Bush panics and sends in the marines

[liveoaktx]

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1886932005

A PANICKED George Bush yesterday ordered elite troops on to the streets of New Orleans in an unprecedented attempt to stop violence in the disaster-struck city spiralling out of control.

The deployment, nearly a week after Hurricane Katrina struck, will see 7,000 marines and airborne troops sent to the emergency zone, where they are expected to crack down on the gun-toting gangs terrorising survivors.

...
Military experts said last night that regular soldiers - let alone elite assault troops - had never before been used to quell disorder in the United States.

[marbuc]

1. GWB doesn't know how to do anything else.

His solution to every problem is to send in the marines.

[petronius]

3. At least someone talked him out of the air strike idea...

(not sure if I'm joking, really.)

[Mr_Spock]

10. In spite of the awfulness of this situation - I got a chuckle from that

:D

[DELUSIONAL]

5. When troops outside of the area go in -- deaths are likely to occur

and we will soon have the US military shooting American citizens -- which reminds me somewhat of Kent State.

Had the LA National Guard been IN this country they could have been called up IMMEDIATELY and they would have had people with local knowledge on the scene.

It will be hard to find a worse fucked up mess than the handling of Katrina's aftermath.

[DistressedAmerican]

6. I Think That Is Persident Cheney You Are Talking About.

Goerge Just signs the papers they tell him to!

[Lochloosa]

11. Cheney is dead...get used to it

[BrklynLiberal]

18. I think so too. His body is in a deep freeze somewhere...

[havocmom]

19. He surfaced today. Someone posted picture - with Rove, of course

planning how to make $$ from the mess AND eliminate a lotta poor people, no doubt.

[BrotherBuzz]

22. I beg to differ...

Cheney is alive (I can't say well) and busy dotting the 'I's' and crossing the 'T's' in all the new Halliburton contracts this misadminstration is signing with them for rebuilding the Gulf community. This takes the definition of a working holiday to a new dimension, my friend. It's hard work!!!!

[moondust]

2. The Scots aren't hoodwinked.

They know this is inappropriate.

[GreenPartyVoter]

4. Ayuh

-----------------------------------------------------
Would Jesus love a liberal? You bet!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/liberalchristians.htm

[Marr]

7. Does anyone else get the impression that the Bush Administration's

view of New Orleans is that of Fox News? As if they're only viewing the catastrophe on the Republican cable news channel? I know there's been violence in New Orleans, but really.

[RandiFan1290]

12. I wonder what news the people in the shelters are getting?

By next week Fox will claim Blanco and Nagin are having an affair and ran off to Aruba with the keys to the busses. Then, Shep Geraldo and Bush saved the day.

[NoPasaran]

8. These "military experts" sure don't know their history

The 82nd Airborne Division---about as elite as they come---was used for security purposes in Detroit and Washington DC during the 1960s.

Regular troops have been used against disorder since George Washington sent the army to put down the Whiskey Rebellion.

[Robb]

14. Technically I think they're right

This might be the first time a president has sent regular troops into this kind of stateside duty without congressional approval. Posse Comitatus and all ... although technically it does not apply to anyone but the Army and Air Force, so Marines wouldn't count. :shrug:

[happyslug]

26. No, President Hayes used Regular Troops during the General Strike of 1877

Cleveland used regular Troops during the Railroad Strike of 1894. Wilson sent in Regular Troops to put down the West Virginia Coal Miners during the Coal War of 1921.

On The General Strike:
http://baltimore.indymedia.org/newswire/display/7595/index.php
http://www.soviet-empire.com/ussr/viewtopic.php?t=34008
http://karmak.org/archive/2004/04/capitalism/CH08.htm

On The Great Railroad Strike of 1894 (Also called the Pullman Strike):
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/features/timeline/riseind/railroad/strike.html

Eugene Debs and the Railroad Strike of 1877:
http://www.aflcio.org/aboutus/history/history/debs.cfm

The West Virginia Coal War:
http://www.wvculture.org/history/minewars.html
http://www.as.wvu.edu/engl01/users/students/kmoore/public_html/minewar2.htm

A list of other intervention by Federal Troops:
http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/oralhistory.hom/vance-c/AppendixH.asp

[OKthatsIT]

9. Bush is a LIAR.

People will find guns if they feel threatened. Bush's incompetence and greed created the mess. He once again refuses to admit his bad judgement...

