To: All militia units and other patriots
By this time we have all heard the many rumors of planned federal actions against militia leaders and other patriots. A number of dates have been mentioned, and many units are on yellow alert. We have also heard that conspiracy charges are planned under RICO, presumably for conspiracy to commit offenses that the feds will provoke local militias into doing.
The response to these rumors has been encouraging. Far from being intimidated, patriots are responding and preparing. The media is being alerted. Elected officials are being aroused. Law enforcement and military personnel are lending us support and information.
At this point, there are several possibilities. Let us review them:
(1) There may be no substance to the rumors. Just patriot paranoia.
(2) The rumors may be disinformation, intended to discourage our growth and lower our morale, and to discredit us and our concerns.
(3) The rumors may be intended to measure our strength, identify and plug leaks, and provide the information needed for further plans.
(4) The plans may be real, but subject to being called off if we show too much strength prior to their execution.
(5) The plans may be real, but the dates subject to change. Could be moved up, or postponed until we relax our guard.
(6) They may actually be committed to carrying out their plan on a certain date.
We need to prepare for all these possibilities.
We also need to consider our strengths and weaknesses. Up to now, we have been depending on making use of telephone communications for voice, fax, and email. However, many of us have been experiencing apparent interference with our transmissions lately, in ways that indicate that our adversaries are prepared to interrupt service for any or all of us on a call by call basis. That means we must develop an alterative means to communicate with one another nationwide that is not subject to interdiction. Shortwave can be jammed. Sirens and flares are too short range and depend on people being within range. We must think in terms of mobilization points, couriers, short-range two-way radio, pirate broadcasting to radio and TV channels, and lists of alternate contact points in each area that can be tried to re-establish broken communications links.
Unless or until telecomm is broken, however, it is essential that everyone remain accessible. Keep those faxes, computers, and ham radios turned on, and monitor them. Be prepared with cameras, camcorders, audio recorders, and spare batteries.
The model we must use for our comm network is the Internet: a dense store-and-forward system that can withstand major disruptions without losing its ability to get messages to their destinations. Such a system already exists as a wireless adjunct to the Internet. It should be expanded, and soon.
It is time for the militias to come out of the shadows and go public. There is no security in obscurity. Our adversaries know who you are. You are only hiding from other militias who may need to contact you.
I have been hammering on this for more than a year now, and much of what I have been saying seems to fall on deaf ears, but it will save us a lot of unnecessary hassle if we observe certain formalities. They are going to try to hang us on having "private armies". The answer to that is to have all militia musters in response to a public notice. That is important, folks. The law may differ from state to state, but in most states to be a public notice it needs to be posted on the courthouse door or bulletin board at least three weeks in advance, and/or published in the local newspaper of record for some similar period of time. The notice should say something like
PUBLIC NOTICE. All members of the Militia of <county> County, being all the residents thereof, are hereby called up to muster on <date> at <time>, at <place>, for the purpose of organizing and training, in accordance with Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution [and any relevant provisions of the state constitution]. For information contact <phone>.
In all your public pronouncements, never, ever, use the term "militia" to refer to anything less than the entire population of residents of the county, state, precinct, or other distinct geographic jurisdiction. Do not use it to refer to the persons who respond to the call-up. Each muster is a distinct event, the first order of business of which is to adopt By-Laws and elect officers, who serve until the muster ends. The only organs which can exist from one muster to another are things like safety and correspondence committees. They are not the militia, either, nor do they represent it in any way. They only act to facilitate subsequent call-ups.
Before each call-up, you should give your local sheriff or constable the opportunity to issue the call-up, and do so without him only after he declines to do so, or fails to respond within a reasonable time.
I know all these things seem like a hassle, but it is the observation of such formalities that will put you on firm legal ground should you be attacked legally. If you don't appreciate their importance now, you may learn it the hard way.
Get control of the hotheads among you. Don't let anyone be provoked into violence. They will try to get you to react. Don't let them. Even if it means taking some hits. Bear witness, preserve the evidence, and get it to the media. Right now a few martyrs will do the movement more good than some victories will. I know that sounds harsh, but until we win over the people to our side, we want to be seen as the victims, not the aggressors.
Finally, it is extremely important now to reach out to the general community for their support. Get our story out before our adversaries can get theirs out. Look like respectable businessmen. Emphasize our primary purpose: to enforce the law, especially the Constitution, and that means to expose criminal wrongdoing in government and abuses of power. Forget all the rhetoric about foreign troops, New World Order, and all the rest of the stuff that sounds bizarre to ordinary Americans. Stick to the basics, and hammer it over and over: Corruption and Abuse. Corruption and Abuse. Corruption and Abuse. So that if any action is taken against us, it will be seen as proof of the righteousness of our cause, and the people, the police, and the military will come over to our side.
Jon Roland, Founder
