Walking a fine line, or leaping across it?
1st Battalion, 20th Special Forces Group, Alabama National Guard can be activated under the authority of the Governor *without* SOCOM approval for operations within the state. At that point they can be an adjunct to the police.
Was Posse Comitatus broken here? I doubt it but I will say that the unique skill sets and experiences that 1/20 brought to the table from urban conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan played no small part in the elimination of the threat to this child.
Posted by Redbear762
02/11/2013 at 06:03 PM
Well then, this story just might warm your hearts:
http://www.nashvillescene.com/pitw/archives/2013/02/11/even-after-newtown-senate-votes-to-expand-gun-rights-yet-again
Here is a taste;
Self-interest is a powerful motivator in human affairs. So to prevent the NRA from booting more lawmakers out of office in the next elections, Republicans are falling all over themselves to expand gun rights in Tennessee yet again. First stop? The state Senate, which adopted the guns-in-parking lots bill by a vote of 28-5 tonight.Rumor I am hearing from friends I still have in service is that is was in fact a small group from 1/20 SFG. They were called in by the Governor and two of thems day jobs are as Detectives in one of the cities in the state.
If that is true the Posse Comitatus does not even come into the picture.
I’m a former member of B 2/20 so when I originally read this, I was scratching my head and going ‘wth’?
Posted by Redbear762
02/12/2013 at 04:43 AM
Drew, not to beat on your story but please do a fact check next time.
Posted by Redbear762
02/12/2013 at 05:40 AM
Well Redbear, somebody sends me a news link, I look at it, it says special forces and “things will be kept secret”. I look at 3 other links for the same situation, one says FBI HRT, 2 others say special forces. How much fact checking do you expect me to do for one blog post? Not one of them said jack about some guard unit, and the photographs I saw of uniforms at the bunker during the operation had FBI written on them. None of them said jack shit about the ‘Bama governor either, but they DID say SOD Panetta - and that implies something far beyond the Guard.
Oh, and now we have special forces in the National Guard? Isn’t that getting a bit on the ridiculous side?
I’m with Drew - they say FBI on the back - so how many soldiers (most especially special forces soldiers) do you know - who would wear FBI on the back of their flack jackets?
Somebody’s lying here - and given the state controlled medias penchant to CYA the big o and his illegal/scheme behavior and the lies/distortions of late - I’ll go with the media lying to us. Just to be on the safe side.
Fact check! What a joke - have you read or listened to much of the state controlled media lately? Their grammar is a joke, their proof-reading is non-existent and they don’t fact check at all. Ever.
This isn’t a news site, it is a FYI site. Big difference.
And I also go with Drew on the if it’s at the line, toe on the line or toe over the line - on a question of ‘is it legal’ or ‘is it Constitutional’ - with the O Administration - most likely the answer is a big FAT NO.
Drew,
Special Forces have been a part and parcel of the Guard and, until the late 80’s, the Army Reserve.
See: http://specialforces.nationalguard.com/
If you want to seek comment on this, you can reach 20th SFG HQ in Birmingham, AL at (205) 957-2342.
Posted by Redbear762
02/12/2013 at 09:19 AM
Wardman, I live in the DC Metro area where B 2/20 is so I see quite a few Federal folks with the ability to go ‘dual patch’. I suspect the same is true there.
Posted by Redbear762
02/12/2013 at 09:20 AM
Redbear, that’s exactly the point of my post. Posse Comitatus was written to keep the military from doing law enforcement. All the kinds of the military, all the kinds of law enforcement. If we do not have a line, then we are living in a federal police state.
And “the ability to go ‘dual patch’” is pretty much proof that some part of some government has done an end-run, and we are.
It doesn’t matter what I think of any branch of the military dreaming up whatever category of their service they want. I personally don’t think anyone who can not commit 50 hours a week or more to training can maintain the skills or the condition that such a “special” distinction OUGHT to have. One weekend a month or two weeks a year simply can not cut it.
I remember my father-in-law bitching about how the Army had made everyone “special” back in the day by issuing berets to all ... a floppy cap once worn by only a truly elite few. And how the qualifications had been lowered substantially ... and now, with women allowed in, lowered even more. In Lake Woebegone, all the children are above average. It loses meaning.
I was referring to individuals being able to perform two duties - as sworn law enforcement in their private employment and as members of an A Team in the Guard.
I think you also misunderstand the commitment required to be a part of the unit; daily PT, weekly ruck marches, running, etc *PLUS* the day job *PLUS* weekends *PLUS* the two week drill. IMHO, I think we had a heart equal to AD SF units and were still on training cycles that often took us away from our paying jobs and families. When you add potential activations and SMU assignments it adds up to well beyond what any other guard Infantry company would dedicate themselves to.
You may not like it but Posse Comitatus doesn’t apply to operations within the states that call up their Guard for whatever reason. That fact that these guys were Guard SF is a GOOD thing - they were able to assist, advise, and coordinate using hard-won skills that ultimately saved the life of this young child.
Posted by Redbear762
02/12/2013 at 01:56 PM
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