“Now there will, of course, be exceptions for registering equipment used by properly trained law enforcement agencies that are under Federal or UN control.”
Looking back up from his notebook, he recited with finality, “‘Any firearm not meeting the new criteria and all other contraband listed herein must be turned in within the ten-day amnesty period after the UN Regional Administrator or sub-administrator, or their delegates arrive on site. Alternatively, if Federal or UN troops arrive within any state to pacify it, a thirty-day amnesty period will begin the day the first forces cross the state boundary. All other post-1898 production firearms of any description, air rifles, archery equipment, and edged weapons over six inches long must be registered during the same period. Anyone found with an unregistered weapon, or any weapon, accessory, or ammunition that has been declared contraband after the amnesty period ends will be summarily executed.’ This may sound severe, but keep in mind that the new law was enacted to ensure public safety.”
In the middle of the crowd, Dan Fong yelled, “Public safety my ass!Your so-called ‘contraband’ has saved my life several times in the past three years. Furthermore, do you think that looters are going to abide by your gun registration scheme? Only responsible and peaceable citizens would abide by it, and they are precisely the people who don’t require any control, because they police themselves. You’re nothing but a damnable fascist tyrant, that’s what you are!”
Holding his rifle above his head, he shouted, “You’ll get my gun when you pry it out of my cold dead hands!”With that, the crowd burst into continuous loud applause and cheering.
In the midst of the tumult, Todd Gray worked his way through the crowd, and bounded up to the top step to stand in front of Clarke. When the cheering finally started to die down, Todd announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Todd Gray. Most of you have met me. I started the Northwest Militia. Most of you here have no doubt heard of us, and the Troy Templar organization. We are two local groups, composed of sovereign Idaho Citizens, that have been working together to restore a local Constitutionally-based government.”
Todd turned 90 degrees so that he could see Clarke’s face, and continued. “From what you have told us today, Mister Clarke, I don’t think that there is much that your provisional government has to offer us that we cannot provide for ourselves. Restoring industry, utilities, transportation, and communications are indeed worthy goals. However, if doing so means surrendering our personal freedom, then our answer is an emphatic no. In fact, I find your concepts of ‘necessity,’ ‘public safety,’ and ‘the public good’ are completely out of line. And I believe that I speak for the vast majority of the Idaho and Washington Citizens assembled here.”
Throughout the crowd there were cries of “Hear hear!” and “You tell ’em, Todd.”
Todd looked directly at Clarke and commanded, “Without further ado, I’d like to invite you gentlemen to immediately get in your airplane and go find yourselves somebody more naive to swallow your globalist horse manure.” As Todd spoke, Clarke stood stammering, and his already pink face turned noticeably red.
Before Clarke could reply, Gray went on. “Don’t bother sending out your so-called ‘Regional Administrator.’ Whoever it is will either be sent packing or end up the recipient of a tall tree and a short rope.” There were more cheers and applause.
Clarke looked at Gray and boomed, “I’m warning you! We represent the legitimate government of the United States and United Nations. You cannot defy us. To do so would be treasonous and seditious, and would be dealt with accordingly.”
Gray lowered his right hand to rest on the butt of his .45. He cocked his head slightly to the side and shouted, “You do not represent anything legitimate, Mister Clarke. You represent a totalitarian globalist oligarchy instituted without the benefit of any semblance of democratic process, or incorporating a republican form of government.” More shouts of agreement came from throughout the audience. Todd again looked Clarke directly in the eye and said, “You have ten seconds to get on that aircraft, and head back to Maynard-land.”
Clarke stood his ground for a moment. Then, seeing his pilot make a dash for the plane, he followed close behind. Behind him, the crowd was taunting and jeering. From the door of the plane with the sound of the turbine engines winding up in the background, Clarke shook his fist and shouted in Todd’s direction, “We’ll be back!”
The crowd moved backward as the plane’s propellers began to spin. Within seconds, the C-12 began its roll. Obviously in a hurry, the pilot did not bother taxiing the distance to the runway. He took off directly from the narrow taxi strip and turned to head southeast.
Still standing on the porch of the terminal with his hands on his hips, Todd watched the plane’s progress until it was a dot on the horizon, and then disappeared. His hand still resting on the butt of his pistol, he muttered to himself, “Come back if you dare. And when you do, you’d better bring a lot of ammo, plenty of extra grub, and a good supply of body bags, because you’re going to be in for a deuce of a gunfight.”
In the months that followed the “visit” by the Provisional Federal government, a number of militias began to form spontaneously throughout the Palouse Hills region. The motivation was news of the Federals’ ruthless and often bloody consolidation of power. Numerous stories of Federal atrocities were passed across shortwave and CB radio relay networks. If even half of them were true, it was clear that the Federals and their UN “partners for peace” were unmitigated tyrants.
Most of the new militias in the inland Northwest region were small, from two-man cells to squad size. A few were near company strength. Their organization, structure, logistics, training, and even their terminology varied greatly.
Some had geographical names like the Moscow Maquis, the Weippe Wolverines, the Helmer Heilanders, and the Bovill Blue Blaze Irregulars. Others were named in memoriam, such as the Gordon Kahl Company, the 9/11 Company, and the Samuel Weaver Company. Many of the new militias were all male, some were mixed, and one—that started with a squad of former University of Idaho Sigma Epsilon sorority sisters—was all female.
As the best-known tactical organization in the area, the Northwest Militia was approached for advice by many of the leaders of these fledgling militias.
They sought technical expertise and training on a variety of topics, and Todd and his militia did their utmost to comply. A few large-scale training exercises were held. Some of the group’s excess logistics—mainly shelter half-tents and extra sets of web gear—were distributed on “long-term loan” to militias that had none.
The decision to again “give until it hurts” was based on the likely prospect of fighting a war of resistance in the near future. Unlike the resistance organizations that were formed in Europe during the Second World War, there would be no outside sources of finance or supply. Everything for the militias had to be provided from local resources. Todd reasoned that since he and his friends had been so richly blessed, it was their responsibility to help out as many others as possible in anticipation of an armed struggle that looked inevitable.
A few of the new militias asked to be directly incorporated into the Northwest Militia. In every instance, they were turned down. Todd was of the firm opinion that large militias would only make themselves lucrative targets. He advised all of the militia leaders to keep their organizations small—preferably three to twelve members. If they recruited any new members that brought them up over the twelve-man threshold, they should divide into separate and independent units.