Reflections and Militia
Posted by Fleet News Service on April 18, 2008
From Datan Lanzet, Citizen (in my own opinon):
A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained in arms, is the best most natural defense of a free country.
– James Madison, Tauron Patriot
As I sit here quarantined aboard the 7th Heaven, I was talking with Dr. Leandrah Whiteberry, fellow Tauron, and we were discussing the pride and the independence of the Tauron militia. I was regailed with stories of my stubborn and willfull ancestors resisting in the first Cylon war ((Reference: Razor!)) and we were talking about why we have put all of our eggs in the basket of the Pacifica. I am writing to encourage the Quorum to take up the cause of the militias, bring them back and let each colony organize their own. Along with that perhaps we should have everyone do some sort of military training and have skills training.
I remember reading the plight of the civilians who escaped Cylon captivity and how they had to be “trained” to handle weapons. Why wait until we get boarded again? EVERY ship in the fleet is at risk of a boarding party, not just the Pacifica. It makes no sense to me why we have an evolving “military elite” when we are all in danger of dying not just pilots and marines.
The fleet should be defended by EVERY man and woman, not just those who fly in expensive aerospace fighters. There are many man and women who could take flight training, more than currently “in service.” Even some rudimentary training for those qualified is better than none at all.
The rest of the able bodied and willing people of the fleet could be organized into militias who receive weapons ((Reference the Israelis, who let the soldiers keep their weapons in the closet, at the ready)). Certainly we could get weapons together, they always seem to have enough for the pilots and marines, we can dedicate some to fabrication of some type of weapon.
The Articles of Colonization allow each Colony to maintain their militia. Bring it back. What if what happened on the 7th happened on Pacifica, and the pilots wiped out quickly. Even someone with basic “nugget” training would be better than someone with no training at all. To hoard that knowledge makes NO sense.
If we are concerned about the survival of the human species, then the evolution of a military “elite” class is not in our best interest. The Cylons will think twice about boarding and getting hostages if the boarding party runs into armed and trained citizens.
It would also stop the evolution of a mililtary elite that is not tied to the populace. I think while the overall organization should be under the Commander-In-Chief, these militias are under the direct control of their Colony governments. Most of us would NEVER be called on. Tyrants fear an armed populace, democracies do not.
But what if we were needed? Cross training and certification in military MOS’s for everyone makes sense. A ready reserve preserves humanity better than a few, the militias dilute the military control to preserve democracy.
I also think the majority of us would feel better if we all felt we contributed rather than always being told how much we need protection and owe our lives to this person or that military individual. Democracy is only protected by a knowledgeable and ready citizenry. We are not sheep that need you to sing to sleep.
I’m a Tauron, and on my world we protect ourselves. We are not sheep that need tending. Our sheep carry guns and are ready to fight the wolf. The Gods protect the righteous who help themselves.
BRING BACK THE MILITIAS! FORM THE READY RESERVE!!!
Madame President, the Quorum, Military Officers, this policy only makes sense. We are all at risk, there is no “civilian” to the Cylons only humans to kill under a mushroom cloud. This is not a new policy, this is bringing back a successful policy, and old policy. I ask all of you who feel you should be able to defend yourself when faced with a Centurion (as many of us have! – I did on Pacifica!) to join me. I hope our brothers and sisters are still fighting from caves on Taura, in my heart I know they are. DEATH to the Cylons.
So say we all,
Datan Lanzet
Citizen, Loyal Tauron
Many thanks to the Doctor for her thoughts!
P.S. – NOTE: Today as I wandered around the quarantine zone, I was informed by the doctor that several “infected pilots” had to be sent back to Pacifica because of a pilot shortage! To risk the entire fleet’s infection because of “pilot shortage” is unacceptable, and should serve as a warning of things to come.
This time it is a rash, what about next time. No quarantine area where there is potential interaction (like on Pacifica) is safe. This is a wake up call. We should all be involved in defense, and the pilot pool should be expanded for “reserves” so that we don’t have to take such risks.
There simply isn’t a good reason to risk us all.
((There are alot of OOC advantages as well… man wouldnt we all like to go up in a viper like once or twice??? Maybe more of us would pay money to fly if we knew what it was like!!!!))
DISCLAIMER: The following opinions are for educational purposes only, they do not reflect any legal conclusion or a policy statement of the Colonial Government. They are offered for the purposes of debate and reflection and do not constitute any creation of attorney client privilege. They are my opinions only.
The News-Review 
rhysnieuport said
I would think a Militia could only be as good as the manpower and resources that could be dedicated to it.
For instance it would be fairly easy to raise a ground force of Militia with a sharpened pole and train them to effectively use it.
On the other hand it would be a significant challenge, perhaps beyond our fleets current resources and infrastructure, to form a Militia comprised of well armed ground and air forces.
Why? From what I have witnessed the full time Military has manpower and resource difficulties in maintaining it’s own force and they are the limited personel and limited resources you would need to draw on for training expertise and equipment to get a Militia going.
