'The Pentagon Wants Authority to Post Almost 400,000 Military Personnel in U.S.'

[create.peace]

this from The Progressive:

http://www.progressive.org/wx081209b.html
By Matthew Rothschild, August 12, 2009

The Pentagon has approached Congress to grant the Secretary of Defense the authority to post almost 400,000 military personnel throughout the United States in times of emergency or a major disaster.

This request has already occasioned a dispute with the nation’s governors. And it raises the prospect of U.S. military personnel patrolling the streets of the United States, in conflict with the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.

In June, the U.S. Northern Command distributed a “Congressional Fact Sheet” entitled “Legislative Proposal for Activation of Federal Reserve Forces for Disasters.” That proposal would amend current law, thereby “authorizing the Secretary of Defense to order any unit or member of the Army Reserve, Air Force Reserve, Navy Reserve, and the Marine Corps Reserve, to active duty for a major disaster or emergency.”
more at link

[global1]

1. Seems To Me If This Came To Light Under The BushCo Administration......

we'd all be having a hissy fit here on DU. Is this Ok now?

[create.peace]

3. as it hadn't been posted, i was wondering, too

at least i searched and couldn't find.

a friend on facebook posted there or i wouldn't have seen it.

truly something which would have probably got us out on the streets a few years ago....

[Daphne08]

8. I don't like it. n/t

[wuvuj]

15. It is OK under....

...Busch Light?

[MrModerate]

2. Err . . . National Guard? Under control of state governors?

Admittedly, the Guard has been seriously degraded by overuse/misuse in Iraq and elsewhere, but it can be rebuilt by individual states. I'm not sure that there's any practical need for this and (IM-not-a-lawyer-O) probably illegal.

If we're talking, say, earthquake devastates California from top to bottom, maybe federal forces could be put under command of state guard officers (rather than the other way round), which might make it legal.

[mrdmk]

4. First we must look to who the Secretary of Defense is, a Bush holdover

If this came up for a vote in congress, there will groups from both sides of the spectrum crying foul on this one. So would this forum.

Up the fascists...

[ThirdWorldJohn]

5. Bush has had Blackwater troops in NO. And I fear that if this law passes then there will be a

surreptitious approval for these type of mercenary gung ho trigger happy contractors deployed in the field supposedly taking orders from the NG back at headquarters.

[ThirdWorldJohn]

6. I just now found a link stating that NG Troops drills planned in case of H1N1 riot

National Guard drill at high school to prepare for possible H1N1 riot
By Leslie H. Dixon, Staff Writer
Published: Aug 13, 2009 1:46 am
E-mail and share

PARIS — Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School will be the site of a National Guard riot control drill Thursday morning to prepare in the event of a panic over distribution of serum to treat the swine flu.

The school on Route 26 at the Paris-Norway town line has been designated by state officials as a distribution site for the H1N1 flu vaccine. The drill is to prepare for a worst-case scenario should the serum have to be transported from Augusta and people rush to get it.

On Thursday morning, four or five National Guard Humvees will travel from Augusta to Paris with vials of fake serum. The National Guardsmen will take on the roles of panicked citizens and military police and practice what they would do, such as using tear gas, in the case of a riot.

"This is just a component of moving the stuff from point A to B," said Oxford County Emergency Management Agency Director Scott Parker. The plan will be put into place only if needed, he said.

Plans were developed in April to have vials of serum sent from the federal government to Augusta, Parker said. From Augusta, the supplies will be transported to designated distribution centers.

During the April conference, concerns were raised about a possible out-of-control rush on the serum, Parker said. Because of that concern, Gov. John Baldacci and Gen. John Libby, adjutant general of the Maine National Guard, agreed that a plan should be devised to quell such a disturbance.

More:

http://www.sunjournal.com/node/105339/

[provis99]

7. oh fer chrissakes, more conspiracy crap

Its bad enough the right wing is in knots over "FEMA camps" and black helicopters, but we've got to imitate them? I WANT all the troops to be stationed in the US, and not off running around in 100 other countries carrying out imperialist war policies. What's wrong with you people?

[ThirdWorldJohn]

9. There is nothing WRONG with me! And as soon as you would like to relate your opinion of Kent State

and those infamous killings - and your excuse about how well those NG troops acted on that day - I will be here - trying to understand what is wrong with YOU.

[RC]

10. How 'bout if we bring our National Guard home and use them instead?

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mlevitt]

12. How many Roman generals became Caesars

by utilizing central government troops to maintain order in Rome? How many military juntas are in power at this time in history? Posse Comitatus is a good idea... we don't need to reinvent the wheel. And, no, H1N1 is not a national emergency that could trigger martial law or bank holidays. Geez, how many Kool-Aide stands are out there on both sides of the issue?

[Treo]

13. You do realize that 400,000 is damn near half the military right?

As for U.S. troops being stationed in the U.S., who do you think is at
Ft. Hood
Ft. Wainwright
Ft. Sill
Ft. Lewis
Ft. Carson
Ft. Rucker
Ft. Knox
and so on?

[wuvuj]

14. The people who occupy Iraq and Afgan also...

...occupy the US. The technologies and techniques used in Iraq and Afgan will eventually be used in the US.

[PavePusher]

16. Thank you for your trust in the U.S. military.

I'd recommend that you become geographically-recognition-challenged and commence anatomically-correct self-insemination...

But that would be rude, now wouldn't it?