Congress approved the latest sop to the military-industrial complex, saying we can afford to spend $768 billion in money we don’t have on killing people and breaking things. But at least the bill tells Kristi Noem she can’t pimp out the National Guard anymore:
The bill’s language took aim at the Republican governor’s decision to accept a $1 million donation from a Tennessee billionaire in July to send National Guard troops to the U.S. border with Mexico in response to a request from Texas and Arizona. The $768.2 billion defense bill that cleared Congress on a bipartisan vote Wednesday contains a section that prohibits National Guard units from being ordered to cross state borders if their deployment is funded privately unless it is for a natural disaster as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Noem’s decision was met with intense scrutiny. Military experts raised concerns that the practice could allow wealthy patrons to effectively turn National Guard troops into soldiers-for-hire for their own political agendas. The Republican governor defended it as a way to save taxpayer money while acting on an issue that was vital to national — and state — security [Stephen Groves, “Defense Bill Bans Private Funds for Deploying National Guard,” AP, 2021.12.16].
Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds both voted for this provision and the full bill. The defense spending bill contains no provisions banning the Governor from using National Guard troops for photo ops at What-a-Burger.
Thune would never vote for a bill that put constraints on photo ops! ;-)
Oh well. South Dakota’s Ellsworth Air Force Base has butchered countless civilians during the actions to protect the heroin trade keeping the Russian mob and the American Central Intelligence Agency in cash. The Republican-led wars there and in Iraq have cost American taxpayers some $6 TRILLION.
The United States is the arms dealer to the world and averse to gun control at home as it assassinates children, women and men throughout the Muslim world. Hundreds of thousands have been slaughtered in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and beyond.
Good. National Guards are not guns for hire.
The Republican governor defended it as a way to save taxpayer money while acting on an issue that was vital to national — and state — security [Stephen Groves, “
Getting the guard to rape and use drugs and booze is vital to national security?
Ah come on, man! Joining the NG is the only way to tour America for free! Unless you’re deployed to some hot, dusty country that still has a few brown folk to nuke. NG should be rotated for a stint at GITMO too to widen their horizons. Beats playing cards in the hangar on weekends while pretending to watch a power point presentation on off limits bars downtown. Besides, it all counts on 20!
As Tom says “It all counts on 20!”
Maybe they can change the guard back to stay out of war branch it used to be when Bush flew the skies.
Why hasn’t the Governor made a push to deploy the Guard to the tornado ravaged South? I’m sure FEMA could use a few more hands. If we were really trying to help out our neighbors in need . . .
Congress can do some good, even if it takes putting sensible policies into a bloated and otherwise mostly awful defense appropriations bill. It takes a twisted mind to turn the South Dakota Guard into a mercenary force directed by a corrupt billionaire, but Noem, it turns out, was truly daft enough to do exactly that.
Well…I’m not as far down on the South Dakota Guard as you might imagine. We need a program that transitions young people from school to employment as we have no CCC and our AmeriCorps Program is underfunded and underappreciated. The Guard in South Dakota does valuable work during disasters (Rapid City Flood and Spencer Tornado come to mind) and I don’t begrudge young people a few beers. The Texas border deployment was an despicable political grandstand on the part of our Governor, a misuse of the time and talents of our Guard members as well as a huge waste of money (I’m not so sure it was privately funded to any large extent). Does the Guard waste money and resources?? Ever been in the service???
Arlo, I agree. The guard in Mobridge, the bridge builders, was one of the first units sent to Iraq in 2003 and we were without our favorite 4th grade teacher for a year. My sister served in the National Guard in the 80’s in SD and then in California. And so many of my former students have served in the guard. They are not in for any benefits and do NOT want to be pimped out as mercenaries. Despite their political affiliation, 99% of the guard are really concerned about deterrence and defense. (with the exception of killer Jason) Some units get to spend their 2 weeks in Barstow, Ca in the summer with 110 degrees heat and that’s no picnic.
Noem, like many politicians, has never served and has no idea what it’s like to actually defend the constitution like our NG and all military personnel do. They never know what’s going to happen when reckless politicians use them as pawns. I also had 2 brothers in the army and one was a lifer who went to Iraq in the early 90’s and back again many times thanks to the Bush war family. He was also in Afghanistan a half dozen times. When he retired, he was immediately hired as a private contractor and made 8 times more than when he served. That still bothers him today. People don’t realize that most of the personnel that were still in Afghan were private contractors and our troops defended them too for a pittance of pay.
The GOP are war mongers who had a loose nut that almost started a war with China and always called the troops his military. The GOP was testing how far they could go with privatization of funding for the NG with Noem as the puppet. It could have been another practice run for the next coup attempt. Imagine a Texas billionaire or The Proud Boys hiring the SDNG to defend a march in Washington DC. Or a politician paying the guard to defend federal buildings against rioters in Florida after instituting Marial Law.
I’m surprised Thune and Rounds voted for this. Instead of bitching at them, I’m going to e-mail a thank you.
Yes, Arlo and V. The Guard in most states do a great job. In Wisconsin, for example, they staffed polling stations and ballot counting during the pandemic when we oldsters bowed out to avoid getting infected. For that all their effort, we have the Wisconsin Republicans engaging in fake audits of the election results they helped count. Disgusting. The Guard here also staffed vaccination and testing sites. They don’t complain about vaccinations and whine about mask wearing, like the Republicans. They just do it to keep everyone safe.
This increases centralization and increases the likelihood of corruption.
It increases the power and size of the MIC.
$6 trillion to prosecute the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is a crime.
Texas national guard are killing themselves because of Abbott and NOem’s dumb arse border crap. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2021/12/23/wave-of-suicides-hits-texas-national-guards-border-mission/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB%2012.27.2021&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief
I hope that South Dakota’s national guard, that has been abused by NOem, will seek help on the down low.