|
The United States National Guard has evolved to become a vital element of 'first response' in the event of national emergencies.
Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Bush's idea is an unconstitutional attempt to usurp the states' authority over their National Guard units, which are heavily invested in the Iraq war.
"They take away our assets and say, 'Since you can't do your job, we are going to send somebody else in,' " Schweitzer said.
Schweitzer criticized the Bush administration earlier this year for its overseas use of the National Guard, saying his state needed troops at home for fire season.
G.W.Bush in the National Guard
If you think back to the early days of the Katrina devastation, you'll remember that multiple National Guard units from the area, specifically Louisianna and Mississippe, were deployed to Iraq not long before Katrina hit. This fact was cited as one of the many reasons why aid sufficient to make a major impact was not immediately available.
In the beginning, news agencies echoed the President's words that forces were in place to handle the Katrina disaster. CBS News reported: "Even though more than a third of Mississippi's and Louisiana's National Guard troops are either in Iraq or supporting the war effort, the National Guard says there are more than enough at home to do the job."
But after New Orleans levees collapsed and the scope of the catastrophe became more clear, such reassuring claims lost credibility. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday: "With thousands of their citizen-soldiers away fighting in Iraq, states hit hard by Hurricane Katrina scrambled to muster forces for rescue and security missions yesterday -- calling up Army bands and water-purification teams, among other units, and requesting help from distant states and the active-duty military."
The back-page Post story added: "National Guard officials in the states acknowledged that the scale of the destruction is stretching the limits of available manpower while placing another extraordinary demand on their troops -- most of whom have already served tours in Iraq or Afghanistan or in homeland defense missions since 2001."
Speaking for the Mississippi National Guard, Lt. Andy Thaggard said: "Missing the personnel is the big thing in this particular event. We need our people." According to the Washington Post, the Mississippi National Guard "has a brigade of more than 4,000 troops in central Iraq" while "Louisiana also has about 3,000 Guard troops in Baghdad."
National Guard troops don't belong in Iraq. They should be rescuing and protecting in Louisiana and Mississippi, not patrolling and killing in a country that was invaded on the basis of presidential deception. They should be fighting the effects of flood waters at home -- helping people in the communities they know best -- not battling Iraqi people who want them to go away.
Each year California suffers tremendous losses from wildfires. The National Guard is needed to help. With Guardsmen deployed in Iraq, the emergency needs of the states cannot be met properly.
Bring our National Guard Home!
Step up!
Speak up!
Take a stand!
Links below will help you find organizations in place to help bring our 70,000 National Guardsmen home from Iraq and to bring all troops home.
Peace in Iraq Petition
[<<<] [ list ] [???] [ join ] [>>>] |
Augusta, Georgia
