The Last Militia. Member Handbook

Transcription

1 Member Handbook

2 Table of Contents History... 3 Present Day... 6 The Cut / Coup Stick... 7 Meetings Organization Tribal Charters...16 State Leadership...18 National Leadership...19 Membership Member Pledge...21 Financial Information...22 Closing Message

3 History The Last Militia was founded in 2009 by Walt Simms and Richard Dame. Tired of seeing the downward spiral of the United States, worried about economic collapse, and man-made or natural disasters, these two men came together to prepare for the worst and to hope for the best. The militia was formed to educate and train, not just themselves, but also friends, families, and neighbors - so that no one need be caught unaware and/or unprepared for any eventuality. They also wanted a place where men are free to be men. In an emasculated America, they wanted a place where men can wear knives and guns. A place where men can speak their mind and a place where men can still be what men were meant to be. They started planning but could not settle on a name that both grabbed attention and showed their connection to the past. Another desire was for a name that showed their desire to be prepared. They began to use the name The First Ohio Battalion, and for a while, it looked as if this would be the final name. Circumstance and chance would change this. On October 1 st of 2011, Walt had a Rite of Passage ceremony for his son Seth s 12 birthday. It was a men-only event and after wood carving, fire starting, archery, and other events the ceremony concluded with a cotton ball being wrapped around an arrow shaft and lit on fire. 3

4 Seth grabbed the flaming ball of fire as a boy, putting it out as a man. It was after this, as all the men in attendance were eating, that Walt posed the questions: What if this is as good as it will ever get? What if we are the last men to care about what we are doing? It was then, after much agreement from the others that Walt turned to Richard and said, Instead of the First Ohio we should be called the Last Ohio, the Last Ohio Militia. Richard agreed, and together they moved ahead with the Last Ohio Militia name. In the weeks that followed they decided on their logo and motto. They decided to use the outline of the state of Ohio with a variation of the American flag over it: the colors of the stripes would be black and grey, to represent our mourning for America s turning away from the Constitution; the blue field to show their faith that they could make a difference; and lastly, the single white star would represent the dream of a single state making a difference. The motto would be, Molon Labe, meaning Come and take them, in reference to the defiance of the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae, alluding to the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Finally, after much consideration, they chose to make the Last Ohio Militia a private men s only club with an LLC license. The decision was made not to be primarily a militant group, but instead, they wanted the organization to be involved in politics and family needs as well. In 2014, as interested individuals from other states expressed a strong interest in participating, Walt and Richard decided it was time for 4

5 another change. This time, instead of identifying merely as Ohio-specific, the organization would now take on a national scale, becoming The Last Militia with each state identifying itself as The Last [State] Militia. To preserve the origins, the official logo of The Last Militia would become the double-tailed Burgee Flag, similar to the state flag of Ohio, but in The Last Militia colors and accoutrements. As such, the Last Ohio Militia still stands, both as the founding state as well as a state-level chapter in its own right. At the time of this revision, multiple other states either have members, or there has been strong interest expressed in joining the organization namely, New York State, Indiana, Kentucky, New York, and Michigan. Today The Last Militia, also known as TLM, continues as a preparedness organization network that looks to the future of everyone associated with them members, family, friends, and neighbors. 5

6 Present Day Mission The Last Militia focuses on helping family, friends, and communities to survive and prosper during times of stress, through both tangible assistance as well as education and moral support. Goals 1. Grow the organization in both numbers and skills, at county, state, and national levels. 2. Provide both classroom and hands-on training to members, free of charge, and to non-members for a minimal fee. 3. Foster a sense of camaraderie and friendship both within TLM membership (direct and indirect, ie families of members) as well as within the communities that we live in. All of The Last Militia s activities and efforts will be in pursuit of our stated goals, which in turn uphold and support our mission. 6

7 The Cut / Coup Stick The two most iconic items of The Last Militia are the Cut and the Coup Stick. The Cut is the official uniform of TLM and is required for all Members to wear at all official club functions, hangouts, and meetings. Members are urged to wear their Cut as often as possible to promote the Club. The Cut is a button up woodland camouflage BDU top with the sleeves cut off. The Cuts are Club property and are to be treated with respect and dignity. The front of the Cut will have your Member patch above the right breast pocket and your County patch above your left breast pocket. If you become an Elder, Your Elder patch will replace your Member 7

