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Emergency Preparedness Series

Emergency Preparedness Series, Part 1 of 6

Editor, Fort Fairfield Journal

Fort Fairfield Journal, October 12, 2005

Militia. Just saying the word conjures up images of woodland camo-wearing, gun-totting survivalists who run around harassing innocent people in their daily lives.

The reason for such misplaced fear of the militia is because Hollywood, the mainstream media, and some government-run schools and colleges have purposefully misled Americans into believing the Militia are the “bad guys.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

When this country began, there was very little “law enforcement.” There were Sheriffs and Marshals, but few full time support staff. When a Sheriff needed more people to assist him than he had on hand, he was empowered to call forth a posse, also known as a “Militia.”

Up until the mid 1800s, Mainers used to assemble twice a year to train, practice their marksmanship, brush up on their drill and ceremony and parade in front of the Adujant General for review.¹ “Training days on the first Tuesday in May and again in the autumn were annual festival days. From 1783 until 1841, every able-bodied man and boy between the ages of eighteen and forty-five was required by law to meet for company drill. While a gaggle of farmers and shopkeepers went through their unpolished maneuvers in someone’s field at the edge of town, vendors hawked sheets of gingerbread to excited children, and their mothers talked under the trees.”²

Maine law today still allows for the existence of a militia. The Militia in Maine consists of all able-bodied citizens between the ages of 18 to 45 years of age and not a member of certain Federal government agencies.³ Those same age requirements are also mentioned at the Federal level, as well.⁴ The original Militia laws in Maine required each citizen to own and maintain his own firearms⁵ - a far cry from today’s gun restriction legislation.

It has been a common misconception that the Maine National Guard is the Maine Militia. However, that isn’t entirely true. The National Guard, is a “national” militia and is a branch of the United States Army on loan to the states; it is for this reason that the Federal government can call up the National Guard and send them overseas at a moment’s notice. When called into active duty in service of the United States, National Guard soldiers are exempted from service in the Maine Militia⁶ The National Guard is a relatively new creation; it was formed in Maine as early as 1895 and listed in law as a separate and distinct unit from the militia.⁷ , It was later granted Federal support with the Dick Act of 1903 and fully Federalized with the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916.⁸

When called into service, the Maine Militia is loosely organized under what is called the State Guard.⁹ The Maine State Guard was created after the Federalization of the National Guard and differs in that it is controlled, funded and supplied by the state. It is not beholden to or controlled by the Federal Government. The State Guard is strictly for the State’s use and can not be drafted as a unit into the military service of the United States.¹⁰ Since the State Guard is a State-run operation, all officer commissions are granted by the governor with rank that is equivalent to that used at the federal level.¹¹

Currently, the State Guard only exists on paper and has no active duty personnel. Because the State has chosen to actively promote the National Guard, the State Guard has fallen into disuse, but it is still there for the Militia to use in times of disaster, or civil unrest.

The recent events in Louisiana illustrate how their Militia, though unorganized as it was, came into action as ordinary citizens took up arms to stop looters and criminals when traditional law enforcement avenues were overwhelmed. Unlike the Hollywood portrayal of Militia as “terrorists,” the Militia is comprised of We the People - the same people who authorize the government to even exist. Since the source of all political power is in We the People, it is only natural that all authority to enforce law and keep the peace would ultimately rest with us, as well.

An average member of the unorganized Maine Militia has at least a college-level education and is highly versed in the founding documents of our country and state, as well as world and U.S. history. As militia members, they take their responsibility as citizens seriously by spending their spare time researching law, government documents and current events.

The unorganized Maine Militia assembles in times of disaster, be it natural or otherwise, and contributes to their local Emergency Management Agency under the direction of the County Sheriff. FEMA has no part, and should never have any part in the guidance or direction of the Militia since the Militia’s functions and leadership are strictly of a local nature. Militia members may be armed for self-protection; military-style woodland camo is usually not the attire of a Militia member, though the Sheriff may designate a particular color or style shirt or jacket to allow for easy identification of those he has charged with a duty to serve. The militia may be distributing food, medical supplies or assisting in locating lost people. As in Louisiana, the Militia may have to assume law enforcing authority when police officers are either unavailable or unwilling to perform the duties they were charged with. As in the past, we all, as Militia members, should keep ourselves prepared with food, water, emergency power, guns and ammunition, as well as a modest collection of medical supplies, in the event regular supply lines are disrupted.

Only in extreme circumstances, would the Militia be called upon to operate in the capacity of its forefathers - to throw off a corrupt or illegal government and to form a new one that would best protect and defend their safety and happiness.¹² Examples of such actions are the Revolutionary War, Shay’s Rebellion and the Battle of Athens.¹³

Notes:

1. See: Laws of Maine Vol II., 1821, pp. 707-708.

2. Maine: The Pinetree State from Prehistory to Present, ©1995 University of Maine Press, p. 233

3. Maine Revised Statutes (MRS), Title 37-B, §§ 222, 225

4. United States Code, Title 10, section 311.

5. Laws of Maine Vol. II, 1821, p. 683

6. MRS 37-B, §225(1)

7. See: Statutes of Maine 1885-1895; Freeman’s Supplement, pp. 114-130

8. See Encyclopedia Britannica, 1958 ed., Vol. 14, p. 146

9. MRS 37-B, §224 et seq.

10. MRS 37-B,§224 (7)

11.MRS 37-B, §§ 221 (1), 224 (3)

12. See: Declaration of Independence; and Maine Constitution, Article 1, Section 2.

Editor, Fort Fairfield Journal

Fort Fairfield Journal November 23, 2005

Most people don’t realize it, but their local grocery stores only carry about 2 to 3 days’ supply of bread and milk for the entire community and surrounding area which they serve. Canned and dry food stocks could probably be extended out to 7 to 10 days. Large discount super centers can possibly extend that period an additional 5 days; all of this under normal circumstances.

