Why is it a bad thing to have non-lethal weapons? When the protestors are burning and looting, do you think they should just be killed in the street with lethal weapons? Too many innocent Iraqis/Afghans die because soldiers don’t have a way to eliminate a potential threat without shooting a bullet. With less-than-lethal weapons, they can stop a potential threat to give them time to discover if that approaching van is a suicide bomber or a family on the way to the market.

The author wrote, “Can anyone recall a governor suddenly becoming a prominent public figure for no apparent reason?” I thought the reason was that…THEY’RE A GOVERNOR! The author tries to imply a conspiracy with Palin and the Alaskan military exercise and a possible Republican presidency using this force to impose their will on the people. As Jim explains, and the author quoted, the governor requests assistance from the Federal Government. Governors do this all the time when they want money or FEMA or whatever, right? IF things get way out of control so that the state doesn’t have enough people to manage the emergency, a Governor might need the services this organization can provide.

I just left an assignment in Alaska. Northern Edge is the title of a military exercise we’ve been having in Alaska since 1993. Other major named exercises go back to 1975 from what I could find. These are war fighting exercises designed to prepare all our military forces to deal with various military combat scenarios throughout the world. The Governor has limited impact in this short of the participation of Alaskan National Guard units.

Jim really seems to know what he is talking about. He is dealing with the facts as I understand them.

Michael makes a great point on the training issue. But, as Jim points out, the whole point of the new task is to train and prepare this unit.

Provided “agoodhope” understands that American military forces live and work throughout the US, I agree that a “deployment” of this unit to support an emergency is a cause for concern. It means something terrible has happened that civilian authorities can’t handle. That probably means many people have died and worse could be on the way. This military unit certainly does need oversight, as every unit does. Violations of military law does occur and that is why we have a military criminal and prison system.

J is correct (sort of) in pointing out the availability of the National Guard to be the first to be called up to support state issues. But, if they get overwhelmed, this unit is another source of support.

Lostuir makes a fun and scary prediction of the future. However, this unit alone can’t pull that level of control off.

KC seems righteous and angry. Good for you for standing up! I wish I could assure you that the military will not take over the country, just so you will feel less threatened by us. But, I don’t think there is anything I could offer to change your opinion. I can assure you, I keep waiting to get that indoctrination into the secret circle when someone tells me how we are going to do it. Instead, I keep getting forced to hear boring briefings about ethics, safety, leadership, process improvement, cost savings and stuff like that.

Austin, having a hobby is a good thing. Many of us like sports or crafts. Some are into hunting, gardening or cars. Believing in conspiracy theories can be a fun hobby. But, don’t let it take up too much of your time. Go for a walk. Spend some time with your family. Maybe our goverment is as evil as you describe. But I didn’t see anyone at the crowded mall or crowded restaurant yesterday complaining about anything. Life seems pretty good being a sheep.

Finally, I’m willing to accept that some conspiracy things might be true. But, I’m going to need a lot more than this article to help me get there. Don’t just string a bunch of uninformed topics together to predict a future. Hey, maybe your hated President Bush will find a way to declare martial law just before President-elect Obama takes office. Maybe then some chip in my head will turn me into that brainwashed zombie stormtrooper to march through the streets and kick in doors. Tell you what, you should probably hide quietly in your basement on 19 Jan. Don’t come out until it’s over. And practice walking like a zombie. It will help you sneak into the nerve center to shut us all down. Wait, didn’t I already see that movie?

This is for advanced roundups and to kick our doors down in the middle of the night, like they’ve been trained to do in Iraq. The chickens are coming home to roost.

We were supposed to have a National Guard made up of “civilian soldiers” for use in case of emergency. Instead we now have the Cheney/Bush HOMELAND/FATHERLAND domestic doctrine which says they can institute martial law on a whim and will have combat hardened troops in place for this purpose.

Should you be nervous? Yes.