Lately it seems like there is an awful lot of discussion about Militias on the gun blogs lately. It seems that many people (myself included) admire and appreciate all of the incarnations of a brave people resisting tyranny and fighting for their beliefs. The call to reincarnate this spirit into a new body of armed patriots is certainly appealing at last from standpoint of nostalgia.

I am not an expert on the modern militia movement, and I am sure that there are some sincere, good hearted, folks associated with the militias. I can not speak to their proportion in comparison to the crazies. I don't believe that all of the militias are racists, or terrorists, or are really doing anything other than kidding themselves.

I would hope that most Americans have a few friends or neighbors that they can count on when the going gets tough. That doesn't require newsletters, uniforms, chains of command, or standardized equipment. The paramilitary decoration on top of this informal arrangement does little to make it any more effective in any practical sense.

I haven't seen anything that indicates any level of operational planning for helping local or neighboring communities in the event of some kind of civil (as opposed to military or government) emergency. There does not seem to be a plan in place for rallying a militia and reporting to local authority to provide assistance.

If the goal is the aid and support of local government agencies in times of emergency, then why not simply join some of the existing, state sponsored volunteer agencies? Search and rescue, the red cross, police auxiliaries and reserves, fire departments, etc. All will take and train volunteers.

From what I have seen from the few militia websites I have visited there is a fixation on uniforms, rank, heraldry, equipment, (and really long manifestos). The better ones have some legitimate state affiliation, the worst ones have direct ties to racial-extremist groups.