Hi,
Well after I answered you I read the current issue of Shooting Times and Guns & Ammo Handguns, really thinking about your question.
I think you nailed it as far as the definition goes, whereas I was also thinking of purpose.
For some reason, I still feel a militia is that collection of armed men who band together for defense. I thought about the joke around here, "our neighborhood militia", but nobody bitches about it either. I am sure there are many neighbors who are quite pleased about it. We have a summer home in IL and one of our neighbors has made it clear, if the doo-doo- hits the fan they are heading over to our house.
In any event, Hurricane Katrina really had an impact on me. I have a friend who is pretty well connected, ex-Navy pilot etc. He has said for years that all it would take is some disaster and within a few days we would see looting, etc. He was astounded that in Katrina it took just a matter of a few hours and that segment of the population was in the liquor stores, getting new TV's etc. and then they went into the neighborhoods. Well living in a small Florida town, unlike when I lived in Chicago and was 25 miles from the ghetto, we are more like 2.5 miles from the ghetto. We have the same differenct socio-economic groups as the big cities but physically are a whole lot closer to the bad neighborhoods. Our power plant is city owned as is the water company. If we got a dandy hurricane, or some type disaster, those two could go down pretty quickly and then the fun begins.
Now, to militia. To me it means defending what we have, perhaps territorial, let them try to come through the guard gate or over the fence, they will wish to hell they hadn't. On the other hand we have no desire to go into their neighborhood and start a ruckus. All that would do is start a never-ending ruckus. Bottom line is if one wants to invade, he uses an army, if one wants to protect their homeland, indeed those who property is on the line could easily form a militia.
regards,
5412