Posted on 08/12/2024 9:58:02 AM PDT by Angelino97
A coalition of Libertarian Party officials, Republican legislators, and media figures has signed an open letter from the Libertarian Institute urging former President Donald Trump to endorse the Defend the Guard Act. This legislation, which has already been brought up in several states, aims to prevent the deployment of National Guard units into foreign conflicts without a formal declaration of war from Congress, as mandated by the U.S. Constitution.
The letter, penned by Liam McCollum and published on Monday, emphasizes that the National Guard has borne a significant portion of the burden in recent wars, leading to substantial casualties among their ranks. McCollum writes, “Despite commonly being dismissed as ‘weekend warriors,’ the National Guard has been the primary fighting force in the Global War on Terror. 45% of those deployed in the post-9/11 wars have been Guardsmen, and Guardsmen have also represented nearly 20% of the casualties from those wars.”
The letter argues that the Defend the Guard Act would have kept Guardsmen from being sent to conflicts where Congress had not formally declared war, which would have allowed them to be deployed instead at the southern border or at home to protect their communities from natural disasters. Specific examples cited include the response to Hurricane Katrina, recent hurricanes in Florida, and Arizona National Guardsmen who were injured in a drone strike, who could have otherwise been “assisting Texas in its efforts at the United States border with Mexico.”
McCollum further contends that Trump’s endorsement of the Defend the Guard Act would solidify his support among libertarians and constitutional conservatives while aligning with his “America First” agenda, describing its overall appeal as “tripartisan.” He also suggests that the legislation is “one more thing” Trump can do to win over Libertarian voters.
The letter additionally references Libertarian National Committee Chair Angela McArdle, who is quoted as saying she intends to work with “prominent liberty-minded congressmen and senators, like Matt Gaetz and Mike Lee,” to further drum up support for the legislation, which the Libertarian National Committee endorsed during her first term.
Signatories to the letter include McArdle and nine Libertarian Party state chairs, along with former and current Republican legislators from over a dozen states, and veterans from various military branches. Several libertarian organizations and alternative media figures, such as Dave Smith, Clint Russell, and Josie “The Redheaded Libertarian” Glabach, have also signed.
Sounds good to me.
Congress needs to reclaim its authority to declare war.
Let’s not start pulling tools off the table just as Trump is getting into office. He is going to need to be able to unsheathe the full strength of the US to fix the problems biden and the ho have created around the world.
Show me where the Constitution requires a declaration of war to deploy the NG.
btw. this proposed legislation is unConstitutional. The USSC has stated that the federal government exercises plenary (look it up) powers over the NG.
Huh?
You want Trump to send our military -- National Guard included -- on foreign adventures all around the world?
In that case, why not vote for Harris?
No, we might need to seize and occupy parts of northern Mexico to eradicate the cartels and create safe havens for departing illegal aliens.
Angelino, I think you’re on the right track. As it is now, the Guard is just another tool in the box for a president who wants go on a foreign adventure. Take away that tool, and maybe presidents would be less inclined towards reckless behavior.
I think DugwayDuke is also correct. A constitutional amendment would be needed to fix this. And so that’s what should be done.
Anything that trims back the power of the imperial presidency is a good thing.
An interesting book to read is “On Strategy, A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War” By Harry Summers. It details how after the war the Army was restructured so a war could not be fought without mobilizing the National Guard so as to get the national will behind the conflict.
I have an issue with The National Guard, which implys they are guarding the homeland, being sent off the vietnam, Iraq, Ukraine or wherever.
They should be a defensive force only
Most of the Guard and Reserves have nothing to do with protecting us domestically unless you mean the last stages of being defeated as the foreign military is engaged in full combat here as in Red Dawn which is later than most of us want to wait for.
Tanks, fighter jets and bombers, green berets, they aren’t meant for riots.
Well, they have been used to quell riots. I remember the National Guard patrolling Los Angeles in 1992, after the riots. And NY recently sent guardsmen to help patrol the subways in NYC.
Guardsmen also come out to assist when there are floods or other natural disasters.
Some Guardsmen get such duties when it comes up but the Guard is large and full of different types of combat and war fighting units, you didn’t see the green berets taking out the demonstrators or raising and training guerilla units.
I understood your post fine.
And I don't want Trump to "have the leverage" to get us into foreign wars. I don't want any president to have that leverage.
I'm voting for Trump because I don't think he'll get us into as many foreign wars. But even better if he didn't have the option.
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