the people duly before them, may attempt to tyrannize, and as the military forces which must be occasionally raised to defend our country, might pervert their power to the injury of their fellow citizens, the people are confirmed by the article in their right to keep and bear their private arms." -Tench Coxe, Remarks on the First Part of the Amendments to the Federal Constitution, under the pseudonym "A Pennsylvanian" in the Philadelphia Federal Gazette, June 18, 1989 at col. 1.

"Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed; as they are in almost every kingdom of Europe. The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword; because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force superior to any bands of regular troops that can be, on any pretense, raised in the United States." -Noah Webster, An Examination into the Leading Principles of the federal Constitution (1787) in Pamphlets to the Constitution of the United States (P. Ford, 1888).

Seems a few others have shared my "fantasies". But, hey, you got me on a typo, big guy.

649 posted on 11/19/2003 1:40:58 PM PST by MileHi (+)
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To: MileHi
Militias were formed by governmental entities: states, villages, cities, townships, counties. THAT is a fact. An armed people was useful in that regard. They were formed to fight Indians, then the French, then the British. They were never designed to fight the government nor do the quotations you quote say that they were. AND they never did!

In fact, the militia was used to suppress the PEOPLE during
Shay's Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion.

Militias were always considered the armed auxillaries of the Armies. They were creatures of the State not its enemies.

Militia - 1) a) A citizen army, as distinct from a body of professional soldiers. b)The armed citizenry, as distinct from the regular army. 2) The able-bodied male citizens in a state who are not members of regular armed forces, but who are called to military service in cases of emergency. 3) The whole body of physically fit male civilians eligible by law for military service. [Original sense, "military organization." from Latin militia, warfare. from miles- soldier]

There is no militia without State involvement it is NOT a bunch of gunmen, vigilantes, marauders or a gang.
650 posted on 11/19/2003 2:23:07 PM PST by justshutupandtakeit (America's Enemies foreign and domestic agree: Bush must be destroyed.)
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