1) The mythic past. Militia. Washington constantly complained about the militia. This got a gloss in what little history I was taught. We divided up the Militia power between the Fed and the State in the Constitution. (The states had to deal with Shay's Rebellion and relegated militia to the state and fed) The 1916 Defense Act created the National Guard - the organized militia. The disorganized militia is nothing more than the pool of able bodied men and women from which the Fed and State can enlist and draft. There are no private or self-appointed militia. The Oath Keepers and Proud Boys are not militia.

Now, yes, the militia did have victories early in the game, and we have guerilla rebellion and the Swamp Fox down South. But by and large, the militia were not very good. All local boys they would appoint a Captain and he knew all of them- undisciplined. Many had farms and would disappear to go work on the farm. Washington complained they would eat his stores and then leave just before battle. We should not turn a blind eye toward the problems of the militia and that we became a nation by hiring Americans to be soldiers - and then didn't pay them.

So now we have these groups pretending to be original militia, anti-government, and can be abused by populist politics.