<
https://theconversation.com/from-kent-state-to-los-angeles-using-armed-forces-to-police-civilians-is-a-high-risk-strategy-258468>
"Responding to street protests in Los Angeles against federal immigration
enforcement raids, President Donald Trump ordered 2,000 soldiers from the
California National Guard into the city on June 7, 2025, to protect agents
carrying out the raids. Trump also authorized the Pentagon to dispatch regular
U.S. troops “as necessary” to support the California National Guard.
The president’s orders did not specify rules of engagement about when and how
force could be used. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who did not request the
National Guard and asserted it was not needed, criticized the president’s
decision as “inflammatory” and warned it “will only escalate tensions.”
I am a historian who has written several books about the Vietnam War, one of
the most divisive episodes in our nation’s past. My recent book, “Kent State:
An American Tragedy,” examines a historic clash on May 4, 1970, between
anti-war protesters and National Guard troops at Kent State University in Ohio.
The confrontation escalated into violence: troops opened fire on the
demonstrators, killing four students and wounding nine others, including one
who was paralyzed for life.
In my view, dispatching California National Guard troops against civilian
protesters in Los Angeles chillingly echoes decisions and actions that led to
the tragic Kent State shooting. Some active-duty units, as well as National
Guard troops, are better prepared today than in 1970 to respond to riots and
violent protests – but the vast majority of their training and their primary
mission remains to fight, to kill, and to win wars."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
