It is an unavoidable fact that by taking on the sacred role of Minutemen we must engage in significant preparation for and consideration of violence. The Modern Minuteman must be ready, at a minute’s notice, to defend their family and community from any threat to our person’s or property, be they from wild beasts, criminal actors, or forces oriented towards the perpetuation of tyranny. It is not an organizational stance, nor part of some creed or code devised by men that necessitate this stance, but our fundamental belief in the rights outlined by the American Founders. Rights granted, not by a government made up of men, but by the creator of all Men. To defend the rights of others, regardless of how those rights are exercised, is to engage in the highest moral act. This also requires that, though the effective Minuteman knows how to use the sword, he keeps it sheathed until no other option for defense is available. All men share these rights, and those rights must not be violated except in the defense of those same rights. As such our very belief that prepares us for violence also serves at the most extreme temper on that same drive.
We look to the original Minutemen and their leaders that founded a nation on the basis of the defense of liberty against tyranny as the touchstone for our orientation and attitude. The lead up to revolution in Colonial America was slow. There were plenty of actors working to move it along as they advocated independence, Samuel Adams being a key figure, but the general mood was towards peace and reconciliation with the king even after the battle at Lexington and Concord. Colonial towns and cities established contingents of Minutemen in response to increased imperial military presence. These militias were explicitly defensive and local. Town councils established the militias, the Minutemen weren’t established to defend the united colonies, or even the colony in which they resided, they were established to defend their towns, their local communities and only lend aid to their neighboring communities at the behest of their town. This is the primary orientation of the Modern Minutemen.
As we all know violence did erupt in 1775 when the British marched on Concord to seize and/or destroy the arms held by the militia there. The Minutemen responded, in defense, to this threat and fired the shot heard round the world. The American Revolution was, ideologically, a defensive war fought, not for a union of colonies, but by that union for the protection of local communities. The Modern Minuteman stands at the ready to defend their family and their community, just as those men who first secured our liberty did. The Modern Minuteman does not aggress, even against those who appear to be aligned against our liberty. We do not start fights, though we do end them.
The political temperature is high in America right now. This weekend we saw the most significant political attack in decades. No matter the candidate. No matter the ideology. All Men have the right to speak, all Men have the right to assemble and all Men have a right to participate in their government. I am doubtful that the political climate will cool at all between now and November 5th, it will likely continue to increase. If you are worried for your community and your country, engage peacefully with the government. Speak to your city council. Contact your state representatives or your federal representatives. Use your voice, run for office, stand out and stand boldly. The Modern Minuteman’s first weapon is reason, and we wield it boldly and often so that our sword can remain sheathed. While you do this prepare and be ready to act at a minute’s notice. Remember as a Modern Minuteman you hold the line. Your loyalty lies first with your God, then with your family, then with your community and only then with your country. Hold sacred the rights of all Men for the sake of their Creator and the sanctity of those rights. Be prepared mentally, physically and materially, but wait for the lanterns in the church tower and let the tyrants prove beyond doubt their tyranny so that you are supported by your people, your conscience and your God.
Chief Philosophical Correspondent