President Bush doesn't mind sending troops from all different military branches over to fight his senseless war in Iraq. While the Army and Marines are meant to fight overseas, the National Guard is not. Only in times when there is dire need for their support, should we send them in harms way far from their families. One of the primary roles of the Guard is to protect the homeland, against invaders and to provide assistance for natural disasters. We already saw the consequences of not having Louisiana's men when Hurricane Katrina hit, now we get to see what happens when an F-5 tornado destroys an entire Kansas' town.
From RawStory:
"Well, states all over the country are not only missing personnel, National Guard troops are — about 40 percent of the troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan — but we’re missing the equipment. When the troops get deployed, the equipment goes with them," she told CNN.
"So, here in Kansas, about 50 percent of our trucks are gone. We need trucks. We’re missing Humvees, we’re missing all kinds of equipment that can help us respond to this kind of emergency."
She said that because the National Guard doesn't have the equipment it needs, the disaster relief efforts are proceeding at a much slower pace than they otherwise could.
Amen Kathleen! Our National Guard needs to be at home so we can be equipped to deal with emergencies like the devastating tornado that hit Greenburg. Of course there is a relief effort underway, but nothing like it should be. I remember living through the aftermath of the Northridge earthquake in 1994 and the Guard were our heroes. They helped fix massive sinkholes, repair water mains and hand out water while there was none for several days.
That is one of the many reasons why each Governor has command of the Guard, so that they can take care of serious situations across the country when disaster strikes. That is much different than creating the disasters themselves like we (George Bush) have in Iraq.
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