'Unorganized' militia not needed, wanted

Boundary County has undergone the experience of having an unneeded and unwanted “infestation” in the form of a militia unit in their midst. Now, that unit seeks to expand its “arena” into Bonner County by forming a unit here in our midst. My inquiries of other militia units, in Idaho and other states, has produced results that show the unit in Bonners Ferry has been “sanctioned” and disassociated from all other such groups for failing to have its “questionable” activities and practices placed under review.

These militia units “claim” they have the support of local and state authorities. Evidence inhand proves that this is not the case. A letter from the governor’s office shows that militia units, especially unorganized units, are not recognized nor accepted by the governor’s office has having any validity or “standing.” In the “real” world, a group of Girl Scouts has infinitely more validity than these militia units.

While the Constitution of the state of Idaho, as well as those of other states, allows for the establishment of a state “organized” militia, this has since been superseded by the establishment of the Idaho National Guard. The actual status of these “unorganized” militia units is that of being nothing more than “weekend warriors,” who seem to have nothing better to do with their time. Their paltry “numbers” hardly make them any kind of formidable force in the real world and the question that has been posed to them is “against” what enemies are they supposedly going to protect us from? It can’t be “foreign” enemies since the only foreign countries that border the U.S. are Mexico and Canada and last I heard they were “friends.” So, these units “train” to be paramilitary units capable of providing training and support to local “civilians” in the event of “what?” — they can’t say. Actually, what they are getting into is the arena of training for possible acts of “sedition” against a government that they may deem “hostile,” or some such.

These militia units say that “if” there is no need for them and they are not wanted, they’ll disband. The units in the Idaho panhandle are not “needed” nor or they “wanted,” but they have yet to accept that and simply go away!

So, the question is simple — are the citizens of the Idaho panhandle the “masters of their own fates” or are their fates to be dictated by an insignificant small group of individuals involved in some type of ego-centric “power trip?”

DR. JOHN IVY

Sandpoint