Q. What is the Indiana Militia Corps?
A1. The Indiana Militia Corps is a group of law-abiding citizens who have formed a benevolent association for the purpose of defending the Constitutions of the United States and the Indiana state against all enemies, both foreign and domestic, and to help provide security and support services for local and other governmental authorities and for the citizens and inhabitants of Indiana, and the United States in time of natural disaster or emergency.
A2. It was best defined by George Mason, one of the Framers of the US Constitution, who said, "Who are the Militia? They consist now of the whole people, except for a few public officers."
A3. Militia (n) - 1. A military force esp. the body of soldiers in the service of a state; in later use employed in more restricted sense to denote a "citizen army" as distinguished from a body of mercenaries or professional soldiers. 2. (U.S.) "The whole body of men declared by law amendable to military service, without enlistment, whether armed and drilled or not." 3. The body of citizens in a state, enrolled for discipline as a military force, but not engaged in actual service except in emergencies, as distinguished from regular troops, or a standing army (State v. Dawson, 272 N.C. 535, 159 S.E.2d 1, 9).
Q. What is the statutory authority of the Militia?
A. According to the US Constitution "A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The Indiana Constitution, Article 1, Section 32 states: "The people shall have a right to bear arms, for the defense of themselves and the State."
Additionally, UNITED STATES CODE Title 10, (Subtitle A, Pt I, Chapter 13,) Section 311: Militia: composition and classes) states: "The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age" and "The classes of the militia are the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia. The Indiana Militia Corps falls under this latter category.
INDIANA CODE IC 10-2-3-1 Sec. 1 read as follows: "Pursuant to Article 12, Section 1 of the Constitution of Indiana, The militia shall consist of all able-bodied persons... and said militia shall be divided into two (2) classes. First, Sedentary; Second, National Guard. The Sedentary militia shall consist of all persons subject to bear arms under the constitution of the State of Indiana who do not belong to the active militia.
Note: after 9/11, Governor Mitch Daniels and the freshly elected Republican majority ABOLISHED the statutory references to the Militia and Title 10 now reads as "Homeland Security". We understand that this was a blatant attempt to deprive us of our citation as a de jure body, but the militia existed before either the United States or Indiana were either organized or incorporated. Our Natural Status cannot be abolished by Gubernatorial decree, resolution of the General Assembly, or any decrees of the courts pretending to legislation. We're Indiana's Original homeland security!
Q. Does this mean that citizen militia groups are legal?
A. Absolutely! Their existence is based in the ancient Common Law.
Q. Why do we need the militia?
A. A well regulated Militia is necessary to the security of a free State... and the freedom of its people. The only sure way to prevent tyranny in government is to have a well armed society. The Founding Fathers sought to establish the militia as a safeguard against oppressive government and organized crime. Police-state governments fear an armed population; That is why there are many individuals within our government who wish to abolish our God-given right to self defense. Without our arms, the people have no power, and are as slaves.
The Militia is only mobilized as needed. Its advantage lies in the fact that it is dramatically less expensive (in terms of money, manpower, and opportunity) for the public. The obvious benefit of any militia is in providing defense from foreign armed forces and from terrorists. In recent years militias have become available for civil support roles in post-disaster situations. On the other hand, a standing army may harm a society by engaging in counter-productive (or merely unsuccessful) warfare, or more significantly, by domestic repression or coup d'etat of the civil authority.
A most dramatic, obscene, and telling reason for the need of citizen militias in our modern society is the debacle of Oklahoma Army National Guard units who were ordered - and carried out - the forcible disarmament of law-abiding citizens in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Such actions 230 years ago precipitated the beginning of America's war for independence, and could most certainly cause a repeat of history, if our soldiers don't educate themselves on their American and military history. The 20th century is replete with examples where governments committed atrocities after disarming their citizens, and although it is presumed unlikely in America, it can happen, and for that reason alone, if no other, citizens must remain armed and organized in their local militia units.
Q. Who belongs to the (unorganized) militia?
A. According to the common law and the Constitution, the unorganized militia of the state shall include all able bodied citizens and residents more than 17 years of age and not more than 65 and other persons upon their own application. Active members of our armed forces and National Guard are part of the organized militia and are not counted as part of the unorganized militia until they are discharged from federal duty. Excluded from militia duty are certain public officials (politicians), the mentally disabled, and criminals (some people fit all three).
