I think I side with the governors on this one This seems like it is more of consolidation of power within the presidency While It may not be likely . . this is the type of thing that could lead to a Government turning these guardsmen on its own people. . .. Rocket River Governors bristle at Bush Guard proposal By ROBERT TANNER http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060805/ap_on_re_us/governors_guard CHARLESTON, S.C. - The nation's governors are closing ranks in opposition to a proposal in Congress that would let the president take control of the National Guard in emergencies without consent of governors. The idea, spurred by the destruction and chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina's landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi, is part of a House-passed version of the National Defense Authorization Act. It has not yet been agreed to by the Senate. The measure would remove the currently required consent of governors for the federalization of the Guard, which is shared between the individual states and the federal government. "Federalization just for the sake of federalization makes no sense," said Gov. Kathleen Blanco of Louisiana, a Democrat who had rough relations with the Bush administration after the disaster last year. "You don't need federalization to get federal troops. ... Just making quick decisions can make things happen." Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, a Republican, said "a whole bunch of governors" were opposed to the idea after the proposed change was brought up in a private lunch meeting. Some two dozen governors met in Charleston for three days of discussions at the annual summer gathering of the National Governors Association. The association's leaders sent a formal letter of opposition to House leaders last week. The language in the House measure would let the president take control in case of "a serious natural or manmade disaster, accident, or catastrophe," according to the NGA. "The idea of federalizing yet another function of government in America is a, the wrong direction, and b, counterproductive," Sanford said. "The system has worked quite well, notwithstanding what went wrong with Katrina."
I wonder what implications that would have on the '2nd Amendment/National Guard is the local militia' line of thinking?
This is just bizarre. Why are we the United States of America again? We should formally change our name to America. No USof.
It's a bad enough idea that even Republican governors are raising Cain about it, and as pointed out in this article, not the only stupid idea to come from this Administration, which has a long history of stupid and dangerous ideas: Governors Wary of Change on Troops House Bill Would Increase President's Authority Over National Guard Units By David S. Broder Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, August 6, 2006; A05 CHARLESTON, S.C., Aug. 5 -- The nation's governors on Saturday launched a bipartisan drive to block a move to expand the president's authority to take over National Guard troops in case of natural disaster or homeland security threats. At a closed-door luncheon on the opening day of the annual summer meeting of the National Governors Association, the chairman, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), told colleagues that a provision in the House-passed defense authorization bill would end the historic link between the states and their Guard units. Huckabee and the association's vice chairman, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D), plan to ask all the governors at the session to sign a letter of protest Sunday aimed at killing the provision when House and Senate conferees meet next month on the bill. Huckabee told reporters that the move to shift control of the Guard to the president during national emergencies "violates 200 years of American history" and is symptomatic of a larger federal effort to make states no more than "satellites of the national government." Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, the senior Democrat, called the proposal "one step away from a complete takeover of the National Guard, the end of the Guard as a dual-function force that can respond to both state and national needs." The provision was tucked into the House version of the defense bill without notice to the states, something Vilsack said he resents as much as the proposal itself. Under the provision, the president would have authority to take control of the Guard in case of "a serious natural or manmade disaster, accident or catastrophe" in the United States. Huckabee said he does not know if President Bush wants that authority, but said "the administration is supporting this." He and Vilsack said they believe the provision was a reaction to Hurricane Katrina, when Bush debated taking control of National Guard units from Louisiana and Mississippi to end confusion about who was responsible for security in storm-devastated areas. Vilsack called that a "misguided reaction." He said he had long since proposed an alternative that would give command authority to a federal official at the site of any disaster, while retaining a governor's authority over troops in his state. Calls to a spokesman for the White House National Security Council staff, where the plan reportedly originated, were not returned. Huckabee, who is considering a presidential bid in 2008, said Congress and the administration -- run by fellow Republicans -- have moved far from what he called the "traditional states' rights position" of conservatives. In addition to the National Guard, he cited the new "Real ID" legislation, requiring states to ascertain the citizenship status of everyone seeking a driver's license. Huckabee said that, in effect, "they are trying to make every entry-level employee in our [department of motor vehicles] offices an immigration officer, and they're giving us no money to train them or hire them. It is a disaster in the making." During the afternoon, the governors heard Tommy G. Thompson, the former secretary of health and human services and former governor of Wisconsin, warn that the country's health-care system is heading for financial breakdown within seven years -- unless it is converted to a system of health maintenance with an emphasis on preventive care. He said governors must start diet and exercise programs in their states and take other steps to reduce the cost of chronic disease, because "Congress will not do it." Huckabee, who shed 110 pounds two years ago out of health concerns, has made that issue his theme for his year as chairman of the organization. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/05/AR2006080500732.html Keep D&D Civil.
The supreme court has ruled that it is OK to use the National Guard within the borders of the United States, where the Army can not be used specifically because they are not military troops under federal control. I keep wanting to say that the legal concept this deals with is posse comitatus. In any case, if the troops were under federal control and the supreme court didn't change their ruling, it would no longer be possible to use the National Guard to help out in emergencies. That's a real good idea. edit: from a website about the The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878: [rquoter] In a nutshell, this act bans the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines from participating in arrests, searches, seizure of evidence and other police-type activity on U.S. soil. The Coast Guard and National Guard troops under the control of state governors are excluded from the act. [/rquoter]
second thought: Much as I love to make fun of the inteligence levels of Bush, I have to think that someone like Alberto Gonzales realises the implications. The only reason to do this, then, would be to force the issue about using Presidential controlled troops inside the US, with the ultimate goal of allowing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and all their DoD buddies to operate on American soil. Hello police state.
I had actually thought about that and I was going to post your reasoning earlier, but my brain had completely forgotten what the concept was called and I thought I was making it by the time I was going to hit submit.
What a horrible idea! Just another attempt by Bush to gain even more control for the executive branch. The man has no shame.
Good idea. Let the man who stated "no one could have predicted the failure of the levies" get control of the national guard. Hey, why don't we let Bush grade MIT physics papers too?
Yep. That's it. Because in all of the future yet to come, he will be the only President we ever have.
