Posse Cometatus Act

[porsch1909]

If you care so much about it then why don't you do something about it?

[ukulele]

What it got to do with reading if you saw it on CNN? Or do CNN have a newspaper in Hawaii?

Is this guy for real? Please tell me it's an automated response from a telephone answering machine made by Andy Warhal.

[porsch1909]

Is this guy for real? Please tell me it's an automated response from a telephone answering machine made by Andy Warhal.

Apologies if it seems silly but I don't watch American trash

[zybch]

No, you need to get your facts straight. The National Guard is comprised of state militias. They are not under the control of the federal government unless the regular army is exhausted and only then can they be called up for a foreign war. Why start a war if you don't even have the regular troops to fight it? This is a power play and a catch 22. If the National Guard was ready for duty Bush wouldn't need the rule change to use regular army for policing civilians.

Never said the NG was under the control of the FEDs, just that it is the only non-police type force that can have police-type powers given to them in cases such as what happened in NO. The regular army can't be granted police powers, the NG can (of course there are limits, but they are the closest to being able to act as police when the real cops are out looting).

[Someone Stupid]

No. No way. The amount of havok Bush could have done with the military machine and full authority to **** things up would be astonding. I might as well put a bullet in my head, and I'm not joking on that at all.

The gaurd are under control of the federal government in the ways that matter, namely the ability to act outside states boundaries without being a primitive truck convoy at the VERY best, especially now given how thin resources are. They coordinate guard movements and have a branch which is supposed to help move gaurd units and coordinate such large task. That didn't happen. Many states offered helped and were scratching their heads waiting for the pentagon thinking it was going to do what it was supposed to. Hell, New Mexico offered troops before the storm hit and they weren't on a plane here until 4 days after (the airport was able to recieve planes within after the storm passed, not to mention the Belle Chase airfield which is a naval airfield). The pentagon blocked plenty of outside states who offered to send help beforehand from doing so by not providing them means to transport those troops as not every state is next door or has the means themselves thanks to the war to get here. An article that mentioned this was in yesterday's local paper. FEMA failed us so bad that it had to be on purpose and with the guard delay, it only makes my convictions on this all that much more resolute. Honestly, I really think the administration blew this through FEMA and not so much so through the Pentagon (though that didn't help) on purpose to get the Posse Cometatus Act repealed. Before this I'd only expect that out of a loons mouth, now, you have plenty of people feeling this way. FEMA failed actively, it had to be trying to do so. It blocked what it could, it delayed when it could, it lost information when it could - whatever it could do to **** something up, it did. The network they set up for local governments to request stuff was down the first 72 hours or so after the hurricane hit for no explained reason, afterwards, any request through it went nowhere. That is in the paper in print all over in the past few days as well (published transcripts from JP EOC phone comminques). We never saw any genpacks, comminications were cut by them (restored by armed deputies and kept up by them, JPPD and sheriff Harry Lee), diesel fuel sitting in a coast gaurd boat on the river was told not to unload it by fema after it offered to, I could go on for days about the absolute failure FEMA was - and don't get me going about the water they blocked (the first shipment from anybody that anyone in the area was to recieve at that). Or maybe FEMA wasn't a failure - if it wanted to delay aid as long as it could from how it ACTIVELY acted, so it was a resounding success.

So hell no, I don't want the commander-in-chief's hammer and anvil with his full authority down here. FEMA's active cockblocking of relief efforts of all natures and the Pentagon's absolute footdragging on sending in any outside gaurd units other than those from states that had to coordinate it getting everyone down here on their own (mainly close states were able to do this Oklahoma and Arkansas) even when other governors where begging us to take those troops was more than enough for me to have no faith at all in my goverment anymore - and this is from somebody who used to be highly into the left count-culture and protest in his late teenage years. Then I thought the government was bad, now I know the government is bad.

I no longer think of some conspiracy theorist as all that off anymore, in fact, I may even fall into that category now in many people's eyes if they knew my full view on things. This administration and it's safegaurd (the media) have been absolute failures. Hell, I now don't even bother with CNN - I've even knocked it off my bookmarks in my news section because it's now lost ALL credibility in my eyes. The stuff it reports (namely HOW, not what it reports) astounds me. It's just a watered down version of Fox News now to me - and not that watered down IMO seeing how they are covering all these scandals. I really have no faith left in the democractic process or the media in this country. Both are now complete and total failures to me. Fear and loathing is all that is left as I know if it doesn't turn around soon, it's going to be too late. That is how I feel. Call me crazy, but you haven't walked in my shoes down here and I hope you never have to in a similar situation. To know people personally who lost everything or were stranded or couldn't find family members for days or weeks because they got split up in shelters. I pray to God that more power doesn't fall into federal hands as with what they have now it's like trying to stop a wrecking ball with a house made out of cards - I can't imagine what it'd be like with the act suspended and the washington goon squad taking a cannon to that house of cards.

So, no. No no no no no. You need FEMA to do it's damned job, you need the pentagon to do it's damned job, and you need the administration to do it's damned job. You don't need a big military machine running around. A tank won't help, an M-16 won't help, food, water, gas, and busses were what we needed and we never got them until it didn't matter. You have my answer and my reasons why - need more reasons, I have many many more due to how much of a failure the federal goverment was here, it made the worst local stuff seemingly pale in comparison, and that is pretty bad considering some of what the infighting brought out btw parishes, in parishes, the city, and the state.

[j.m@talk]

Yas gotta admit ........ When the cops are out looting, all hope is lost for any outsiders to take yas lot seriously

[zybch]

Not that nayone realy did to begin with anyway.

[j.m@talk]

Umm

[mireland]

best way to deal with looters:destroy all yer stuff before the floods..

[ukulele]

Never said the NG was under the control of the FEDs, just that it is the only non-police type force that can have police-type powers given to them in cases such as what happened in NO. The regular army can't be granted police powers, the NG can (of course there are limits, but they are the closest to being able to act as police when the real cops are out looting).

What the heck did you think I was saying? Were you dropped on your head during birth? Why are you telling me I need to get my facts straight? I told you once and I'll tell you again don't BS me. I am not stupid or uneducated. There is no one on this entire forum who has a greater need to get their facts straight then you, zybch.

[ukulele]

Apologies if it seems silly but I don't watch American trash

Trust me Porsch, you are American trash.

[mcool61]

best way to deal with looters:destroy all yer stuff before the floods..

Or have a bigger club than they do. I'm thinking of the 2 guys left guarding their neighborhoods & they had a generator which a person wielding a machete tried to take from them. When they pointed a shotgun at him he decided he didn't really want it. Then a carload of kids stopped in the street in the middle of the night. One of the guys went out with the shotgun & a flashlight & asked them what they were doing. We're leaving they said.

Trust me Porsch, you are American trash.

Let's not elevate him above his station. He isn't American.

[porsch1909]

Let's not elevate him above his station. He isn't American.

If I got to choose my nationality then trust me...America wouldn't even be in the top ten But alas you are right, and I am pretty sure Uke knows that I am scottish....but he is getting on a bit and his memory must be failing him

Uke you gotta stop insulting people, you want an intelligent discussion but whenever anyone goes against you, you just insult them.....

[ukulele]

If I got to choose my nationality then trust me...America wouldn't even be in the top ten But alas you are right, and I am pretty sure Uke knows that I am scottish....but he is getting on a bit and his memory must be failing him

Uke you gotta stop insulting people, you want an intelligent discussion but whenever anyone goes against you, you just insult them.....

Fine, just don't insult me. I can dish it out better.

[j.m@talk]

Hey the "Skirt" boys are havin a scrap