How would the Ohio Republic defend itself?

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive about secession is, how would a republic of 11.5 million defend itself against, say, the rump United States of 200+ million? I do not touch on this topic very often, because I do not want readers to get the idea that I favor secession by force (I have made my position on this very clear in the Basics).


However, every nation must have a means for defending itself. Russell D. Longcore at LewRockwell.com gives an interesting discussion on this subject by explaining the meaning of the first half of the Second Amendment: "A Well-Regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the Right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." Usually, when we discuss the Second Amendment, we focus on the second half.


Mr. Longcore answers my concern about when violence is necessary this way:

There is a fine line between acknowledging that you’ll fight tyranny and picking a fight with a tyrant. The first trick is to know enough not to cross that line. The other trick is to be aware that the bad guys keep moving the line.

Mr. Longcore uses the example of a Republic of Texas being able to raise 1-2 million members for a national militia. Ohio has about half the population of Texas -- a temporary defense force of 500,000 would at least make an aggressor stop to think. Remember that those who defend their homes have an advantage -- we know all the nooks and crannies and secret places that an outsider cannot know.

He urges secessionists in every state to talk about this subject.

Any state that seriously contemplates secession must reconstitute and rebuild its own Militia. This will be one of the most solemn indications of that State’s seriousness about its own liberty and the liberty of its citizens.

Please re-read that last paragraph. If we are not willing to defend ourselves from attack, we are not serious. Period.

Since I have quoted Mr. Longcore on several occasions recently, I invite you to go directly to the source, his DumpDC blog, which I have also added to the secessionist blog list near the bottom of the right panel.