Do you believe state militia should exist?

I think some of your comparisons are flawed. It was the Continental Army with the French that defeated the British. The militias were very undisciplined and unreliable. The Warsaw uprising failed to do anything and was suppressed by the Nazis. While the militias caused casualties in both, in the end they did not accomplish anything. When you look at Afghanistan or Iraq, we went into foreign countries with different cultures and different languages. We have also been bound by the law of land warfare. Those would not apply for a tyrannical government here. I do hope I never see the day that this happens.

COL Jon Thompson The continental army would never have been raised but for the militias of New Hampshire and Massachusetts 19 April 1775, nor would it have been equipped but through the stockpiles of those militias and the protection they enacted of it. The French would never have committed had not the militias offered the time space and equipment for the Continental Army to prove the dedication and capability to win. Sure, the Warsaw Ghetto was crushed, so was every other ghetto, but one of them attriteted the enemy. Incremental gains. Sure, we were hampered by operating outside our own culture, but the insurgents opposing us were operating against another culture (and one with vastly improved technological understanding) imagine a more even match between insurgent and occupier in both cultural and technological understanding.

As to hope against Tyranny, we share that hope, but I think its important to keep a check on the ambitions of would be tyrants with the threats of undisciplined and unreliable opposition that can delay and attrite while more disciplined and able forces are prepared and maneuvered to defeat the tyranny.

Capt Richard I P. First off I apologize for the inadvertent down vote. I corrected it immediately. Secondly, I wholeheartedly agree with your posts. Well said, Sir. We are at the end of the lifespan of a democracy and those militias will be needed as we descend into a dictatorship. They'll be more effective than people think. They'll know the land, have the support of large numbers of the populace and will have the greatest motivation known to man, they'll be fighting for family and kin.

CPO Joseph Grant Thanks for your kind words, I surely hope we have some remaining decades on this democratic republic's lifecycle. I think one of the main utilities in the militia is in their very existence and potential as a check on the ambitions of would-be tyrants. Maybe people who would seek total control will settle for milking the tax code or the rotating door of politics to lobbying some and living fabulously wealthy on ill gotten gains, or adding some velvet bars to the margins rather than turning truly repressive.

COL Charles Williams The State Guard is part of the NJ Dept of Military and Veterans Affairs authorized in the state constitution. The Commander is a Rear Admiral supervised by the state Adjutant General. The Rear AdmItaly plays position has been vacant for some time.

COL Jon Thompson the 1st and second battalions are authorized to be armed (but never were) the law enforcement duties would occur only if deputized in time of civil unrest.

LTC Bink Romanick - Hooah. Thank you. I had no idea.

Not so.

SFC Mark Merino
The Texas State Guard is a state-recognized militia force, though I believe that it is different than the Texas Militia:

http://texasmilitia.info/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_State_Guard

PO1 John Miller - Yes, you are correct in your belief. The Texas State Guard is exists under the authority and control of the Adjutant General of the Texas National Guard and Governor of Texas. The Texas State Militia does not have any ties to the state - in fact, it seems just the opposite.

CSM (Join to see)
Here in AZ we are authorized a State Guard but it has not actually been created. It is not to be confused by the various groups calling themselves names such as Arizona State Militia, Arizona Militia, etc. who in my opinion are a bunch of yahoos who want to position themselves at the Mexican/US border to take shots at any illegals trying to cross into the US.

Hahah yes the regulated militias and the SDFs are completely different. Many SDFs are considered attachments to their states NG and train/work alongside them