You’ve all seen the behavior of people when a disaster either hits, or is about to hit - they all run to the stores and buy reserve food at the last minute, quickly depleting the shelves and bickering and fighting over who’s going to get what. Some people walk away empty handed, wishing they would have thought more than just a few days ahead.

When one considers that: 1.) Most of society relies 100% on grocery stores for their foodstuffs; and 2.) virtually all of those food items are brought in by truck, it becomes clear that it wouldn’t take much to upset the delicate flow of fresh new food to our store shelves, and ultimately our homes.

Every year we see localized examples of food shortages here in this country whenever a hurricane or tornado blows through an area. These generally take about a week to organize food shipments and people are taken care of eventually (though FEMA really dragged their feet during hurricane Katrina). In addition to these localized natural disasters, terrorist events - whether instigated by foreigners or those inside our own government for political gain - still only affect the population for a small amount of time.

Other more significant events that can disrupt food supplies for longer periods of time are economic depressions and fuel shortages. The last major economic depression was experienced in this country in the 1930s. The newly-formed Federal Reserve bank loaned paper money to Americans and demanded payment in gold. Soon the gold supply ran out, the Fed called the Notes, people went bankrupt and bankers stopped loaning money into circulation. Because of this irresponsible action by the Federal Reserve bank, millions of people across the country were affected. Many lost their homes and businesses, while others committed suicide for loss of value in the stock market took their entire life savings and left them with millions of dollars in debt.

People were still able to eat, though. There were soup lines with hundreds of thousands of people lined up, but there was still food to make the soup. Old timers here in Northern Maine recall the Great Depression didn’t have much of an affect in this area, because we were so poor as a community to begin with, we never noticed the change.

In the 1930s, we were a more agrarian society, most people had large family farms and were able to locally produce all of the food they and their neighbors needed to survive. Even ten years later, in 1941, Low to middle income families still produced at their home 70% of their own pork, 90% of their own poultry, 94% of their own eggs, 88% of their own milk and 95% of their own vegetables. ¹

Things began to change as the population became more urbanized. Between 1948 and 1955, North Central farm families went from baking 56% of their own bread at home to 39%.² Today, very few people are even capable of baking a good loaf of bread. Thankfully, Fort Fairfield High School has a program that does teach students to bake bread, rolls, and cookies - an art that seems to be dying out in today’s self-centered yuppie society.

Today, big agri-business corporations have decimated the family farm and due to the necessity to pay massive amounts of interest to banks, have raped the soil to the point that it is virtually non-productive unless massive amounts of chemicals have been added.

Another major difference from the era of the Great Depression to today is that society was more moral and more willing to get along. Those who did not have food were willing to work for it and did so freely and voluntarily. Today, we see scenes of criminals on wholesale looting campaigns stealing anything that isn’t nailed down - food included.

If we had another Great Depression, how prepared would you be? How much food do you have on your shelves; and how able are you to grow and harvest your own food should the need arise?

With uncertainty looming on the fossil fuel horizon, we aren’t always going to be able to count on the trucks to bring food in to stock our store shelves. We may be forced to return to a more primitive, localized food economy for our very survival. Don’t count on government to take care of you; they are the ones who established the Federal Reserve Bank (a group of private, foreign bankers - not owned or controlled by the Federal government) that caused the Great Depression and many other smaller depressions since then to begin with.

While you are able, it is prudent to begin purchasing an amount of food to place in storage to feed yourself and your family. The Department of Homeland Security recommends only a three day supply, but the threat of a government-instigated economic collapse, or terrorist attack that accomplishes the same would require much more food than just three days.

Dry food, such as rice, flour, dehydrated potatoes, cereals and pastas store well when placed in a rubber storage container and stored in a cool, dry place.

Canned foods can last up to five years. I recommend everyone begin planning a reserve food supply that will comfortably feed their family for at least a year. Sound crazy? In 1941, the average family annually canned nearly 200 quarts of meat and poultry, 75 quarts of vegetables and 70 quarts of fruit - all for home use.³

For those of you who plan to get serious about gardening, you may want to consider using non-hybrid heirloom seeds. Commercial, “hybrid” seeds are very difficult to regenerate the following year. Seed manufacturers designed them this way so you would have to keep coming back to repurchase every season. Non-hybrid seeds are the original seeds like our great grandparents used to plant with no fancy modifications. Crops from these seeds will produce year after year consistently valuable seed, especially in the event of an extended economic downturn. “All of us have a God-given right (even need) to grow our own food and save our own seeds to feed ourselves and to feed our families,” said Geri Guidetti, from the Ark Institute. “Unlike a trip to the supermarket, this is real food security. In these scary, troubled times, real short- and long-term food security is a must.”

Do not count on government to take care of you. With a massive depression, where their paper money is worth nothing or an extended fuel shortage, trucks will simply not run to every single community in the country. You and your neighbors will have to take care of each other locally.

In addition to food, a reliable supply of clean, filtered water is also a must. The absolute best water filters on the market today are the Berkefelds. (see ads below, on this page and page 5) The “Big Berky” as it is called, filters out 99.9% of all pollutants, microbes and bacteria. Because of this, the Big Berky is used to filter water in many third-world countries.

The time to begin planning is today, not when it’s too late.

1. Yearbook of Agriculture, 1959, USDA, p. 627

2. ibid, p. 529

3. ibid, p. 377

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