The truth is...Bush creates chaos where ever he goes. And all of his friends make LOADS of money for doing just that.

Destroy and rebuild. If they had FEMA together, why then that would make the Govt look too good. Bush has to create chaos and PROVE/SPIN that the tax payers money is better off PRIVATIZED.

WAKE UP!

[RandiFan1290]

13. Tell them to put down the guns!!

New Orleans needs and army of search and rescue!

[halobeam]

15. It's clear they are not taking that route.

It's clear to everyone else they messed this up as bad as they could have.

[goclark]

21. They need some Drug Rehab Counselors in there

The Mayor of NO said that the problem on the streets and in the dome was the drug addicts that were not able to get their drugs.

They were desperate.

I am not excusing them, I'm just saying that guns are not what they need,these are not gang members as I recall the mayor's remarks.

They better watch out, if they want to see another Iraq,they just try to mess with the wrong gang of gang bangers! They will have rival gangs in all the major cities to fight the National Guard.

When will they ever learn to treat people without all the cowboy and Indian techniques?

It's not working in Iraq and it won't work here!

[leftyleftist]

23. Good God

They really are going to end up fighting gangs if they do this. I've been praying since this all started that they wouldn't send in the big guns like this.

No one is covering this news now.

[goclark]

24. They also need to let some of the young black soldiers

to go in and just talk to them.

Where the hell are they going anyway? They have no place to live, no money, no car, no busses to ride.

I really don't think there are that many "scary" situations, just White soldiers that don't speak the language of the urban area.

GWB just wants to start a race riot. He is one dangerous criminal.

I would rather deal with twenty five gang bangers than Bush. He is far more dangerous.

[havocmom]

16. Losing in Iraq for same reason: bush thinks hungry people should STFU

and doesn't grasp that they will fight to live.

Destroy Iraq's infrastructure and people have to fight. Hungry, thirsty, homeless, nothing to lose = gonna be dangerous

Hasn't leaned from the expensive education the people of Iraq & the US are paying for. bush still thinks he can make everyone do as he tells them and doesn't like that they won't hurry up and die quietly.

Is it true that a guard unit now in NOLA is recently back from Iraq? If so, that is also a deliberate act to maximize causalities. Tired, frustrated, nervous troops are NOT what you send in to restore order. They are just the ticket if one wants to ignite a powder keg.

[BrklynLiberal]

17. What a horrifying story! To think now they will have soldiers with guns

to deal with as well.
There is no hell bad enough for the people responsible for this.
This IS as bad a Rwanda, and it IS Genocide!!!

[5thGenDemocrat]

20. The military experts are wrong re: regular Army troops

The 101st Airborne was sent into Detroit during the unpleasantries of 1967. They got the East Side calmed down with a far lower casualty rate, given and received, than did the cops and National Guard troops operating west of Woodward Avenue.
John
LBJ made Governor Romney beg for the federal troops in writing, but he got them (on about the third day).

[MetaTrope]

25. Does this mean the private mercenaries from Blackwater are finished

cleaning out the bank vaults and jewelry stores in New Orleans?

[bring_em_home_bush]

27. There are many treasures in that city for people who know where to look

Private art collections and priceless documents and books. . . .whatever hasn't been destroyed by the storm and flooding.

[Skidmore]

28. Bet he's panicked--his little King's Progress among the

peasants didn't have its desired effect. No magic cures. Just exposed the weakness of his whole rule--fancy packaging is not hard work. Hard work has not been done by this crew. Hard work is crafting policies that make this type of crisis manageable. He deserves every bad bit of press and anger directed toward him, and then heaping batches of much more.