Texas GOP Governor Abbott to Deploy 1000 National Guard Troops for Election

[srose58089]

Source: National Civil Rights Movement

In a disturbing and possibly unprecedented move Republican Governor Greg Abbott will deploy 1000 National Guard troops into Texas cities for the presidential election next week.

“The Texas Army National Guard said Monday it had been ordered to dispatch 1,000 troops to five major cities around the state in conjunction with the Nov. 3 election,” MySanAntonio.com reports.

“The guard in recent weeks had told the San Antonio Express-News that its commander, Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, had been asked to draft contingency plans in case of trouble at polling places in major cities around the state.”

Express-News reports Democratic “strongholds” will be receiving the Guard units, including San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth.

Read more: https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2020/10/texas-gop-governor-abbott-to-deploy-1000-national-guard-troops-for-election/?fbclid=IwAR0nOFeoeTlX3aK24k5i1NxUF2vsz0k6X42MuGhDB252iGSIkcTxJ4-T7R8#.X5dI5Tfzj6U.facebook

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Abbot is already under fire for reducing ballot drop off boxes to just one per county.
Another report about the Texas national guard can be found here:

https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/politics/article/San-Antonio-election-updates-Abbott-to-order-15664157.php

[rso]

1. National Guard

It may be ok to have a disciplined force who have sworn loyalty to the Constitution protecting democratic strongholds from militia types. I don’t think democratic voters will be intimidated by seeing the National Guard.

[Miguelito Loveless]

11. Soldier's loyalties lie with their commanders,

Not with abstract concepts. This is especially true when your military is seriously contaminated with White supremacist and Nazi fans.

[reACTIONary]

14. I'm not so sure of that...

... I recall many reports of the professional training of troops and commanders to understand and to follow the constitutional principles they are sworn to protect.

[Miguelito Loveless]

19. Look up Major Harold Herring

and see what happened to him when he simply posed a hypothetical question about following orders.

[rso]

17. National Guard

The documented cases of white supremacists in the military have been almost exclusively limited to enlisted folks, not the officer corps who command them.

[Miguelito Loveless]

18. A lot of Dominionist Christians in the Air Force officer corps

The Academy is rife with them, and the Christian Right has set up shop in Colorado Springs in order to influence them.

And, as I recall, the only people punished for Abu Ghraib were two enlisted soldiers. The officers, all the way up the chain of command to SecDef, VP and president, never suffered at all, despite the orders coming from them.

I re-iterate, history shows that soldiers almost invariably follow orders, and rarely suffer consequences.

[dchill]

2. Seems legit.

[NorthOf270]

3. Here. We. Go.

[jmowreader]

4. I think they need them

Trump has mobilized battalions of Proud Boys, QAnon losers, incels, and boogaloo pricks. Something's going to have to be done to keep them from shooting anyone they see who they think looks like a Biden voter if Trump loses.

[duhneece]

15. That's our fear here where our Cowboys for Trump leader said, "The only good Democrat is a dead Dem.

I don't think we're paranoid, just cautious.

[Mr. Sparkle]

5. Third world country!

[ashredux]

6. He will burn in Hell

[ancianita]

7. It's all in his owners' best interests.

Whether they guarantee anything free and fair depends on the orders they get.

[LudwigPastorius]

8. Fuck off, Greggy.

Your attempts at intimidation will fail.

[sakabatou]

9. So he can intimidate voters, I presume.

[summer_in_TX]

10. Communities of voters who have historically been oppressed

are going to feel intimidated and are highly likely to turn away, if national guard troops are deployed in five of the largest cities in Texas while voting is going on still.

But it looks like it may be focused on being ready to deal with potential post-election violence. Unclear from the articles.

We've had past history in Texas where law enforcement parks cars between a large apartment complex with many minorities and the polls. The Texas Civil Rights Project and the ACLU need to insure that the guard only appear if needed and do not deploy as a preventative measure.

[bluecollar2]

12. Since when is Fort Worth a democratic stronghold? n/t

[flying_wahini]

20. When Beto almost won last election in FTW.

[King_Klonopin]

13. That is a waste and misuse of the military

He is doing this to appear "tough" (law-and-order BS)
He is doing this to intimidate democratic voters.

If anything goes awry, he will blame the ones who are oppressed -- the
people in democratic districts -- no matter who is responsible.

Dems need to be smart: do not do anything stupid or self-defeating on
election day.

The Democrats need to pass legislation under a new voting rights act:
The minimum requirement for ballot drop-off boxes should be one box
for every 5,000 people in any county anywhere. Make it a Federal law.
The minimum requirement for polling locations should be the same, one per
every 5,000 people.

Count ALL votes, no matter how long it takes.

[katracey]

16. Don't be afraid

Don't be afraid of the National Guard. They may look intimidating, but if you stand tall, wait your turn, and relax, you will get your vote, and we can get our country back.

[James48]

21. TROOPS AT THE POLLS? It's actually a FELONY. HE OUGHT TO KNOW IT!

18 U.S. Code § 592.Troops at polls

Whoever, being an officer of the Army or Navy, or other person in the civil, military, or naval service of the United States, orders, brings, keeps, or has under his authority or control any troops or armed men at any place where a general or special election is held, unless such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both; and be disqualified from holding any office of honor, profit, or trust under the United States.

This section shall not prevent any officer or member of the armed forces of the United States from exercising the right of suffrage in any election district to which he may belong, if otherwise qualified according to the laws of the State in which he offers to vote.



18 U.S. Code § 593.Interference by armed forces

Whoever, being an officer or member of the Armed Forces of the United States, prescribes or fixes or attempts to prescribe or fix, whether by proclamation, order or otherwise, the qualifications of voters at any election in any State; or

Whoever, being such officer or member, prevents or attempts to prevent by force, threat, intimidation, advice or otherwise any qualified voter of any State from fully exercising the right of suffrage at any general or special election; or

Whoever, being such officer or member, orders or compels or attempts to compel any election officer in any State to receive a vote from a person not legally qualified to vote; or

Whoever, being such officer or member, imposes or attempts to impose any regulations for conducting any general or special election in a State, different from those prescribed by law; or

Whoever, being such officer or member, interferes in any manner with an election officer’s discharge of his duties—

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both; and disqualified from holding any office of honor, profit or trust under the United States.

This section shall not prevent any officer or member of the Armed Forces from exercising the right of suffrage in any district to which he may belong, if otherwise qualified according to the laws of the State of such district.


18 U.S. Code § 594.Intimidation of voters

Whoever intimidates, threatens, coerces, or attempts to intimidate, threaten, or coerce, any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of such other person to vote or to vote as he may choose, or of causing such other person to vote for, or not to vote for, any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, Presidential elector, Member of the Senate, Member of the House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, or Resident Commissioner, at any election held solely or in part for the purpose of electing such candidate, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.


Just remember that if the President, OR A GOVERNOR orders troops to the polls, that's a felony right there.

Somebody better tell him, because I don't think he knows.