Largely due to information solicited from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), there are a number of inaccurate and misleading statements presented in your article. Beginning with the headline:
“Militia Activist Group Tactical Civics meets in Jefferson City”
Not only is this statement provably false, but as such, the reader is set up to believe subsequent inaccuracies contained within the article. This creates an overall negative perception – going back, in the memories of most, to the early demonization of “militia” in the wake of the events at Ruby Ridge, Idaho (Aug. 1992), and mere moths later in Waco, Texas (concluding on April 19 – Patriot’s Day, 1993). Those events triggered a predictable and somewhat incendiary response among many presumably-free people alarmed by what took place.
But before getting into the substance of this rebuttal, let me point something out: Nothing in the U.S. Constitution – or the Montana Constitution – should be a cause for concern or fear among the People. Those documents are readily-available, easy to read, understand, and should be read by everyone – as they form the bedrock of what every Citizen should know (Civics) and what needs to be restored.
The membership of Tactical Civics is teaching Americans “remedial civics.” To do this, there is a modest library of books on a variety of Civics-related topics being used – including one on Constitutional Militia. That particular book is titled: “Time To Start Over, America-Introducing American Militia 2.0: Restoring Our Founding Fathers’ Law Enforcement, Riot and Border Control, and Social Glue” – written by Tactical Civics founder David Zuniga. To begin understanding that ambitious-sounding subtitle, one needs to read Art.1, Sec.8, and in particular, cl.15 of the U.S. Constitution – which states: [Congress shall have Power…] To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel invasions.” (Emphasis added). Clause 16 then elaborates on that.
Zuniga writes: “Let me be clear: Tactical Civics is not Militia and never will be. We are the action mission of AmericaAgain! Trust, a member organization to teach, support, and organize America’s repentant remnant to finally start enforcing the Constitution, and to do it for the rest of American history. Our mission goes far beyond just restoring Militia.”
And this restoration work is no small effort. There are deeply-entrenched and intentionally-falsified ideas to get past. For example, Zuniga explains: “Unorganized militia is an oxymoron coined in 1903 by congress when it created a ‘national guard’ that we did not authorize it to create. That crime led to private armed groups forming a growing, angry ‘militia movement.’ Some are sane and honorable, others resemble biker gangs. But all of them that we’ve approached over the years refuse to become recognized, legitimate county Militia, supporting Grand Juries.”
Grand Juries?? That’s right. In fact and in law, the fundamental purpose of Militia, in peaceful times, is to serve as an independent adjunct to the PEOPLES’ Grand Jury (the history of these primordial institutions dates back over 1,000 years). In order to “execute the laws” in their respective county and state jurisdictions on an ongoing basis, there is legal due process. Once a complaint is made to the Grand Jury (a Presentment, in law) the work of investigation begins. Evidence must be gathered, witnesses discovered and interviewed, summons’ and subpoenas served, etc. And, if an indictment is handed down by the panel, and an arrest must be made, the sheriff or local police may be unwilling to do so if the case is “politically-sensitive.” In that case, the warrant would be served and the arrest made by local Militia. That body is the teeth of the Grand Jury just like the sheriff or the police are the teeth of the prosecutor’s office.
Even though there is a widespread and growing awareness that “the Constitution just needs to be enforced,” the idea that the responsibility for enforcement lies solely with the People takes time to be digested and understood. With so few as yet understanding that this is the intended operation of organic American Common Law – and so foreign to everything we’ve all been taught, some will scoff at all this initially. It is a time of paradigm-shifting and transition. But others, seeing the intrinsic logic – if justice is to be maintained generationally – will soon begin to see the urgent need for this remedial civics material and the wisdom underlying it.
People in every county witness or hear about corruption, if not out-and-out crime in their local government, yet it goes unpunished. Even un-investigated, most often. Meanwhile anger builds. And taxes rise… All because of the “lack of knowledge.” We have not been taught American Civics.
As some know, it was The People in the several states that sent delegates to Philadelphia on their behalf in the Summer of 1787 to establish a “federal” system of government. The result was the U.S. Constitution and stipulations therein – followed by ratification by The People. But each State (formerly a colony) already had its own constitution, in addition to it’s Peoples’ Grand Jury and Militia. And in the U.S. Constitution – Art.1, Sec.8 cl 15, We the People authorized this new federal servant-creature to “call forth” any of these pre-existing Militia bodies for the stated purposes, should the need arise. In other words, Militia, in America, did not come into existence with the writing of the Constitution.
That said, it will probably be new information to some readers that the Montana Constitution allows for (in law, if not in fact) an “official” state Militia since the original 1889 Constitution – which stated that the governor was the Commander-in-Chief. Did you know that? (One must wonder if he knows that). That provision was not only carried over into the current 1972 Montana Constitution, but was clarified with this stipulation: “The militia forces shall consist of all able -bodied citizens of the state except those exempted by law.” See Montana Constitution, Art.VI, Sec.13 (2).
If you didn’t know that, it’s because you haven’t been taught – or taught yourself – Montana Civics. But I’d say that clause alone cuts the legs out from under the 1903 “national guard is now the militia” myth. While providing just one small (but vitally-important) example of the intentional omissions and deception that has been in play for a very long time – aiding and abetting the advocates of centralization in the carrying out of their own plans.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The response submitted to The Monitor from Tactical Civics claims that the headline we used, “Militia Activist Group Tactical Civics meets in Jefferson City”, is provably false. It is, in fact, exactly true. Tactical Civics is not organizing any militia anywhere. They are advocating for them to be formed by county governments. To do so, they have explicit action plans and pre-drafted legislation that are distributed as part of the group’s reading material. They are an activist group, advocating for militias. Hence, we call them militia activists. This is an extremely accurate and fair description of the group.
