Governors unite against bill's Guard proposal

[Zeebadee]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...&type=politics

"The nation's governors began a bipartisan drive Saturday 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."

<snip>

"Huckabee said 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 undertaking to make states no more than "satellites of the national government."

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, the association's 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 resented as much as the proposal itself. "

Another power grab by the federal government, specifically by the executive branch. No big surprise that this is coming from the bush administration, as they were not happy when Schwarzenegger rejected a bush request for additional National Guard troops on the border. I believe that bush is a serious and very real threat to survival of this republic.

[The Second Law]

How is this a power grab by the federal government? It's my understanding that the National Guard is part of the United States Army, which is controlled by the federal government...

And, assuming that it is the fed stepping in where it doesn't belong, I don't like the idea, but I do have an immediate distrust for anything that that dumbass Mike Huckabee says.

--Second

[Osborn F Enready]

National Guard are the STATES defense.

For example Second Law, here is the mission statement of the Michigan National Guard:

State Military Mission The Michigan National Guard's state mission is to protect the lives and property of Michigan citizens during times of natural disaster and to preserve the peace, order, and public safety at the direction of the Governor. Federal Military Mission The Michigan National Guard's federal military mission is to assist the federal government in defending the sovereign interests of the United States when they are threatened or violated..

Each states National Guard has its own mission statement.


The U.S. COAST GUARD Mission Statement:

The United States Coast Guard CSC 1993 SUBJECT AREA - General EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Title: The United States Coast Guard Author: Lieutenant Commander F.X. O'Byrne, Jr., United States Coast Guard Thesis: The United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College provides instruction on the roles, mission, equipment, and organization of the four armed forces within the Department of Defense, but provides no such instruction on the nation's fifth armed force, the United States Coast Guard. This paper provides basic information on the roles, mission, equipment, and organization of the United States Coast Guard. Background: The Revenue Cutter Service, forerunner of the Coast Guard, was founded in 1790 to help the government collect tariff revenues by stopping smuggling. The Revenue Cutter Service was renamed the Coast Guard in 1915. The service has approximately 37,000 active duty personnel. Their rank structure, promotion, pay, and retirement are the same as DOD services.

The Coast Gurad is broken down by districts served, and are not a "whole" national entity either.

There is also the Coast Guard Auxillary Force.