San Antonio, Texas, November 10, 1994 -- Bill Utterback, Coordinator for units of the Southern Region of the Texas Constitutional Militia and project coordinator for the Alamo Rally today announced that the first statewide militia muster to be held in Texas since 1836, at noon on Saturday, November 12, 1994, will focus some of the anger shown by voters in the November 8 election. Volunteers from Texas Constitutional Militia units across the state will muster at a patriot rally open to all American patriots, and will read a Statement of Grievances and Demands for Redress that will summarize many of the concerns that anger citizens today.
"Most people aren't sure what it is that they are angry about," said Jon Roland, one of the organizers of the event, "but those who are making the effort to find the cause are discovering what it is -- increasing control of the government and the economy by a Ruling Elite that is operating above the law and subverting the Constitution. They are pulling the strings of public officials and concentrating more and more power into the hands of a few. Organized crime is running the country, and turning government into a criminal enterprise that is becoming increasingly abusive of people's rights and increasingly threatened by the likelihood that the people will wake up and revolt. That is the reason they have been trying to disarm us."
"People are indeed concerned about crime," added Roland, "but they are less concerned about street crime than about official and corporate crime. They accurately perceive that corruption is by far the greater threat, both to their standard of living and to their lives."
"The costs of corruption and abuse," said Roland, "are comparable to what we pay in taxes. The productive members of society are supporting a vast population of parasites who add no value to the economy, but who only use their power to steal from us. They are squeezing the middle class out of existence. If this continues, America will become just another third-world country, with a few rich and a mass of restive poor. The American ideal of a universal middle class will be defeated."
"The Elite has tried to secure their power by buying off the people with government benefits, which function as a kind of narcotic, making people dependent on getting money that comes from their own taxes. This can't go on. We are approaching a crisis, and the Elite are scared. They have every reason to be."
"The Framers of the Constitution envisioned the continuation of the Militia Tradition, with independent local militia units functioning to keep government honest by using universal military organization and training as a way to maintain a high level of civic awareness and involvement, as well as the capability to enforce compliance with the Constitution when officials seek to evade its restrictions. We are reviving that tradition," concluded Roland.
Under the slogan, 'In 1836 a messenger rode from the Alamo for help -- in 1994 a messenger rode to the Alamo for help', there will be a five day Freedom Ride from Cuero, Texas to San Antonio, Texas by a messenger bringing the Statement of Grievances. That messenger will be John Hamilton, Commander of the De Witt County Volunteers unit of the Texas Constitutional Militia.
"The militia will carry no weapons at this muster", said Utterback, "to emphasize that we believe our goal can be met without a shot being fired. The option of the militia engaging in defensive combat would be a last resort action in response to criminal and/or unconstitutional aggression by enemies of the Constitution".
Speakers will include Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America and Larry Dodge of the Fully Informed Jury Association. Also speaking will be Don Loucks, local activist, Tinker Spain of the Committee to Repeal War and Emergency Rule, and Alex De Pena, San Antonio political activist.
Except for a few public officials, the militia of Texas is composed of the adult Texans who are not serving in United States military forces, which includes the National Guard. Units of the Texas Constitutional Militia (T.C.M.) are Texans who have chosen to become active in the militia. Volunteers of the T.C.M. absolutely support and defend both the Texas and United States Constitutions and will take an oath to that effect at the Alamo. Divided presently into a Northern and Southern Region, the T.C.M. is organized by counties with each county unit operating under the authority of the people of that county.
The right of the people of Texas to form a militia is a natural and common law right, protected by Article I, Section 8, and the First and Second Amendments of the United States Constitution and by Article 1, Sections 23 and 27 of the Texas Constitution. In the original version of the current Texas Constitution, adopted in 1876, the people of Texas had delegated to the Texas Legislature the authority to organize and discipline the Militia, but in 1969 the people of Texas took back this delegated authority by repealing Article 16, Section 46 of the Texas Constitution. In Texas, the authority to form a militia is once again held by the people without the Texas Legislature being involved.