Training personnel on small arms, combat tactics and military procedure alone is time intensive. When you add in more advanced qualifications like avionics and flight combat it gets even more difficult to find both personel who can qualify for such rigors and also set aside the trainers to dedicate the weeks and months it takes to get a marine/pilot trained so they can survive in combat or flight.
Ultimately I would ask not whether a Militia is a good idea, because it certainly is, but whether it is feasible and if it is truly demanded what level of Militia can be supported alongside our full time Military which is expected to not just protect against enemies domestic but foreign as well.
datanlanzet said
Thank you Rhys for your engaging comments.
There are assumptions made in this piece. One is that firearms are in short supply in the fleet, recent events point to the fact that they are not. They are also not hard to fabricate, the Fleet does have fabrication facilities for complicated areospace fighters (or the vipers would soon be out of business given how often they get “shot down”) small arms should not be an issue. In fact, Ive seen marines with multiple small arms.
Feasibility is not a long term issue in the sense that if the pilot pool is NOT expanded into at least a “ready reserve” or if more civilians do NOT receive weapons training a boarding massacre or another disease given cramped an unsanitary conditions aboard ships where people will be trapped for years.. (especially given that a great many of fleet ships were NOT built for sustained voyages) is INEVITABLE.
It’s not a question of if we have another outbreak, but WHEN. It’s not a question of if the Cylons will board another ship besides Pacifica but WHEN. It’s not a question of if we face another situation that creates a pilot/military personnell shortage, but WHEN.
Rhys makes the point that it is difficult to find folks who can be in flight combat. Grant that argument, FIND THEM ALL! Train them. Yes it takes time, but we have time, we ignore the inevitability of some events at our peril. The thin blue line is indeed thin, we should broaden it and organize the reserve.
To assume everyone would be a pilot is not the case, there are many roles that need assistance, many that could be filled by reserves.
If not organized by colonies under their rep, which I favor, organize them by ship. Ship based militias might be a concept as well. Regardless there needs to be a reserve.
We could move vipers to other pilots in the fleet in a quarantine, but we are one bad outbreak from annihalation. If a Commander can sterilize people based up on the thinness of our warrior population, then one good solution is to expand the pool. If you agree with the Commanders position you should support the expansion of our fighting force, we are ALL at risk. If you don’t support it, then expand the pool as a way to disagree and reexamine the order.
I am Tauron, and I call upon Tauron’s to preserve their independence and begin to learn to fight for themselves. We are all a target and the Cylons don’t know what a “civilian” is.
So say we all,
Datan Lanzet
Citizen, Loyal Tauron
DISCLAIMER: The following opinions are for educational purposes only, they do not reflect any legal conclusion or a policy statement of the Colonial Government. They are offered for the purposes of debate and reflection and do not constitute any creation of attorney client privilege. They are my opinions only.
datanlanzet said
AN OCC POST:
((This was propsed because I thought it would be interesting to let some civilians get some “Pacifica time” for a number of reasons.
1) some nights no one is around except on Pacifica, and the Civvie threads are, well, not as fun at times. This would let some folks get RP time in over at Pacifica
2) It would let folks get a taste of the Pacifica life, maybe increasing understanding and breaching some divides. They do exist folks, the military is seen in some folks, and not RP terms as kindve bullying. Maybe this would increase the “get to know you” factor?
3) It could spawn crossover RP threads where folsk Reserve call-up for reasons affects their RP, issues about are we all a reserve, a foil for some “draft em” arguments (RE: Razor!!!)
4) there could be a militia/military standoff… Ron Moore loves these kind of introspective lines and in this case its intra-military in a way. Maybe someone wants to secede.
5) Maybe people who want to be “reserves” could be charged “reserve dues” and some of us civvies can pony up money for the sim? I’d do it. Let’s face it the admins bear a cost and we can help defray it.
6) I’d like to go up in a viper, even if its a couple of time, maybe other folks would too.. why limit them becaue they are good RPers. They could fly raiders – some of us surely do 😉 But wouldnt it be great to do some flying IC?
7) I dont like sometimes how the sim gets carved up into spits and heriarchies. Some have speculated that the sim is in trouble. Whether or not you agree is NOT my point. My point is though to just expand opportunities for fun.
This is all about fun, and I agree.
IC of course, I have other reasons, but OCC, it might be a boon. We can RP through the “resource issues” come on … let’s give it a shot.
If anyone else sees benefits, add to the list!
Thanks for listening, reading… but I thought my OOC reasons needed to be heard here, since it got posted. Itll be cross posted on the OOC board.
DISCLAIMER: I love engaging debate, and thank Rhys again – he is a great player and I’ve enjoyed interacting with him. I will defend things in that spirit, I won’t get into the muck with folks. Drama is for RL 🙂
Take care everyone, and PLAY WELL!!! ))
OOC OFF 🙂
darkangel31314 said
There is a small percentage within the Civilian Population who do have combat and/or Military expirence. Myself being one of them, as I’m a former Viper Jock.
As Deputy Director of the Colonial Security Agency, I am working towards the goal of creating Civil Defense based on the ship level.
