Apparently 700 marines were sent to LA now.
They're probably being called up from Camp Pendleton, which means they're no doubt in the city by now.
I believe I'm the only one here who's actually served in the US military, so let me point something out. As a service member you do NOT have to obey a direct order if you consider it unlawful. Let me repeat that: You do NOT have to obey an order if you consider it unlawful. In fact you have a duty and an obligation to NOT obey it. That's according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and the constitution. Look it up if you don't want to believe me.
What would make an order unlawful? How about firing into a group of unarmed American citizens who are assembled to exercise their constitutional right to peacefully protest? If that doesn't fit the textbook definition of unlawful, then I don't know what the hell would.
I know most of you are too young to remember the
Kent State Massacre. I remember it. It happened on May 4th, 1970. I remember it very well. You can read about it at that link, but that was an epic disaster that still has repercussions that are being felt to this day. 28 Ohio National Guardsman fired into a crowd of student protestors at Kent State University, killing 4 and wounding 9 others. That atrocious, horrible event very nearly caused another civil war. No joke and no exaggeration. That was a terrible summer.
Are there psychos serving in the military? Of course there are. There are psychos in every walk of life. There are probably a few psychos among the protestors who are just aching for an excuse to hurt somebody. But they are most certainly the exception and not the rule.
I mean, I just for the life of me cannot picture some 18 year old, fresh off the farm and fresh out of boot camp, firing into a crowd of unarmed fellow Americans. We were trained in boot camp to follow orders, but we were also trained not to if it feels wrong. And no officer I ever served with would ever give such an order anyway.
I'm hoping for the best because ... well, because I guess I'm just a hopeless optimist.
We'll have to wait and see how this is all going to play out. As a Veteran, deploying service members on our own land to an environment where the potential for civilian casualties is high is a recipe for disaster. There will be severe emotional/ moral/ ethical consequences for all involved. This is not a road we should be willing to go down. Ever.
www.bbc.com
