The troops had been dispersed in billets among the populace as per counter-insurgency practice of free-quarters where responsibility for the provisioning and sheltering of militia was foisted onto the populace.
To mitigate this perceived unfairness, legal systems apply the doctrine of "contra proferentem"; giving the benefit of any doubt in favor of the party upon whom the contract was foisted.
Traditional cultures should not be obligated to bow to redefinitions foisted upon them by elitist entities that gain their authority via the drive of well-organized media hype.
