Indiana Militia Corps

:This page describes the privately organized militia. For the official State of Indiana armed force, see the Indiana Guard Reserve.
The Indiana Militia Corps (IMC) is a citizen militia organization in the United States state of Indiana. Similar to the Michigan Militia, it is a non-governmental militia organized by armed private citizens.
Like all citizen militias, they derive their authority from the common law and regard themselves as an association of unorganized militia. They are a voluntary association, and self-funded. The United States armed forces do not recognize them as state defense forces, and such militias have been controversial since their popularity swelled in the 1990s among concerned gun-rights activists, conservatives, libertarians and self-styled patriots.
Origin and description
The Indiana Militia Corps was formed on September 29, 2001 by William Flatt and Michael Niese. Shortly after the creation of the IMC, William Flatt was commissioned as a Major General by the Third Continental Congress. (See "".) The Indiana Militia Corps is part of the unorganized militia as defined by the Dick Act. Though it is unlikely that a private militia would be called to muster in today's political environment, the concept of building a volunteer citizen militia comports with the common law tradition and has precedent with the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. In letters published online, Flatt and Niese expressed a hope that citizen militias would be utilized in the post-9/11 landscape in a manner similar to policy initiatives suggested by The Swiss Report.
The IMC describes itself as "a group of law-abiding citizens formed for the purpose of defending the Constitution of the United States and the Indiana state against all enemies, both foreign and domestic, and to help provide security and support services for local government and other lawful authorities and for the citizens and inhabitants of Indiana, and the United States in time of natural disaster or emergency."
The Indiana Militia denies membership to anyone who is or has been "a member of, or associated with" any "subversive" groups "including but not limited to communist or socialist front groups, New Black Panthers, Aryan Nations, Ku Klux Klan, Communist Party USA or the United Nations Association of America." According to their website, the IMC also conducts their own background checks to ensure that people convicted of violent crimes cannot infiltrate the group.
The IMC identifies itself as part of the militia movement, but asserts it is not anti-government. Their mission statement references the protection of the rights of citizens, defending the state and US constitutions from any threat foreign or domestic, and they assert that constitutionally limited government is necessary to secure and protect individuals' rights from infringement.
Militia controversy rooted in the 1990s
Militias have their detractors, such as the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Indiana Militia Corps is a strong militia-movement critic of these organizations, and expresses severe objection to their mischaracterization of militias. Although the Indiana Militia Corps did not form until 2001 and operates differently than many militias formed in the 1990s, militia detractors have characterized the IMC with essentially the same language, dropping pejorative references to racism, criminal activity and antisemitism after losing a civil case to a militia leader in another state, and after IMC contacted the SPLC to formally complain regarding pejorative descriptions on their website that were factually unsupported. The SPLC and ADL have since referred to the IMC as an extremist organization.
The Indiana Militia Corps devotes a substantial portion of their official website to expounding upon their positions, values and beliefs, through doctrinal publications and editorials. They stress that they bear no relation to the portrayals made by those who are hostile to them. Presently, no claims made by either the SPLC or ADL can be attributed to the Indiana Militia Corps.
Since the election of President Barack Obama, the patriot movement has come back to life, replete with tea parties and other public expressions of the recent left-wing expansion of government. Consequently, controversy surrounding militia groups has re-ignited and promises to keep the subject from slipping into obscurity.
Public affairs and the Third Continental Congress
Public affairs materials promulgated by the Indiana Militia Corps on its official website as well as its affiliated websites emphasizes its concerns over governmental abuses, overreaching powers, political corruption, and threats to life/liberty/property. This emphasis is reflected in their publications, along with their belief that institutions for the limitation of powers have been subverted. This aspect of their philosophy aligns them with civil liberty Watchdog groups.
The Indiana Militia Corps is affiliated with the Third Continental Congress ("3CC") as a part of their "Continental Militia Network". In 2003, the 3CC issued a General rank commission to William Flatt to help organize and coordinate states' citizen militias. After the 3CC website shut down in 2006, the organization emerged with a minimally-functioning website in 2008 that is no longer available. According to the Militia Network website, The 3CC appears to be adjourned, but a 4th Continental Congress may be forming soon.
Publications
The Indiana Militia publishes "The LIBERATOR", whose stated theme is "...the liberation of America from the enslaving influences of globalism and statist thinking". Publication of the newsletter appears to have superseded both editorial and news pages on the website in 2006. At present, publication seems to have settled on a monthly format. According to militia documents, the newsletter is eponymous for abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison's weekly journal, The Liberator.
The Indiana Militia Corps also produces manuals similar in style to United States Armed Forces military manuals. These manuals offer a combination of training subjects and doctrine.
Official Website
* http://www.indianamilitia.org
See also
* Constitutional militia movement

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