Bush Has Stolen National Guard From States... Martial Law Easier..LINK

[Blackhatjack]

http://www.boiseweekly.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A214070

The long national nightmare may have just begun:

"Bush signed the JWDAA hours after the MCA, in a furtive closed-door White House ceremony. There is, buried deep down in Title V, Subtitle B, Part II, Section 525(a) of the JWDAA, a coup. The Bush Administration has quietly stolen the National Guard away from the states.

Here's the relevant section of Public Law 109-364:

"The Secretary concerned may order a member of a reserve component under the Secretary's jurisdiction to active duty ... The training or duty ordered to be performed ... may include ... support of operations or missions undertaken by the member's unit at the request of the President or Secretary of Defense."

The National Guard, used to maintain order during natural disasters and civil disturbances and the sole vehicle available under U.S. law to enforce a declaration of martial law, has previously been controlled by state governors. They have now been stripped of that control. Thanks to the JWDAA, Bush can now deploy National Guardsmen in American cities without obtaining permission from state governors.

Section 526 of the Warner Act goes further still. It states that the "Governor of a State ... with the consent of the Secretary concerned, may order a member of the National Guard to perform Active Guard and Reserve duty ..." The key word is "may." A governor can no longer deploy the Guard in his or her state without first getting permission.

Patrick Leahy (D-VT) sounded the alarm during senatorial debate, but U.S. state-controlled media ignored him. The Warner Act, he said, "includes language that subverts solid, longstanding posse comitatus statutes that limit the military's involvement in law enforcement, thereby making it easier for the President to declare martial law ... We fail our Constitution, neglecting the rights of the states, when we make it easier for the president to declare martial law and trample on local and state sovereignty."

[hlthe2b]

1. Where are the Governors on this?

THEY should be the ones FORCING the media to report! ???

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. By federalizing the NG, does that mean that the prez has the

authority to send them wherever he wants? Deploy Texas NG to New Jersey? Oregon NG to Alabama? That would be extraordinarily dangerous - those who don't move around, or only move in particular social circles, may underestimate the regional differences and the ability to see fellow Americans as 'the other'.

[Blackhatjack]

3. It is open to interpretation, but the law does not rule it out....

Remember, Bush already has sent National Guard troops to Iraq. That would surely be a precedent for him sending them anywhere he deemed necessary when read in conjunction with this law.

[itsmesgd]

4. ding ding ding, we have a winner

This is exactly the reason that chimp has taken control of the NG. The NG is already fatigued by urban violence in Iraq and will transition easier into their role of US storm troopers. They will be shipped to areas far from their home which will make it easier to view us as combatants instead of neighbors, plus the troops will still be in their "on deployment" mindset. They will be housed seperate from other units and from their familes and neighbors. All of this will add to their mindset as fighting an enemy.
Lets hope that it never comes to this.

[valerief]

5. Will they declare martial law while they're all out of the country?

Is there an advantage to that?

[itsmesgd]

6. they are not ALL out of the country

I know several reservists that have not deployed yet again, but are training nonetheless. Most reservists are still here, although they are on a tight rotation in and out of the mid-east.

[valerief]

7. No, I mean the dickheads in the WH. nt

[itsmesgd]

8. oh sorry bout that.

I wish that they would just stay out. Maybe in Paraguay or Uraguay or The Hague.

[aquart]

9. Aww, this is what he tried to do with consent during Katrina.

Can't wait to see him try to use it.