Thread: Why we cant place Military on Border!

This is what Act we need to work to over turn and change!

It is the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878.

I think this is a real peace that we need to change and i think we should look into making and forcing those to change it.

The posse comitatus act of 1878 states that it is illegal to use the Armed Forces and by extension the Reserve component in basic law enforcement actions. Specifically the Sec. 325 states that "direct participation by a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps in a search, seizure, arrest, or other similar activity [is prohibited] unless participation in such activity by such member is otherwise authorized by law."

So what do you think?

Posse Comitatus does not apply. This is not a Law Enforcement action, it is to defend the Soverign Borders from an invasion. The primary mission of the Military is to defend our Borders.

I spoke to my congressman office and they had informed me that it does pretain to our military. If we are invaded, not by people but by an armed force though it doesnt make sense either. I have read this and read this and it is rather complicated.

Pro

One thing I know and that is that if we can find a pretext to go halfway around the world with 150,000 troops to topple Saddam Hussein, we can find a way to put the national guard on the borders, at a minimum. If Bush and company wanted to do it, there would be troops on the way tomorrow. This is a red herring thrown out by people who either oppose controlling our borders or who don't really care.

Border security IS a national security issue and the politicians need to get up off their politically correct keisters and get it done. While they fiddle Rome is burning.

The intent of Posse Comitatus was to prevent the use of federal Troops against American Citizens. Many try to twist this into saying the military cannot be deployed inside the United States, which is obviously false, since that would mean that any nation that invaded by airborne troops, dropped within the U.S., would then have no resistance from our military due to Posse Comitatus.

National Security, and especially the security and defense of our sovereign borders is the primary role for the military's existence.

The Posse Comitatus act has been ignored so many times by our government, that to invoke it now is rediculous. As I recall, those were military tanks and choppers at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco. National Guard troops were used in riots in Kansas City, and the 101st Airborne was sent into Little Rock in order to get black kids into schools. NONE of these uses even came as close to the role of the military as securing our borders does.

DonQuixote, you are absolutely right. My dad was deployed to Henderson, NC wih the National Guard to help quell disturbances there in the fifties. The National Guard has been used over and over again to control civil disturbances. Federal troops were used to enforce integration in the South in the fifties.

Have our representatives lost their memories or are they just ignorant?

When a task is beyond the power of conventional law enforcement to handle, the guard and the active military have been used over the years countless times. If this is not such a time, then when will it be? When they set up the capitol of Aztlan in San Diego?

As I have said all along. We do not lack the means, we only lack the will.

I belive that Posse Comitatus only applies to to the regular military and not National Guard, State Guards, Naval Militia, etc that are run by states and are deployed by the govorner (sp).

Let's not forget the extensive use of the U.S. Military after 1874 against native Americans! I know the regular military was used in the early part of this century against strikers as well.

Posse Comitatus is just an excuse. The military would not be arresting any citizen, they would be preventing illegal aliens from coming across our sovereign border. If that is beyond the understanding of our politicians, then perhaps I should get my seven year old grandson to explain it to them.

Originally Posted by Scarecrow

Let's not forget the extensive use of the U.S. Military after 1874 against native Americans! I know the regular military was used in the early part of this century against strikers as well.

Posse Comitatus is just an excuse. The military would not be arresting any citizen, they would be preventing illegal aliens from coming across our sovereign border. If that is beyond the understanding of our politicians, then perhaps I should get my seven year old grandson to explain it to them.

Also wasent the Regular Army and Marines involved in supressing the Rodney King riots? Dont forget the rumors that Delta Force was involved in Waco and when they were called in to put down a prison riot in Atlanta. Though I belive the special forces are exempt from Posse Comitatus.