What I want the new Colonial Security to look like, based on our circumstances here, is something akin to the following;
Traditionally Security aboard a civilian ship is held by general consensus. The Captain has the final word, and works with his appointed First Officer and Master at Arms. The MAA’s responsibility is to enforce law and order aboard the vessel, and depending on the size of the ship, by selected trusted members of the Crew.
We currently have ships in this Fleet ranging from small one-deck cutters to multi-million ton Cruise Liners. Each will have a Security Force varying in size.
What I have planned, and I’m waiting on word from the President if I will be given the Director’s Seat to enforce, is to train these Security Detachments by Drafting former Military personnel in the Fleet. We will supply them with the Surplus Arms and Equipment found amongst the ships in the Fleet, and these will form the basis of Civilian Law Enforcement.
This could be the root of your proposed Militia. What do you think?
Byrna “Frosty” Pikajuna
Deputy Director
C.S.A.
datanlanzet said
I think that is a good idea to start! I would like to see the Quorom reps get involved. With the disappearance of many of the “parent” or “true owner” corporations, the actual legal status of ownership of some ships (an argument versus Colonial Government arrangments) is stongly in question. I would still like the Colonies to have some say in their constituencies, but I recognize the practical issue.
However, notwithstanding that question, I think that would be a good start. I would also suggest that former Viper pilots like yourself would be a good place to begin to train a new “ready reserve” of pilots. The argument has been forwarded that the current pilots are too busy.
There are many things that can be done before Viper flight time. Maybe there are other former pilots who could help out as well?
I like the idea. I think its a good start.
Any other ideas?
demitricongrejo said
no….just no
Starbuckk Serapis said
((the show and the wiki’s give virtually no guidance about ownership of the vessels. Occasionally an action will give the impression that they effectively all became government owned ala “eminent domain”. But there really isn’t a true indicator. So in BSG47 we went our own direction on this. There actually is a spreadsheet we produced awhile back that establishes the make up of the BSG47 fleet and ownership but it is grossly out of date. More recent RP’s have not been updated into the roster.))
Ownership of the ships within the fleet was for the most part established within the first two months following the attack. Where surviving stakeholders were located, such as with Colonial Movers and Intersun, the surviving stakeholders regained title. In numerous other cases it was determined that the captains of the vessels were stakeholders by virtue of corporate charters.
Ownership determinations were made and are now a matter of public record.
datanlanzet said
You want more proof of the need for a ready reserve? Tonight’s boarding raid where many pilots were wounded, some critically points to the need for a stronger defense.
If not the the timely actions of DjEpoch Slade and others, those pilots and personell would have surely died.
Continual raids and boarding point to the need for a larger pool of “ready and able” pilots, and the need to organize the citizenry. Maybe next time they will be smarter and board 7th Heaven.
There by the grace of the Gods go we! WAKE UP!
So say we all.
Datan.
demitricongrejo said
no…..okay no we got opsec ,marines civie security and it wasnt just dj epoch who did something so do not do this bullshit to me and my marine datan , for gods sake i got a new recruits who i am training …..give it a res, everyone lived so no you can count on me being fully against this whole idea
syrvillota said
I applaud Mr. Lanzet’s determination to shift some of the burden of defending humanity onto the entire population, and we’ve all appreciate the bravery and effectiveness of organized civilian resistance during the cylon occupation. In terms of combat flight training however, we already have a system in place for this, which is our existing military pilot training program. I strongly disagree with Mr. Lanzet’s assertion that the military is elitist and separate from the rest of the fleet on the grounds that our military is now largely made up of Colonial citizens that were civilians until recently. If you need examples, the 8th Vipers CO, the 13th Training Officer, I (8th XO) and countless others all enlisted for service less than a year ago, up until which point we’d never worn the uniform.
Beyond our existing training program however, I firmly believe that expanding combat flight training to civilians is dangerous, unrealistic and impossible for a number of reasons. I’m not just speaking from the viewpoint of the “military elite,” but also as an officer who would be tasked with coordinating and performing much of this theoretical training. I’m not sure that Mr. Lanzet fully understands the physical and psychological stresses involved in flying complex spacecraft under fire, and just how critical our existing candidate filtering processes are. Call it elistist if you like, but putting unfit or unqualified pilots in the seat of a viper is putting them and all of us at greater risk.
Furthermore, our existing flight training program already has a large pool of trainees and applicants: The 8th Vipers alone has more than 8 active trainees, all of whom has passed the entrance requirements and demonstrated that they’re fit to fly. Our training bandwidth and material resources (vipers cleared to fly) are pushed to the limit to where we would be unable to provide even minimal training to civilians without compromising the education of dedicated pilots and existing combat operations.
Lastly, in the theoretical scenario that Pacifica were to be lost, all hope for combat flight operations would go with her. Our most primitive Mark IIb Viper is an extremely complex piece of technology, requiring massive infrastructure and upkeep to operate. Unless someone is building dedicated hangar facilities and launch tubes onto 7th Heaven, then this entire argument is pointless.
So to anyone willing and eager to protect humanity from the seat of a viper or raptor, you know where the application is on 7th Heaven. All of us wearing the wings are happy to answer any questions or share our experiences, although a drink in ABs or the Broken Toaster always helps and would be much appreciated!