8 patch. You may, if you wish, add other patches to the front of your Cut within reason. Your Elders may ask you to remove any patch that they feel is not becoming of The Last Militia. The back side of the Cut has three patches. The top rocker is the clubs name, The Last Militia. The bottom rocker is the clubs motto, Molon Labe. The middle patch is the clubs logo. No other patch can be added to the back side of the Cut. 8

9 The other most recognizable image of The Last Militia is the Coup Stick. The Coup Stick is not just a gavel used to maintain order during meetings but represents courage, valor, honor, and commitment. Each Tribe is responsible for designing and making its own Coup Stick. There are no set guidelines for the Coup Stick at this time. Butler County s Coup Stick The coup stick originated with Native American tribes, who would rather than killing opponents mark that they had been ABLE to kill their opponents, but chose instead to show restraint. Coup sticks were notched (or sometimes had feathers attached instead of notching) to show how many coup had been counted. The Tribal Spirit is responsible for keeping and maintaining the Coup Stick and insuring it is at every meeting. 9

10 Meetings An Official meeting is to be held once each month for each Tribe. Members are required to attend an official meeting at least every other month and a minimum of 6 meetings a year. During an official meeting all phones, electronic devices, and any communication devices are to be turned off and collected by the War Chief or his conscripts. The War Chief will then instruct the members to be seated. The Tribal Chief will always be seated at the head of the table. The Tribal Spirit will be seated to the right of the Tribal Chief and the War Chief to the left of the Tribal Chief. The War Chief will stand and ask the Tribal Spirit for the Coup stick. The Tribal Spirit will stand and hand the War Chief the Coup Stick. The War Chief will then hand the Coup Stick to the Tribal Chief telling him that the men are assembled and in order. The Tribal Chief will bring the meeting to order by using the handle of the Coup Stick as a gavel. The Meeting agenda shall be at the discretion of the Tribal Chief and he can choose to table certain discussions for later meeting. 10

11 The Tribal Chief may open the floor up to any business any Member may wish to bring up so long as proper order is kept and maintained. Any Member may nominate someone as a Prospect or as a Member and any Member may second the nomination but only the Elders may vote to accept the nomination. When the Tribal Chief closes the meeting he then returns the Coup Stick to the War Chief who in turn returns it to the Tribal Spirit. The War Chief will then return all electronic devices to those in attendance. 11

12 Organization Hang-Arounds: Even though they are not official Members, a Hang-Around may attend club events and official meetings if approved by an Elder. Hang- Arounds may at some point be nominated as Prospects for membership into The Last Militia. Prospects: Pledges for the club, known as Prospect, must serve for at least 12 months and prove their loyalty to the club in order to become a Member. Prospects are nominated and seconded by current members, as well as a 2/3 majority vote of the Tribal Elders. Braves: These are the sons of club Members and other male children that are affiliated with the club. Much like a youth scouting program, these young men are taught and trained in all areas at their level. They remain Braves until they turn 18 and may be voted in without being a Prospect. If they fail to vote in they must go through the Prospect process. 12

13 Members: To become a Member you must be nominated and seconded by current Members and receive a majority vote of the Elders. Members that have displayed conduct and character indicative of service to others may receive the Warrior Patch. The warrior patch is awarded to members after a year s membership in the club, although the circumstances for which the patch is awarded may have occurred prior to that member s choice to join The Last Militia. There are currently three colors of the Warrior patch, which indicate the circumstances surrounding the awarding of that patch to the member in question: Red: Red warrior patches are generally awarded to combat military veterans, as they have taken the life of another, in order to preserve the life of a brother in arms. White: The white warrior patch is awarded to non-combat veterans who have shown a willingness to put themselves in harm s way (although such circumstance may or may not have occurred yet). This generally includes military veterans, as well as police and firefighters. Blue: The blue Warrior patch is awarded to members who have gone into harm s way, in a paramilitary or private military contractor circumstance. Members that have gone above and beyond, taking action to preserve and protect the organization, may be awarded the Feather patch. Like the Warrior patch, there are three colors to distinguish the circumstances for which the Feather patch is awarded, but unlike the Warrior patch, the Feather patch is awarded to only one person annually, 13

