AUDIO OF TEXT BELOW

                                                                                                                                see "Intro 4"

citizen armies and citizen militias are ancient

they can be traced all the way back to 800 b.c., with relative ease, thanks to the greek hoplites, and the historical artifacts and records which they left behind

the greek hoplite organization became a model for the anglo saxons, who began, in 800 a.d. to use what they referred to as the fyrd, for the defense of their national homeland

this system continued, intact, until the norman invasion in 1066, at which time it became known as a part of a collection of ancient anglo saxon rites and practices, commonly referred to as "the ancient rights", or the ancient "rights of freemen", of whom mention is made in magna carta in the year 1215

in the year 1285, in response to rampant and widespread crime, Edward I enacted the statute of winchester

as a part of this statute, the ancient anglo saxon fyrd was, effectively, formally adopted by Edward as a primary means of defending the homeland, both from invaders within (powerful feudal lords) , as well as invaders from without

from 1285 until 1829, this, along with the common law provided the working framework of english criminal jurisprudence and practices

it was supplemented by the metropolitan police act of 1829 and

the county police act of 1839

and the county and borough police act of 1856

because the first thirteen states began as thirteen british colonies, the revolutionary americans had a legal inheritance given to them in the form of english jusrisprudence and the common law

all thirteen colonies had the common law incorporated into the very fabric of the foundaitons of each colony

all colonialists, just like modern americans, thought and acted in terms of common law jurisprudential considerations, without ever even realizing it

which is to say, it had a pervasive influence

the entire common law, was, effectively adopted, or received

(as in reception of common law) as a part of common legal inheritance, which mostpersons simply took for granted, and never gave much thought to or consideration about

hence, these united states became a mixture of common law jurisprudence, mixed with other, more localized, laws, statutes, and practices

as part of that common law inheritance, we, as united states citizens, have inherited the ancient legal concepts of responding to the hue and cry, and forming the sheriff's posse, as the modern incarnation of the ancient posse comitatus

we reflexively want to respond and do something about it when we see someone being violated

thousands of years of practice can do that to you

RECEPTION OF THE COMMON LAW

BY THE US COLONIES

LINK 1 - reception statutes for us colonies

LINK 2 - on the reception of common law in the american colonies - book review

link 3 - on the reception of the common law in the american colonies - stoebuck

link 4 - common law anglo/american

link 5 - origins of american law

link 6 - reception statute - wikipedia

link 7 - the adoption of the common law by the american colonies (1882) - law review article

link 8 - the common law: an account of its reception in the united states

link 9 - the common law in colonial america - book ad

THE SHERIFFS POSSE

link 1 - sheriff's posse

link 2 - solano county sheriff's posse

link 3 - bent county sheriffs posse

link 4 - lane county sheriff's mounted posse