Despite there being no request for the National Guard, let alone active-duty military assistance, by either California Governor Newsome, LA Mayor Karen Bass, or LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell, President Trump unilaterally decided to launch a Federal invasion of Los Angeles.

“Trump ordered it from the top down,” said the police chief. Here’s the full quote.

“We could handle this. I believe that we’d have gone through several steps before deploying the National Guard or requesting its deployment. We would normally go to 50 percent deployment to handle radio calls and to do the business of policing. And everybody else would be focused on the initial problem. Beyond that, then we would request through the sheriff mutual aid, and that would bring in members of the 44 other police departments in LA County, as well as the sheriff’s office. And so that didn’t occur in this case because it wasn’t done through the sheriff or the normal chain of command. It was done from the top down, from the president (U.S. President Donald Trump) directing that that happened. And then the National Guard was federalized. So, they’re working for the U.S. Army, not for the California State National Guard.”

And now Mr. Trump sees fit to order 700 United States Marines sent to bolster the National Guard. Again absent any such request from those civilian authorities on the ground or any known request by the National Guard commanders for such assistance.

There is no prouder branch of the US military than the United States Marine Corps.  President Harry Truman once said the Marine Corps has the best public relations system in the world.

I can think of no worse use for Marines than domestic civilian law enforcement.

My father was a Marine. A veteran of the Chosin Reservoir. The Frozen Chosin, as they called themselves. He had three Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars, and a Silver Star from that war in Korea. He was a proud Marine all his life.  

As a young boy, he taught me to sing the Marine Corps hymn. The entire thing.  I remember the line “to keep our honor clean” from the first stanza.  Let’s hope this idiotic and deranged use of this proud fighting force doesn’t tarnish this honor.

I am sure if my father were alive today, he’d be outraged at this misuse of his beloved Corps.

Now, there are times when using such methods to suppress violence is necessary. The National Guard can also be an appropriate choice.

There is a proud history of the National Guard being federalized and sent to accomplish military goals, including the Revolutionary War, D-Day, World War I, the Civil War, and Korea. There is also a tragic history, such as Kent State, My Lai, No Gun Ri, and the Battle of Little Big Horn.

Military forces in a civilian law enforcement environment are a volatile mix.  In a situation where officers a being fired upon or assaulted, protocols and the law call for the minimum force necessary to stop the problem. While this may involve deadly force, it is the last step on the use of force continuum.

Military forces operate normally on a different scale. When faced with a deadly threat, they use overwhelming firepower to destroy the objective. 

Thus, the volatile situation.

Police Officers must protect everyone’s rights to peaceful assembly and free speech. This does not mean they are obligated to accept being assaulted or threatened with deadly force and do nothing. 

The police officers on the street have the right to go home when their tour of duty is complete.  If someone assaults those officers, they do so at the risk of suffering the consequences. The application of swift, lawful, and appropriate force necessary to stop the criminal actions and arrest those responsible is the correct response.  Those who engage in such actions and are injured or killed bring it upon themselves.

One has to wonder why such actions were deemed unnecessary on January 6 when an actual insurrection took place.

Like every issue, there is another side to it. Those who engage in violence, damaging property, and threatening the peace are responsible for the reaction they engender. If you want to protest, feel free to do so. If you wish to engage in non-violent resistance, be prepared to face the consequences; if you want to bring attention to a problem, do so within the law.

But,

If you want to wrap yourself in the flag of a foreign nation, such as Mexico, and create chaos, go back there and leave the bounty of this nation to those who appreciate it. And while you’re at it, let me know how the Mexican police react under such circumstances.

If you want to attack cops, you are going to get hurt and end up in jail. That is self-inflicted.

If you intend to damage the property of others, you will be held accountable for the consequences.

Let’s hope those on the ground in LA can act like the adults in the room and contain the situation before our maniacal President gets his own Kent State to glee over.

And let’s hope when this is over, we have “kept our honor clean.”