14 and is not a mandatory award, but rather, is given based on exemplary conduct. Red: Red Feather patches are awarded to members who have put themselves in harm s way to protect another club member, or family of a club member. White: White Feather patches indicate the member has given meritorious assistance to a club member or a club member s family. Blue: Blue Feather patches are awarded to those who provide meritorious service, support, or defense of the organization as a whole, rather than to or for a specific individual. Leadership: The Leadership of a TLM Tribe is comprised of 3 Elders. The Tribal Chief is selected by the National Tribal Chief, and serves as an Elder of the Tribe. The new Tribal Chief will select, from the other members, his Tribe s Tribal Spirit and War Chief both of whom also will serve as Tribal Elders. Elders: These are members that have been with the club for more than 2 years and have shown exemplary, above-reproach conduct. To become an Elder you must be nominated by an existing Elder and elected by a 2/3 majority of the Leadership of the county Tribe. Each new county Tribal Charter will start with 3 Elders (appointed by the State Elders), and a new Elder will be added after each additional 10 members join the 14

15 Tribe (i.e. After a Tribe reaches 40 members, a fourth Elder would be added; a fifth Elder would be nominated after 50 active members and so on). Elders for a State level will be based on the number of counties, just as Elders for a County are based on members in the county. Elders for the National level will be based on the number of states, just as Elders for a County are based on members in the county. War Chief: The War Chief is responsible for ensuring that the bylaws and standing rules of the club are not violated. He is responsible to ensure that the orders of the Tribal Chief are carried out in an expeditious manner. He is responsible for policing and keeping order at all club events. He may conscript members to aid in keeping order on their own authority. He is responsible for the safety and security of the club, as well as its protection and defense of its Members and Prospects. Tribal Spirit: The Tribal Spirit shall act as an intermediary between the Tribal Chief and the Members and Prospects. All questions and comments concerning any club business not specifically related to the duties of the other officers should be brought directly to his attention. He also keeps all funds for the club chapter as well as enforcement of dues. This position is slightly different at the State and National levels, being a representative role that a Tribal Chief of subsidiary levels will fill, based on a simple majority vote of his peers. 15

16 Tribal Chief: The Tribal Chief is the Chairman of the Elders and the Executive Officer of the Tribe. All matters concerning relations between the club and any outside person or organization should be routed to the Tribal Chief for appropriate action. The Tribal Chief or his delegate shall assume the Chair at all chapter meetings. He is responsible for controlling the meeting and keeping order. If necessary, the Chair may utilize the services of the War Chief to aid in keeping order. Tribal Charters Each county will have its own charter known as a Tribe. In order to start a tribe, three members must petition the State Leadership. These men will attend meeting and hangouts in another county that already has a Tribe. Once they have proven themselves to that Tribal Charter, the State Leadership will vote whether or not to give tribal status to them. Once a new Tribe has been approved for inclusion into The Last Militia, the State Tribal Chief will choose among the new Tribe s members who will be their Tribal Chief. In keeping with the club rules, the newly appointed Tribal Chief will then select which of the other two men will be his Tribal Spirit and his War Chief. 16

17 Each Tribal Charter is responsible for its conduct and activities; while each charter is considered autonomous as far as events and activities, the Tribal Chief is required to talk with the State Leadership at a minimum of once every 90 days. We generally suggest that members reach out to and participate in neighboring county Tribal events and meetings, to maintain close ties with our brothers. Each Tribal Charter is responsible for collecting dues and having its own fund raisers. They are also responsible for acquiring new Members and developing close interpersonal relationships within its Tribe. A Tribe is meant to be not just a unit but a family as well. State Tribes will be stood up at the discretion of the National Tribal Chief and National War Chief. 17

18 State Leadership The State Leadership is made up of the State Tribal Chief, the State War Chief, and the State Tribal Spirit. The State Tribal Spirit is a representative title that consists of all of the Tribal Chiefs from each county. When a vote is required of the State Leadership the State Tribal Chief has one vote, the State War Chief has one vote, and the State Tribal Spirit has one vote. The State Tribal Spirit vote is determined by a simple majority vote of all the county Tribal Chiefs. In the event of a tied vote within the State Tribal Spirit, that vote will not be counted. In this case, if the vote is a 1 to 1 vote cast by the State Tribal Chief and the State War Chief, then the State Tribal Chief will decide the issue. In the event that a State War Chief office becomes vacant, the State Tribal Chief will nominate a current Elder from among any of the Tribes to fill the Position. The State Tribal Spirit will then vote to accept the nomination or not. A simple majority vote from among the county Tribal Chiefs that make up the State Tribal Spirit is required to confirm the nomination. If the State Tribal Chief office becomes vacant then the State War Chief will assume the office and follow the nomination process for choosing a New State War Chief. 18