Q. Is membership in the Militia Unit restricted by a person's sex, race, or religion?
A. Membership in the Indiana Militia Corps is based on the individual's desire to uphold the United States and State Constitutions. We do not discriminate based upon race, sex, or religious denomination. Members are required to display sound judgment and adhere to the highest moral and ethical standards as exemplified by our Founding Fathers.
We do restrict membership from openly homosexual activists; also communists, humanists, racists, globalists and others who may be inherently anti-God and anti-freedom. Although we have different purposes and reasons for each of these in policy, they are not for the purpose of wanton discrimination. Just as the Boy Scouts reserve the right as a private organization to disallow atheists, and as the Armed Forces disallow homosexuals on the grounds of military discipline, the militia SOP is crafted to serve the operational requirements of the organization in a manner that will best accomplish our mission.
Q. What is the mission of the Indiana Militia Corps?
A. As stated above, it is the mission of the Indiana Militia to safeguard against tyranny and educate the public of their Constitutional duties and heritage of Liberty. It is also our mission to provide training and organization to make today's Minutemen more proficient in the skills needed to defend our Constitution, our families, and our Nation.
Q. How many members do you have?
A. That is for us to know and for everyone else to guess at, and probably more than you would imagine.
Q. Is there a way for me to join the militia anonymously?
A. No. We do not have secret "cells" or leaderless reisistance groups. Everyone is held accountable through an open chain of command. This discourages "rogue elements" from acting under the name and authority of the larger organization. All members must be open and honest with their fellow Minutemen in order to build trust and teamwork.
We understand that patriots are deeply concerned about the loss of privacy and do not want to unnecessarily jeopardize their families while resisting tyranny, but all Americans are already being subjected without their knowledge to the most abusive violations of their Rights to privacy. It should be noted though, that no paramilitary police unit has ever mounted a direct assault on the militia with the intention or object of killing its members and family relatives. The fate of Randy Weaver and the Branch Davidians has not replayed itself over and over because the militia stands in the open, shoulder to shoulder, for all to see.
Logically, if the alphabet-soup agencies are already snooping through the most intimate details of your life... making notes on your habits, behavior, and private religious or political views, then why hide from fellow patriots? Together we can defend one another --- alone we're nothing but easy targets.
Q. Do I have to own or use a firearm?
A. Members do not have to use a firearm, although one of the missions of the Militia Unit is to promote the understanding of individual Constitutional rights, including the right to keep and bear arms, and its importance in the protection of Constitutionally guaranteed rights. We require members to be able to obtain an Indiana handgun carry permit, even if one does not own a handgun. For those who do not have a carry card or who are physically restricted by reason of health, medical condition or age, we've created an auxiliary organization to allow others to indirectly participate. If you or someone you know would like to help us in that regard, contact 5Bde HQ for more information.
Q. Can I attend meetings before I join?
A. We strongly encourage applicants to attend our meetings; these are open to the public. They may consist of a special speaker, classroom training, a video viewing, or discussing current issues that affect you and your family. We encourage nonmembers to attend and get acquainted with your area militia. We also have periodic business meetings for leaders, members and specially invited guests.
Q. Is the militia part of the KKK or neo-nazis? That's all I hear the media say.
A. We get asked this one often, And the answer is NO!! NO!! NO!! Just the opposite!! We embrace the "E Pluribus Unum" diversity of our nation, but we have always held the belief that these deliberate lies about us are circulated by those in the media and the government who stand to benefit by keeping the population divided against one another. Division is the goal of "political correctness" and multiculturalism. Each of these liberal ideologies seeks to separate "We the People" so that we may not stand united against our real and common enemies. We are Americans regardless of our ethnic backgrounds... that is our unifying factor. For a further explanation of our position on this issue, click here.
Q. Can someone join the Indiana Militia even if they have racial views?
A. We do not want, nor allow anyone to join, who: misrepresents themselves on their application; who has been or presently is a member of, or associated with any racist group; or any subversive association that espouses the violent overthrow of these united States or the Constitution; including but not limited to communist or socialist front groups, New Black Panthers, Aryan Nations, Ku Klux Klan, Communist Party USA or the United Nations Association of America. These ideologies run counter to the core beliefs we hold as sacrosanct.
