I actually bought a CD (off brand Rossetta Stone Program) with Spanish, French, Russia, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, German, Dutch & Portigese on it. I figure knowng a few extra languages might come in handy, specially with friends in South Africa, Russia, ROK, Japan, Guam, UK, Ireland, Mexico and the Philipines.

The biggest issue we have as a militia is funding, bake sales is just kinda... idk strange. lol The value of gold will come down as the demand wanes but its been inflated by "panic buying" it will still keep value when the dollar tanks. Everyone seems to forget the UN is a confederacy of nations, alone the UN is worthless but if that committee convinces the nations in that confederacy to adopt a new trade currency the dollar will crumble.

So my plan (which I been playing with in theory) is to invest in a privte support network for my unit; this comes in 3 layers and my belief that any fighting the modern militia will have to do isgoing to be at the guerrilla level... but if you place the founation for the 2nd Stage of guerrilla warfare (parallel government) the transition can occur much faster...

1. Investment(Non-Physial Assets):
I figure everyone has to eat, so investing money commodities (like food) will generate a benefit when "panic buying" of foods occurs due to inflation. Which means buy in now, wait for the price to climb and get out before just it peaks. Thats more cash on hand for other assests.

This can allow for last minute supply buys.

2. Physical Assets:
Selling reloaded ammo is another element which requires things to be on hand, most of all like the food thing. The Militia unit can run a SHTF farm for food, but also use the cow manuer to make Potasium Nitrate which mixed with Charcoal makes Gun Powder (Sulfur is commonly added as well but you can do without it). Grow herbs and develop methods of concentrating and measuring the chemical that makes it effective allows the militia to create cheap and effective medicine. Offering health care, food and safety. At a price, which I discuss at the end.

3. Community Support Programs:
This is important the origional Black Pathers were big for this but community programs to help out. So if the militia is self-funded, self-sustained and has established Community Support Programs before SHTF they will have "economic and political" power during or after.
Programs:
* Child Education Programs: Lets mimic the liberals and government hear and offer a school lunch/baby sitting program. This feeds kids 1 to 2 meals and teaches basic education.
* Adult Trade Skills Programs: Offer a free lunch and teach people to grow food, use herbal medicines and so. This gets people in a self-sustaining mindset and you can also include an Advanced Instructors Course to "certify" people to teach others. They can set the price if they like to do this to get people bartering skills. But include carpenty, metal work/black smithing and so on.
* Local Area Security Trainiing: Train people in a few basic skills to Police themselves, track crimes and defend theselves.
* Develop Teacher Programs: So that others can teach children and so on.
* Add to that Militia Partnership Programs to develop local area militias for individual areas.

Now here is my thinking, this will be more effective in the rural areas but keep in mind. This will begin as a "limited militia martial law" people will already know the militia has food and so on but avoids the trouble of people trying to fight the militia is "snitch" for government benefits/rewards. The militia will be helping people to help themselves. So while people might start off dependant on the militia to police their neighborhood, feed them etc. They will be weened off in a "help yourself" kind of way. Eventually people helping themselves and helping each other turns into a stable community network. This approach is makes the militia appear less violent (counter propaganda).

So while "militia courts" might handle trials intially, militia courts become community courts. So this keeps the focus on maintaining the US. The Militia supports, protects and aids its members but helps lets say 6 communities. Which develop their own assets and networks free of the militia core.

These off shoots aid other communities as they turn to the rebounding communities for support. Which aids lets say 2 other communities in the same way. Those communities stablize and build up then aid other communities in a similar fashion. Granted this means you will experince issue with various "warlords" who form from gangs and oter criminal elements. But each rebuilt community will be a buffer to the militia core group (though not dependant on it) and spread out like a stablized network. In suburban and urban areas communities might be as small as a few streets, apartment complexs and so on.

I figure major problems will be triggered from economic collapse, rising crime and international war. Any thoghts?