什麼是民兵

受過一定軍事訓練的公民的軍事組織，在緊急情況下可用於作戰，一般用於當地防衞。在許多國家，民兵自古就有。在盎格魯-撒克遜民族中，每個身強力壯的自由男子都要服兵役。在殖民地時代的美洲，當英國正規軍不克抵達時，就靠當地的民兵防禦敵對的印第安人。在美國革命中，美軍的主力是民兵，被稱為義勇兵。民兵在1812年戰爭和美國南北戰爭中發揮了同樣的作用。美國各州控制的志願兵變成國民警衞隊。美國在近幾十年裏的民兵組織都是為了抵抗外敵入侵、保衞國家領土的愛國者組成的準軍事力量（具有某些合法地位）。他們之中有許多人是受到白人至上主義的影響，有些人則涉及恐怖攻擊事件（包括1995年奧克拉荷馬州聯邦大樓的爆炸事件）。有些人在美國政府的迫害下找到合理的理由。

militia

Military organization of citizens with limited military training who are available for emergency service, usually for local defense. In many countries the militia is of ancient origin. The Anglo-Saxons required every able-bodied free male to serve. In colonial America, it was the only defense against hostile Indians when regular British forces were not available. In the American Revolution, the militia, called the Minutemen, provided the bulk of the American forces. Militias played a similar role in the War of 1812 and the American Civil War. State-controlled volunteer militias in the U.S. became the National Guard. The U.S. in recent decades has seen a rise in so-called civilian or unorganized militias, paramilitary organizations of uncertain legal status whose members profess to be patriots training to protect the U.S. from threats to its sovereignty from within and without. Many have white-supremacist leanings, and some have been implicated in terrorist attacks (including the 1995 bombing of Oklahoma City's federal building). Some find justification for their actions in perceived persecution by the U.S. government.