Q. Is the Indiana Militia Corps "anti-government"?
A. Absolutely not! We do not seek to overthrow, nor do we advocate the overthrow of our Constitutionally guaranteed Republican form of government. The term "anti-government" is just another one of the buzz words that the leftist controlled media uses to cast a dim light on the Militia and scare good Americans away. We are Anti-Socialist / Anti-Communist / Anti-Globalist. The patriot movement is not a bunch of whacko extremists trying to overthrow the government, we are freedom-lovers trying to keep rogues in the government from overthrowing the Constitution!
Ask yourself: In a Republic, who is the government? It's We the People... you and me. Therefore, we cannot be anti-government. Nonetheless, we will vigorously and actively resist the collectivization of our society and the subversion of our de jure form of government under the Constitution.
Q. Does the militia "pick and choose what parts of the Constitution they like and don't like", as some say?
A. We embrace the whole Constitution and Bill of Rights, unlike the socialist elites who infect our institutions of higher learning and government with blatant disregard for our Constitution, and who routinely ignore the amendments contained in the Bill of Rights. Unlike many current officeholders that claim that the Constitution is whatever they say it is, we apply a strict construction rather than liberal interpretations.
As for the remaining 16 amendments, there is a great deal of suspicion as to the nature of some of these amendments (common law vs equity). Are they lawful, how many were ratified correctly, do they create a federal constitution in opposition to the original Articles?
For further studies a good place to begin is with the article by the Utah Supreme Court on the 14th Amendment; 439 Pacific Reporter 2d Series, pgs. 266-276 , and Senate Document 240. The case of Dyett v. Turner, 439 P.2d 266, 270 (1968), was decided by the Utah Supreme Court.
Numerous amendments since this time period unlawfully reserve constitution-altering powers to Congress contained in the phrase "The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation", further giving suspicion to the historical view that the Constitutional Republic of the united States was overthrown since the 13th amendment.
We recommend the study of these issues and encourage people to come to their own conclusions based on all the facts.
Q. What can I expect to learn?
A. We want to make information and training available to members in subjects such as: Constitutional issues, Natural Rights, survival skills and disaster response preparedness, personal and family preparedness, land navigation, communications, firearms safety and operations, various military skills, etc. We want to provide information that will enable you to better understand what is happening in the world and be able to plan and prepare for the future for yourself and your family.
Q. Can members of the National Guard join the Militia?
A. Members of the National Guard are already part of the militia, although there are two parts of the militia according to statute. The first part is the organized militia; better known as the (State) National Guard - everyone who is not in the organized militia is in the unorganized militia. Constructively, the organized militia is a subset of the unorganized militia from which it draws its members.
Typically people who ask us this question want to know if they can join IMC (an association of 'members of the unorganized militia') while completing their obligation to the National Guard. Logically, one cannot be excluded from the superset while being part of the subset (our apologies for the necessary use of mathematic jargon). Our answer is: yes, we want you. However, we do not want your involvement in IMC to interfere with your lawful duties to the organized state militia. We recognize that the best way to avoid this is for national guard members to refrain from discussion or activity that would compromise their status or their duty. Dozens upon dozens of citizen-militia members have already served in their state-militia capacities without conflict of interest or hindrance to their duties. If you are one of those intrepid souls who wish to perform double duty in service to their fellow citizens, we would be proud to count you among our number.
Q. What sort of info do you need from me to join and what do you do with it?
A. The information that you submit on the application form is voluntary and we keep it confidential. We typically need your basic contact info; Name, address, phone number(s), email address, for getting a hold of you when we need to. Information such as birth date facilitates doing our own background checks on all prospective members to insure that people convicted of violent crimes cannot infiltrate us. We do this for everyone's safety - it would not serve the militia to allow troublemakers and criminals any access.
Information on prior military service, prior education, and employment allows us to appropriately assign you to a position worthy of your skills where you can accomplish the most for the militia.
Finally, we keep your voluntarily submitted information safe by maintaining appropriate physical and electronic information security mesures. Your printed application and any digital information is kept under lock & key or in a safe/vault in accordance with our SOP's relating to information security.
