June 2, 2020

"Trump threatens military action to quell protests, and the law would let him do it."

Writes Matt Zapotosky (at WaPo).
In a televised speech, Trump said he had recommended Monday “to every governor to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets.”

“Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled,” Trump said. “If a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.... I am mobilizing all available federal resources, civilian and military, to stop the rioting and looting, to end the destruction and arson, and to protect the rights of law-abiding Americans”....

A law called the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the domestic use of military for law enforcement purposes without specific congressional authorization, said Stephen Vladeck, a professor at the University of Texas Law School. But a different law, the Insurrection Act, provides the president authorization to do so under certain circumstances, he said....

[The Insurrection Act] was... used during the civil rights movement, including when President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent the Army into Little Rock to desegregate its schools, Vladeck said. The law says the president can intervene if state authorities are unable to give their residents the protection of law.
That example immediately crystallizes the "reason why the statute allows him to act even if states don’t ask him" (Vladeck's words).

On Twitter, Joe Biden said: “He’s using the American military against the American people.” Against or for? You have to admit he'd be using the American military against some American people, but the motivation is to protect other American people.

The article also quotes Kamala Harris, saying: "He is a divider. He is clearly scared. And he cannot meet this moment that he has partly created because of his inability to understand the pain and the suffering." I'm reading this idea of "understanding pain" as meaning willingness to tolerate chaos and destruction. Shouldn't we all be scared of disorder? What are Democrats offering to do about the violence — anything other than purporting to understand it?

If what Biden and Harris and other Democrats believe is that anything government does will only make it worse, I'd love to hear them come out and say it.

31 comments:

DarkHelmet said...

I'm not at all happy about the long, loud, unruly mob of jerks who paraded past my house last night at 1:00 am. I'd be just fine with Trump or that idiot Evers calling out some form of military to prevent a repeat of that.

It's going to be 90 degrees in the Milwaukee area today. I fear for what the night may bring.

Mr Wibble said...

At what point can we start considering these protests to be an in-kind contribution to Trump's reelection campaign?

Earnest Prole said...

Why it's almost as though we're all Federalists now that the Orange Peril has threatened all that is sacred.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

-5% GDP + 15% unemployment = riots

We are now France.

Heck of a job Trumpy.

wendybar said...

Good!! How else are we going to get the little white black clad Antifa soy boys off the street?? He isn't Obama who let them run wild while the media cheered them on.

PhilD said...

You would never believe all this started with a 'police brutality' incident started by an officer in the employment of a democrat run police department in a democrat ruled city in a democrat run state. If the 'protesters' had any decency they would protest before every office of the democrat party.
The democrats ability to transfer their own responsibility for their own idiotic/criminal acts is really something to behold. They couldn't do without the connivance of the 'press' but even then.

wendybar said...

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...
-5% GDP + 15% unemployment = riots

We are now France.

Heck of a job Trumpy.

6/2/20, 7:00 AM

Put the blame where it belongs....CHINA released the Wuhan Virus, and the left is carrying out the rest of the destruction to bring down the economy just like Cloward and Piven have been talking about since the 60's. They want their Socialist utopia, and this is the way to get it. Read up on it.....It's textbook man.

n.n said...

Harris is right: diversity breeds adversity. The President needs to mitigate the progress of Democrats' multitrimester witch hunts and warlock judgments that are first-order forcings of climate change and dysfunctional convergence. Social justice anywhere is injustice everywhere.

n.n said...

-5% GDP + 15% unemployment = riots

Ostensibly it was Her Choice that was the "big bang" of [catastrophic] [anthropogenic] climate change, but its progress (e.g. excess deaths, property destruction) was forced by the spread of social contagion (e.g. JournoLism, activism), and exacerbated by witch hunts, warlock judgments, and dreams of redistributive change. Think of the babies! #BLM

Andrew said...

@Beloved Commenter etc.,
You're honestly blaming Trump for the unemployment rate?

What was that rate before the virus?

ConradBibby said...

"The article also quotes Kamala Harris, saying: 'He is a divider. He is clearly scared. And he cannot meet this moment that he has partly created because of his inability to understand the pain and the suffering.'"

More gaslighting. Seriously, does anyone read what Kamala says above and think "Yeah, that's exactly right. Trump is SCARED, and that's why he's reacting this way"?

Quaestor said...

-5% GDP + 15% unemployment = riots

A simple-minded formulation by a famously simple-minded commenter.

At least you have the brains to use riots rather than protests, ARM. Congrats.

Tom T. said...

Do Biden's people really think these riots are helping them?

Interesting to see BCARM denouncing the lockdown. I guess maybe he thinks the coronavirus was just a conspiracy.

Unknown said...

What happened to

Stay Home

From last month?

