#OregonUnderAttack: Anti-Government ‘Patriot’ Groups Are Not Militias. Period.
It seems the Bundy clan and their ‘patriot’ buddies are at it again. This time, they are up in Oregon and have taken over a wildlife refuge in the defense of two fellow ‘patriots’ who are supposed to start serving prison sentences for arson this week. Of course, since these ‘patriots’ don’t believe that the federal government has any power over them, or anyone else, they have come to the defense of their brethren.
Much as they did on their own ranch when their father refused to pay his grazing fees to the government, which every other rancher would freely admit are due, they are calling for other ardent ‘patriots’ to come to their call and protect these criminals against the evil ‘guvment.’ Maybe they are hoping that conservatives will again hype them as they did before their father’s racist remark about slavery took away the limelight.
The thing is, the people who claim to be ‘patriots’ are completely missing the point of that name. They love to refer to themselves as militiamen and hearken back to the supposed glorious past of the revolutionary war period where militias played a part in the founding of the nation. Here’s a little bit of history for the idiots who think militias were that important. Militias were routinely crushed by the regular army and ran from most fights after they fired the first volley from their rifles unless they were under the control of the Colonial army.
I am not saying that militias weren’t important, because they were, but they were unruly and undisciplined unless under the command of the armed forces. That is something that the modern day ‘patriot’ groups will refuse to do. They recognize no authority except their own. Unless they are willing to place themselves under the authority of the State or Federal government in defense of the country, they cannot call themselves militias. That was the whole purpose of the ‘well regulated’ part of the first clause of the Second Amendment of the Constitution, which these people never ever quote when they talk about it.
This brings me to the second point I want to bring up – how the media portrays these people. I have already stated that right-wing media loves these guys unless they make a statement that will cause too much backlash for the media outlet itself. They actually promote them as heroes and patriots who are fighting for their rights. However, if these men were of any other race, were brandishing weapons, and taking over government facilities, I am dead certain that the tune would change.
I can just imagine how the non-violent patriots who are fighting for their rights would then be classified as violent thugs intent upon destroying the American way of life. I hate to boil it all down to a racial thing like that, because I don’t think it is just race. A lot of it certainly is. Some of it is just the built in structural racism and media bias of old, while some of this pandering to the ‘patriot’ groups is some wanting to go back to what they believe are better days.
It is all delusional, of course. If you want better days, you don’t go backward, you make them now by going forward. Anyone who thinks the days of slavery, smallpox, and no electricity or indoor plumbing is better than today is foolish. We certainly have our problems, but we don’t reminisce in the past to solve them. Put your nose to the grindstone and work with others to answer these problems. That way we make a much better future for ourselves and our children.
Image via KOIN
