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| Blago tells military he'll block fighter wing move |
| 2005-07-12 |
| Associated Press 07/11/2005 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich put the Pentagon on formal notice Monday that he will not approve its proposed move of F-16 fighter aircraft from the 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield to Indiana. In a letter sent to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the governor argued that under federal law if he does not consent to the realignment, the change can not legally be made. Blagojevich said that without the F-16 fighters in Springfield, the 183rd Fighter Wing at Abraham Lincoln Capitol Airport would no longer have a flying mission, even though the state needs it for dealing with potential threats to homeland security. Pentagon spokesman Glenn Flood said the Defense Department has abided by the law in making its realignment recommendation and that it expects its plan to stand. He said the Pentagon asked Justice Department lawyers to begin reviewing the issue last week. The Pentagon plan -- part of a national base-closings effort -- is under review by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, which will prepare a final list of base closings by Sept. 8 for President Bush to review. Blagojevich also formally notified the commission of his decision not to give his consent to the Springfield realignment. Nov. 7 is the deadline for Bush to certify the commission list and submit it to Congress, which has 45 days to pass a motion of disapproval or the commission's list becomes law. This comes on the heels of the 111th Fighter Wing in Philadelphia, Pennesylvania being dissolved by the Department of Defense and the Governer of Pennesylvania declaring that the National Guard is the equivalent of the State Militia and therefore not under the direction of the Department of Defense. Neither Governer has any say-so in this matter. The Department of Defense can do as it pleases. This puts lie to the assertion by Second Ammendment opponents that the National Guard IS the Militia. The Department of Defense owns all the weapons and equipment of the National Guard as well as all the training facilites and a lot of the actual facilities where these units are located. All the Feds have to do is take away the "toys", deny traing, and close the bases. There would be no more National Guard. That's why it's called the NATIONAL Guard. The President can Federalize the National Guard at any time. Not so with a true State Militia |
| Posted by:Deacon Blues |
| #6 Earth to Blago: GFL. But thanks for playing. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-07-12 23:09 |
| #5 The governors might have a better case if they weren't talking about F-16's and such. As an Indiana resident, I'll feel better knowing that they have taken Blago's toys so he can't order a strafing of my neighborhood. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2005-07-12 23:07 |
| #4 Too bad they didn't shut down Great Lakes. I still hate that place. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-07-12 21:30 |
| #3 This is interesting reading that offers 2 different viewpoints. Believe it or not, once you get past the "The right of the people to keep and bear arms" part the 2nd ammendment can get a bit murky. I think Thomas Jefferson cleared things up when he wrote "The Second Ammendment shall never be construed as to give Congress the power to deprive law abiding citezens of their arms". |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2005-07-12 20:29 |
| #2 Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. The Congress shall have the power... To provide for the organizing, arming, and discipling the Militia, and for governing such Parts of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress. A lot of people skip over that part and have their own ideas of what the militia is and isn't. Congress exercises its authority for the organizing of the militia under Title X United States Code, Section 311. Militia: composition and classes. (a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32, under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citi- zens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are commissioned of- ficers of the National Guard. (b) The classes of the militia are-- (1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and (2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia. |
| Posted by: Gleans Unalet1788 2005-07-12 20:16 |
| #1 Properly, individual States should develop their own State militias. The expense would be mitigated by integrating it fully with all sorts of other State organizations. Think of it as a State-level version of Homeland Security. Police activities would be handled by the State police, foreign border patrol would be by a State equivalent of the INS, (open range) firefighting by a State fire department. Ironically, other than adding a few additional services, most of the State militia already exists. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-07-12 19:11 |