http://www.politico.eu/article/lithu...-soviet-union/
An interesting view of a country where a civilian supplement to the armed forces may be needed to face real peril. Fun notes - Glock 17s, freeing up purchases of semiauto rifles, using your Glock to fight to your rifle.
Part of the mix is the fear than such groups might be right wing evil doers.
Parallels to the USA?
I'm pretty lukewarm on a lot of the domestic militia stuff, but this article is fantastic and perhaps I need to reassess and meditate a little on my beliefs.
Great quote.“People have to contribute to their own safety,” he said. National security “is not just a function of the state.” Referencing the Soviet takeover of Lithuania in 1940, when the country’s military laid down arms, he said, “sometimes the state gives up, but that doesn’t mean society gives up.”
I like the idea of the Lithuanian Riflemen. I'd take a LOT of comfort in outfits like that if I were within range of Mother Russia's rotary-wing aircraft.Originally Posted by Glenn E. Meyer
Once upon a time there were parallel organizations in the US. The NRA, the Boy Scouts of America, The Director of Civilian Marksmanship. But they've been diverted from their original mission(s) of military preparedness.
Okie John
“The reliability of the 30-06 on most of the world’s non-dangerous game is so well established as to be beyond intelligent dispute.” Finn Aagaard
"Don't fuck with it" seems to prevent the vast majority of reported issues." BehindBlueI's
Amen.
Texas State Guard
The mission of the Texas State Guard (TXSG) is to provide mission-ready military forces to assist state and local authorities in times of state emergencies; to conduct homeland security and community service activities under the umbrella of Defense Support to Civil Authorities; and to augment the Texas Army National Guard and Texas Air National Guard as required.
"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." - Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Constitution, Draft 1, 1776
Interesting stuff. Related article on NPR here.
When the EU started talking about further clamping down the already barely existent permission for the people to keep and bear arms after the Paris attacks, Czechoslovakia and Finland objected, due to their reliance on civilian arms for national readiness. Is it a coincidence that both those countries produce some darn sweet civilian arms?
It is nice to see the Europeans rediscover the wisdom of "Si vis pacem, para bellum". W.r.t. parallels to the USA, no and yes.
If you draw a line between Moscow and its Baltic fleet in Kaliningrad, the line runs through Lithuania. For Russia to get to Kaliningrad by land it must go through Lithuania or Poland, both NATO members. There are also ethnic Russians still in Lithuania, who might claim their rights are being violated. Either situation could be used by Russia to justify compromising Lithuanian sovereignty. The US is not in the same situation.
However instead of informing the reader of basic geography and demographics the article spends a lot of time insinuating that the militia could be a bunch of xenophobic fascists without a shred of evidence. The article seems to be directed at people who need their preexisting assumptions and prejudices confirmed. The kind of person that thinks Politico is a serious news organization. That is sadly typical of large parts of the US.
To paraphrase the reporter: “I’m not saying these folks are a bunch of right wing extremists, but I’m not saying they are not a bunch of right wing extremists either”. The important thing is, whenever you hear words like “patriotism, freedom, and guns” strung together, you should immediately think: “neo Nazi”. Love of country might be ok, but if people take it to seriously then it is “Nationalism”, which is icky and frightening. Ring the bell, and the dog begins to salivate.
This is almost a text book case of that type of reporting. It almost tips into sly parody with the choice of experts though. One from the “Wilson Center”, and the other from the “the Brussels-based Global Governance Institute”. That bit was most amusing.
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