The numbers as I seem to recall were something like less that 15% thought it wasn't something they thought would be a good idea or would be willing to do or some similarly phrased response back in around 1965 and by the year 1995 or so that number was up to around 42% felt they wouldn't have any problems in allowing their forces to be used in an urban environment should their government order them to. I find those trending numbers troublesome if indeed they are true.
In any event the times are changing and not necessarily for the better. I agree much of what you said but as I said I still have my reservations as I've seen too much change that troubles me much and for the willingness of too many Americans to capitulate when it comes to protected rights v/s a sense of false security via self-serving laws.
Well I see why you need to keep guard. I concur that those results about are troubling, but context is still needed. Is it referring to using the military to restore order and keep people safe in the event that cities start to get completely chaotic and too violent for police to control ? Thanks in no small part to welfare and public housing, cities are often a helluva a lot more dangerous in 1965 then they were in 1995. Using the military in a city is hardly the same thing as having the military round up people simply for protesting. I also note that it specifically said urban and not urban or rural. Perhaps it was meant to refer to cities that have become violent hellholes that could conceivably break out into full fledged anarchy, like Paris and parts of London have, tomorrow. In fact, the newer poll apparently took place a couple years after the massive LA Riots, which I suspect had something to do with those results. We would have to see how the questions are worded and phrased before we can draw any real conclusions. Use of military in urban areas can mean just about anything. It is still about balance here. Remember that in asking military to simply do mass roundups of Americans suggests ordering large numbers of them to eventually start arresting family, relatives and close friends.
One thing that is vital is keeping Americans educated and we now, luckily, have ways to keep ourselves informed about US history, our Constitution, how it relates to Congressional laws, Presidential actions and Court rulings, including SCOTUS, District and Appeals Court rulings, and what previous laws have allowed govt to do. For everyone on the left and right, having this education is critical. Otherwise we will never be able to tell if the govt just doing its job as outlined in the Constitution or trying to ursurp too much power. That is a key thing that I have been trying to do this whole time. Any Socialist-Communist dictator will tell you that the people need to be uneducated if you want to ensure you can control them. I am as worried, or at least close to being as worried, as you are about our peoples’ lack of education, apathy, self entitlement, refusal to understand American laws and history and refusal to take any kind of real action. So we should continue to change it immediately.