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http://www.emergency.com/la-riots.htm
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According to California Governor Pete Wilson, he has activated more than 2,000 National Guardsmen to help quell the rampage in Los Angeles. The Guardsman are reportedly members of Military Police Units and are said to be armed with sidearms and M-16 rifles. Police spokespersons indicate that the Gueardsmen have not been used for law enforcement duties, but to secure areas that have been previously cleared by police. An unidentified Army Sergeant was reported to have said that the guard is "on stand-by" awaiting the orders of police officials.

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As lawlessness continued, President George Bush called for calm and a stop to "anarchy" on the streets of Los Angeles. He said that he had conferred with U.S. Attorney william Barr, Mayor Tom Bradley, and Governor Pete Wilson in an effort to provide whatever assistance might be needed to stop the senseless arson, violence, and looting. President Bush is said to have several key staff members monitoring the situation closely and available to provide federal assistance should it be needed.

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As 4,000 regular Army troops and 1,000 federal law enforcement officers move into Los Angeles, people have begun to actually assess the severity of this latest day of "revolution". They find thirty-eight (38) people dead, 1,250 people injuried, 3,600 structural fires, hundreds of businesses looted and closed, and more than 3,000 people arrested. At least four (4) police officers and three (3) firefighters have been shot and hundreds of other injuried as they attempted to control the fires and lawlessness of the past three days.

A "Dusk to Dawn" curfew has been imposed by Mayor Tom Bradley, in an effort to prevent citizens from congregating into the groups that have controlled the streets in recent days. The curfew also finally has "teeth" as 4,000 California National Guardsmen assist the police in securing areas of previous violence. This evening, the National Guard Units were also "federalized" by President Bush and supplemented by another 4,000 Army and Marine troops with orders to act as "Light-Infantry" and to "return fire if fired upon".

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Notice the Guardsman did not act as "policemen" but to guard secured areas.
The progression..and the conferring with the Governor and the Mayor came before he acted...along with the Attorney General..

The implication of what you are saying (to follow the logic of those who think the President is being bashed) is that if the Gov. of LA and the Mayor of NO are too dumb or too stubborn to ask for help then the President (and the rest of the Fed Gov) will have to sit on their thumbs and watch NO go up in flames like the rest of us. I have doubts about that.

I have heard on the radio that Pres. Bush is heading down there today to 'conference' with 'local' officials. Perhaps he was invited but it sounded more like he had had enough and was going to go twist some arms. In the end the law will be followed, IOWs the 'local' officials will get to say "we asked the Pres. for help," but the reality will be that Pres. Bush opened a can of whoop-ass on them.

Those LA Dem pols are playing a game of 'drop the ball and blame the Republican Pres.' but it looks like he's going to publically put the ball back in play, put it back in their court and then they can hang on their own petards if they drop it again.