Umm.... didn’t the National Guard already do a lot of those things after Hurricane Katrina?
Re-read #4 above. Particularly that last phrase.
No Offense, but the National Guard are a bunch of civilians just following orders. Dedicated Military personnel understand the oath and the ultimate responsibility that entails. They will not turn into the German military in the 1930s who swore an oath to Hitler, which ultimately destroyed their county and led to millions of deaths worldwide.
Yes and no. The active duty military is restricted by something called Posse Comitatus, which basically says that active duty forces can't be used on US soil. The National Guard doesn't come under that act, because each state's Guard is under the command of the state governor.
I believe that it was the Louisiana State Police, under orders from Gov Blanco before the hurricane hit, that blocked the bridge, preventing New Orleans residents from traveling to the west side.
The National Guard serves at the behest of the Governor of the state in which they are assigned. If you recall from Katrina, the ballyhoo, as it were, was that the National Guard did not respond quickly enough, and that it was “Bush’s fault”. Two points: First; it is the responsibility of the Governor to activate the national guard, not the President. Second; The President cannot take command of State National Guardsmen without the epressed permission of the state (Governor). At that time President Bush did not have the constitutional authority to order the guardsmen to do anything because the Governor did not grant the federal government (President) authority over her troops. The federal government was pre-staged but the governor waited almost 72 hours before responding to the Presidents request to take control of the guard under the auspices of FEMA.