Trump Orders Creation Of National Guard "Reaction" Forces

 

The noose around the neck of American democracy gets tighter every day:

President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the Pentagon to create National Guard units in Washington, D.C., and across the country that would be designated to tamp down civil protests and ensure public safety -- a job that historically and legally has belonged to civilian law enforcement.

Critics called Trump's desire to build a kind of rapid "reaction force" for civil unrest alarming, insisting his order pushes legal boundaries for the National Guard, an auxiliary force whose mission is to help fight foreign enemies abroad or aid Americans in times of extraordinary crisis like hurricanes and floods.

In an executive order signed Monday, Trump called on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to designate Army and Air National Guard members in each state who could rapidly deploy to help federal, state and local law enforcement "in quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order whenever the circumstances necessitate, as appropriate under the law."

The order also called on Hegseth to begin immediately training and equipping a "specialized unit" within the D.C. National Guard "that is dedicated to ensuring public safety and order in the Nation's Capitol." The order says members of the unit would be "deputized" to enforce federal law.  [snip]

Retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner, a former acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau and vocal opponent of Trump's reliance on Guard troops to aid law enforcement, said Trump's orders were unnecessary and "100 percent political."

"The administration is trying to desensitize the American people to get used to American armed soldiers in combat vehicles patrolling the streets of America," Manner said.

Trump wants Guard units "whose purpose is to, quite frankly, dominate and police the American people. And that is extremely disturbing," he added.

And Posse Comitatus? 

Under the law, known as Posse Comitatus, the military is barred from acting as law enforcement on U.S. soil. But there are rare exceptions. As in the case of D.C., troops deployed for a federal mission but kept under the command of governors -- under a law known as Title 32 -- are exempt from Posse Comitatus. The D.C. mobilization is reliant on six Republican governors who agreed to Trump's request to send troops from their states to help police in the city, where the White House commands troops.

Sending troops into states over the objections of the governor is more limited. In the case of California, Trump invoked a different law -- Title X -- which allows a president to use Guard resources to protect federal property and federal personnel.

The National Guard already has "quick reaction forces" in every state that are able to respond quickly in times of crisis. Manner said Trump appears to be calling for something different. Instead of the capability to respond to crisis, Trump appears to want units that specialize in quelling civil unrest, much as other units might specialize in intelligence or armor.

"They're going to be there to police Americans," Manner said...  (our emphasis)

Yes, the Malignant Fascist wants to use the military suppress any resistance to his fascist takeover. He knows what he's planning to do will meet with resistance, and he wants every available resource to put down that resistance, including armed military. "Reaction" forces -- what an appropriate term for this reactionary plan!  Are there commanders like Maj. Gen Manner (ret.) in the active service who understand the thresholds the mad Malignant Fascist is crossing and who will respond accordingly when their time comes?

(Photo:  Jason Almond, LA Times)