19 National Leadership The National Leadership is made up of the National Tribal Chief, the National War Chief, and the National Tribal Spirit. The National Tribal Spirit is a shared title that consists of all of the Tribal Chiefs from each State. When a vote is required of the National Leadership the National Tribal Chief has one vote, the National War Chief has one vote, and the Tribal Spirit has one vote. The National Tribal Spirit vote is determined by the majority vote of all the State Tribal Chiefs. In the event of a tied vote within the National Tribal Spirit, its vote will not be cast. In this case, if the vote is a 1 to 1 vote cast by the National Tribal Chief and the National War Chief, then the National Tribal Chief will decide the issue. In the event that the National War Chief office becomes vacant, the National Tribal Chief will nominate a current Elder from among any of the State Tribes to fill the Position. The National Tribal Spirit will then vote to accept the nomination or not. A majority vote from among the State Tribal Chiefs that make up the National Tribal Spirit is required to confirm the nomination. If the National Tribal Chief office becomes vacant then the National War Chief will assume the office and follow the nomination process for choosing a New National War Chief. 19

20 Membership As a Member of The Last Militia you must be dedicated to TLM and its beliefs. You must be willing to protect the club, your fellow Members, and their families just as your fellow Members will protect the Club, you, and your family. Members are expected to wear their Cut as often as they can and to always promote the club in a positive manner. Where not possible or otherwise not viable, we encourage members to wear other paraphernalia (such as T-shirts, pins, stickers, etc..) that shows the club logo and shows the solidarity of the organization across Counties and States. Members are expected to pay their monthly dues on time. These dues help us support community activities, and on occasion are used for materiel that we collectively use. Members are also encouraged to attend as many club events as possible, to foster friendship and camaraderie with members they might not otherwise see on a regular basis. Where possible, we also feel you should bring your family members, so that in an emergency, bonds of trust are already in place, or are easily formed based on already knowing the people you re working with. 20

21 Member Pledge The following Pledge is required by all members and reflects their commitment to The Last Militia, its members, and their families. I, [member name], do solemnly affirm, that I will be a dedicated member of The Last Militia. I will listen to and respect the Leadership and Elders of The Last Militia. I will train for defense of myself and others, prepare for unpleasant circumstances, and be ready to survive should circumstances become adverse. I also affirm that I will pay my monthly dues and attend at least one event each month of my local tribe. I will be there physically, financially, and socially for my fellow members of The Last Militia - and their families. I understand that in the unlikely event that I become unaffiliated with The Last Militia, I must return all materiel with The Last Militia logo, imagery, and name even if it was purchased at my own cost. I also affirm that I will protect and support The Last Militia at all times. I will help out however I can and I will attend as many events as I can. 21

22 Financial Information Each Member pays $10 a month dues to its Tribal Charter. During their first year, Prospects are to pay an additional $10 a month as an initiation due, to offset the cost of their cut patches. For each Member, including Elders and Prospects, each county Tribal Charter pays $1 to the State Leadership. Each Tribal Charter may also have fund raisers to help with their finances. A tribute of 10% of any monies made by all of the county Tribal Charters is to be sent to the State Leadership. State Leadership in turn contributes 10% of funds they collect, to the National leadership, to defray costs at that level. 22

23 Closing Message Our Founding Fathers of the United States of America put their lives on the line to declare to the world that they were citizens and not subjects. They fought the American Revolution over a simple tax on tea. The Revolution insured our God given rights to the basics of free speech, the right to bear arms, the right to govern ourselves, and so much more. Sadly, many of these rights are being chiseled away by people that want to see us as subjects, not citizens. Taxes are higher than ever before many hidden as charges and fees. Our freedom of speech is being censored and our right to bear arms is under fire. If you are not a member of the Republican or Democratic parties it is virtually impossible to even get your name on the ballot. Why do we no longer hold this truth, That all men are created equal? We seem to run to the shackles of socialism that will lead us eventually to the dictatorial leaders to those we fought against in World War II. We will lose all that our Founding Fathers fought for and more if we do not cry out now, ENOUGH! NO MORE! Help your family. Help your people. Help us help you. Together, we can restore America to the shining light of Liberty. Together we will remain citizens, not subjects. 23