Jerks and fools

Darkisland said...

You know one city we don't hear much about? Minneapolis.

According to the Star tribune it seems peaceful since Saturday.

Hmmmmm... Wonder whst happened saturday?

John Henry

Darkisland said...

ARM, clueless as always, takes no responsibility for the plandemic hoax and its hit to the economy.

Aren't you one of the ones saying the economy should have been shut down sooner? So the economy would be even worse?

Aren't you one of the ones complaining about the economy opening too soon? Better safer than sorry and all that.

John Henry

Unknown said...

The Democrats are FUNDING the rioters

Its a Democrat group

From Biden and Harris to Hollyweird they back them

Democrat donors fund the antifa

Its all the work of Democrats

And no way they will abuse mail in voting...

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

At what point can we start considering these protests to be an in-kind contribution to Trump's reelection campaign?

Let's not get cocky. A lot of well-meaning people think they are freedom fighters.

TreeJoe said...

You can always tell when one side doesn't have a fucking clue when they don't propose any quantifiable next steps, they just criticize the other side.

When local government either elects NOT to enforce the laws and ensure order or actively works to subvert local laws and order, it is up to the state government to step in. When the state government similarly does not fulfill it's duty, it's up to the federal government.

Why is this so hard to understand? Trump stepping over local government would be against the constitution. Similarly, local and federal government NOT effectively enforcing laws protecting people and property is an abrogation of responsibilities.

Answer: It's not hard. There are people who don't want to enforce the laws.

Police don't want to police themselves. Local government doesn't want to be seen as hurting it's own citizens when they riot. People would rather be seen as succumbing to some unstoppable force than be seen taking tough actions that people can look at and specifically assign blame towards.



h said...

I know I'm not the hippest person in the world. And I understand that a lot of people are upset with the Bureau of Land Management. But I don't really understand why they are upset.

Birkel said...

Nice of Biden to stay consistent.
He was against desegregation (I base this on his support of Southern anti-segregation pols.) and therefore against using the military against power-mad Democratics.

And he stayed consistent; he does not want Trump to use the military against power-mad Democratics who would murder and kill the other, now.

tcrosse said...

This is Trump's opening position in a negotiation.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Good thing the Wuhan Hillary Chi-Com virus showed up when it did.

Perfect timing.

Michael K said...

Remember when Eisenhower called out the Airborne to integrate schools?

Remember which political party was in opposition to him?

Me too.

And Baden's second autopsy found zero evidence of asphyxia.

gbarto said...

No, Trump using government power would make things worse. This is why only candidates the right people support can be entrusted with power.

stevew said...

Trump didn't threaten military power to "quell protests", he threatened to end the rioting and looting using the military if the mayors and governors didn't take care of it.

MadTownGuy said...

"The article also quotes Kamala Harris, saying: "He is a divider. He is clearly scared. And he cannot meet this moment that he has partly created because of his inability to understand the pain and the suffering."

Reminds me of the bully in grade school who would grab your arm, hit you with it, and tell you to stop hitting yourself.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

The WaPo headline is deceptive. Trump is attempting to quell the riots, not the protests. The Seattle Times ran that headline. I've called them to berate that deceptive headline.

Achilles said...

Michael K said...

And Baden's second autopsy found zero evidence of asphyxia.

Crump is a liar and so are all the media outlets that ran with that story.

They are evil people.

The people who announced that he did should be arrested and charged with the same crime people yelling Fire in a crowded theater would be charged with.

They are inciting violence and terrorism.

YoungHegelian said...

[The Insurrection Act] was... used during the civil rights movement, including when President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent the Army into Little Rock to desegregate its schools, Vladeck said. The law says the president can intervene if state authorities are unable to give their residents the protection of law.

Oh, and how the liberals remember Little Rock as a Blessed Event in American history, and now that chicken has come home to roost many, many years after the fact.

I want all the Democratic governors & mayors to get together and practice in front of the mirror, spitting out the words "States' Rights" between gritted teeth in an Arkansas accent, just like Gov. Orval Faubus used to.

bgates said...

As I understand the rapidly evolving Democratic position:

The violent protests are a legitimate response to 400 years of white supremacy, as exemplified by Republican so-called "tough on crime" positions. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris used to support so-called "tough on crime" positions, but that was years ago.

The violence at the protests have nothing to do with the legitimate, peaceful protestors, but are instead the work of dirty foreigners. The violence used to be legitimate, but that was days ago.

Foreigners have no place interfering in American activities like these protests. Foreigners used to be more Americans than people who were just born and raised here, but that was hours ago.

Trump's announcement that he's willing to use military force to quell the violence at the protests is a threat against American citizens. The violence at the protests used to be due to foreign interference, but that was minutes ago.