They say it’s “just training.” They said that once before, too — in every chapter of history that began with soldiers standing where civilians should.
Members of the Texas National Guard have arrived in Illinois. Tomorrow it could be Ohio, New York, Minnesota, California. One by one, state lines blur and the word “domestic” starts sounding like “deployment.”
You don’t have to take part in the theater. You don’t have to clap for it, feed it, or fuel it. The Constitution — the real one, not the bumper-sticker version — gives you every right to say no.
“No Soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner.”
— Third Amendment, United States Constitution
That single line is a barricade made of words. It means that no government — not Washington, not Austin, not Springfield — can plant armed troops on your property, in your business, or under your roof without your consent.
It also means you are not obligated to serve them, house them, or sell them a damn thing.
Military status is not a protected class under U.S. or state civil rights law. That means your diner, your gas station, your apartment, your corner bar — all of it — is your domain.
If they show up with rifles slung over their shoulders asking for coffee, you can say:
“We don’t serve armed personnel here. Please leave the property.”
If they want gas, you can say no. If they want to rent a room, you can say no. If they want to use the bathroom at your place of business, you can say no. If they call you unpatriotic, remind them patriotism means knowing your rights and exercising them without fear.
Unless there’s a declared emergency, a lawful warrant, or a mutual aid compact between states, they have no special authority on your soil. They are not your guests. They are not your government. They are visitors — and they are bound by the same laws as everyone else.
Tape this to your doors. Print it on flyers. Post it in windows. Make sure every block and borough knows what the Third Amendment still means.
THIRD AMENDMENT NOTICE
No Soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner.
Because the minute we forget that, the republic stops being a republic and starts being a barracks.
This letter isn’t just for Chicago — it’s for any city next on the list. If they’re coming to “train” on your turf, remember: you are not the training ground. You are the country.
Stand firm.
Stay loud.
Refuse occupation — however politely it’s packaged.
At Closer to the Edge, we don’t sell fear, and we don’t polish propaganda. We dig, document, and shout when the lines between “training” and “occupation” start to blur. We tell the truth — even when it sounds like treason to the people who prefer silence.
Your subscription keeps that defiance alive.
It funds independent reporting, constitutional education, and the kind of writing that refuses to bow to intimidation — whether it wears a suit, a badge, or a uniform.
If you believe the Bill of Rights still means something,
if you believe journalism should have teeth instead of sponsors,
if you believe freedom isn’t self-sustaining — it’s self-defended —
then stand with us.
Because democracy doesn’t protect itself. People do.
Good advice. Hope that people can follow it. Pretty intimidating with a gun in their hands. There are crazies……Servicemen should not be following these orders now. They are violating their oath. Who are these masked men?
are these even americans behind these masks? they don’t act like it.