Ron’s Fascist Personal Army Is Already A Failure

[BeaverFever]

So to recap Florida’s Ron DeFascist recently created a new state military force with special police powers that answers directly to him.   It was sold to the public as a peaceful civilian search and rescue/disaster response type of agency but eager recruits who arrived at training were surprised to learn that they are expected to participate in “combat” against protesters and immigrants and their training was an abusive army-style boot camp causing many to quit.   it’s already had 3 different leaders over its 8 month history and even the government keeps changing its purpose. There’s little coherent practical training provided but plenty of abuse and harsh discipline meant to mould recruits into obedient thugs and weed out those with their own sense of morals or individuality.  As with everything Republicans touch these days, its a dysfunctional shitshow  

 

Veterans quit DeSantis’ Florida State Guard over militialike training

One retired Marine Corps officer called the police on instructors, alleging abuse

 

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/07/14/florida-state-guard-desantis-national-guard-training/

Edited July 16, 2023 by BeaverFever

[suds]

This is shear nonsense. Another smear job on DeSantis, and people like you buy into it. State Guards are allowed under US federal law, so DeSantis 'created' nothing that wasn't there before. At least 20 states have them and the only real difference between State Guards and the National Guard is that State Guards cannot be 'federalized' because unlike the National Guard they are not part of the US Armed Forces. ALL State Guards fall under the direct command of the state governor. So please explain how the Florida State Guard or Ron DeSantis is any more 'fascistic' than the State Guards of California or New York which are highly militaristic and are also under the direct command of their state governors? You won't because you can't....  because there is no difference except that DeSantis is a republican who could be the next US president. By the way, California's State Guard for example has a maritime patrol, army, and air force, all under the command of the state governor.

[reason10]

19 hours ago, suds said:

This is shear nonsense. Another smear job on DeSantis, and people like you buy into it. State Guards are allowed under US federal law, so DeSantis 'created' nothing that wasn't there before. At least 20 states have them and the only real difference between State Guards and the National Guard is that State Guards cannot be 'federalized' because unlike the National Guard they are not part of the US Armed Forces. ALL State Guards fall under the direct command of the state governor. So please explain how the Florida State Guard or Ron DeSantis is any more 'fascistic' than the State Guards of California or New York which are highly militaristic and are also under the direct command of their state governors? You won't because you can't....  because there is no difference except that DeSantis is a republican who could be the next US president. By the way, California's State Guard for example has a maritime patrol, army, and air force, all under the command of the state governor.

The Tampa Bay Times isn't exactly an objective source of reporting. It is a heavily left leaning opinion rag.

[TreeBeard]

On 7/17/2023 at 11:36 AM, suds said:

This is shear nonsense.

Did you read the article?   

[BeaverFever]

On 7/17/2023 at 2:36 PM, suds said:

This is shear nonsense. Another smear job on DeSantis, and people like you buy into it. State Guards are allowed under US federal law, so DeSantis 'created' nothing that wasn't there before. At least 20 states have them and the only real difference between State Guards and the National Guard is that State Guards cannot be 'federalized' because unlike the National Guard they are not part of the US Armed Forces. ALL State Guards fall under the direct command of the state governor. So please explain how the Florida State Guard or Ron DeSantis is any more 'fascistic' than the State Guards of California or New York which are highly militaristic and are also under the direct command of their state governors? You won't because you can't....  because there is no difference except that DeSantis is a republican who could be the next US president. By the way, California's State Guard for example has a maritime patrol, army, and air force, all under the command of the state governor.

I never said it wasn’t allowed under federal law. DeSantis is reactivating a State guard that has been inactive since ww2 because he wants his own private thugs and he pulled the old bait and switch to do it, first pretending it would just be small number of unarmed rescuers and old-lady helpers:

Read the article:

 

Governor’s vision for the State Guard

The revival of Florida’s State Guard started off modestly.

DeSantis proposed bringing back the World War II-era force to supplement the overworked and understaffed Florida National Guard. Although some Democrats were critical of handing DeSantis more power, state lawmakers last year gave the governor twice the volunteers that he requested: 400 members and a $10 million budget.

Unlike the National Guard, State Guard members can’t be deployed by the federal government. They answer only to the governor.

Lawmakers in 2022 added stipulations saying that members could only be called up in an emergency and couldn’t operate outside the state. Those requirements were dropped a year later.

… 

Newhouse said he and Soler viewed the program as more of a Federal Emergency Management Agency response team than a National Guard unit, shunning ranks and camouflaged uniforms. He said he saw the State Guard as a resume-builder for college students and a way for veterans and others to continue to serve their communities.

By March, however, the state’s vision began to change.

That month, state lawmakers and the governor revealed that they wanted to assign the State Guard $89 million to buy boats, planes and helicopters. They wanted a specialized unit within the guard to have police powers and the ability to carry weapons.

And they wanted to boost the State Guard to 1,500 members. Instead of being activated only during emergencies within Florida, they could be sent to any state to “protect and defend the people of Florida from threats to public safety.”

While nearly half of states have volunteer state guards, usually with military structures, few, if any, appear to have equivalent powers. Texas, for example, has deployed its State Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border, but members can’t carry guns or make arrests and don’t have aircraft.

 

[NYLefty]

Desantis strong Republican beliefs of a free market society and let the markets decide have homeowner ins companies charging people 20k a year for a two bedroom house with a 50k deductible. There's your untethered capitalism at it finest and letting the markets decide ??

[Nationalist]

On 7/19/2023 at 10:24 PM, BeaverFever said:

I never said it wasn’t allowed under federal law. DeSantis is reactivating a State guard that has been inactive since ww2 because he wants his own private thugs and he pulled the old bait and switch to do it, first pretending it would just be small number of unarmed rescuers and old-lady helpers:

Read the article:

 

Governor’s vision for the State Guard

The revival of Florida’s State Guard started off modestly.

DeSantis proposed bringing back the World War II-era force to supplement the overworked and understaffed Florida National Guard. Although some Democrats were critical of handing DeSantis more power, state lawmakers last year gave the governor twice the volunteers that he requested: 400 members and a $10 million budget.

Unlike the National Guard, State Guard members can’t be deployed by the federal government. They answer only to the governor.

Lawmakers in 2022 added stipulations saying that members could only be called up in an emergency and couldn’t operate outside the state. Those requirements were dropped a year later.

… 

Newhouse said he and Soler viewed the program as more of a Federal Emergency Management Agency response team than a National Guard unit, shunning ranks and camouflaged uniforms. He said he saw the State Guard as a resume-builder for college students and a way for veterans and others to continue to serve their communities.

By March, however, the state’s vision began to change.

That month, state lawmakers and the governor revealed that they wanted to assign the State Guard $89 million to buy boats, planes and helicopters. They wanted a specialized unit within the guard to have police powers and the ability to carry weapons.

And they wanted to boost the State Guard to 1,500 members. Instead of being activated only during emergencies within Florida, they could be sent to any state to “protect and defend the people of Florida from threats to public safety.”

While nearly half of states have volunteer state guards, usually with military structures, few, if any, appear to have equivalent powers. Texas, for example, has deployed its State Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border, but members can’t carry guns or make arrests and don’t have aircraft.

 

If its allowed under federal law...its allowed under federal law.

Welcome to your own arguments.

[suds]

If part of the duties of the state guard are to replace the national guard should they become federalized.... shouldn't the state guard have the same resources such as equipment and training as the national guard? Of course they should, and that's the reason why most state guards are highly militarized. If you're going to fund a state guard to handle state emergencies then it should be capable of handling all emergencies. Otherwise why even bother? But as usual partisan politics trumps common sense.