Flash: Brush Fires Cause More Political Stupidity Than Global Warming
Where, sobs Bill Richardson, is the National Guard? The Governor of New Mexico, already distracted from governing his own state by a hopeless try for the Democratic nomination for President of the US, distracts himself further by whining about the lack of California National Guard units to fight the fires in the southern part of the state.
But as someone who believes the war in Iraq is a complete disaster and that we need to get our troops out now (http://www.getourtroopsout.com/), I look at the natural disaster in California and feel compelled to also ask President Bush and every candidate who thinks it is okay for our troops to remain in Iraq until 2013 or longer - where is our National Guard?
It is a sad irony that yesterday, the very day I sent fire crews to California, 300 more New Mexico National Guard members were sent to Iraq. Just when we need them most at home, more of our brave men and women, true public servants, are sent away to a war we cannot win.
Never before in our history has our National Guard, a group of dedicated men and women who serve our country and provide critical aid in the time of natural disasters been used, and re-used, for so long to fight a war tens of thousands of miles away.
In California, the Guard force is authorized to have over 21,000 members. Today, that number is just under 15,000. Why the decline? I believe it has nothing to do with a diminished commitment to service, but rather is a frustration with having that commitment abused, and families turned upside down, just so President Bush can continue to pretend his war can succeed.
Well, wah, Billy. It helps if you are not ignoring the facts. California is the only state in the Union that denies tuition aid to National Guard troops:
Via ABC7/KGO-TV in May - thanks to liberal Democrats, CA doesn't offer a full range of benefits making recruiting difficult. Money quote bumped to the top.
Assemblyman DeVore thinks it has been difficult to get tuition benefits approved in this Democratic-led state Legislature in recent years because it could be viewed as support for the Iraq War
Lt. Col. Jon Siepmann, CA National Guard: "This is a problem we've seen really over the past twenty years but most noticeably in the past ten years, even before the war started."
A decade ago, California was authorized to have 21,000 in its guard force. Today it's down by 5000, the size of an entire infantry brigade. The unit that responded to the Northridge earthquake no longer exists.
Lt. Col. Jon Siepmann: "We think that providing an educational benefit will go a long way towards recruiting and retaining quality soldiers here in California."
California is the only state in the nation that does not provide any college tuition help for its guardsmen. The Guard believes it can swell its numbers by 10,000 with a tuition benefit.
Harry Reid is virtually drained of IQ over global warming. Bill Richardson is even further arounf the bend.
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Blue Crab Boulevard » “Luck Favors The Well-Prepared” — Thursday, 25 October , 2007 @ 7:26 am
By Neo, Wednesday, 24 October , 2007 @ 10:40 pm
These fires are a natural occurrence as the forests in souther California purge themselves of the dead and dried trees, scrub and unwelcome structures. It’s obvious to every environmentalist that these firefighters are obstructing this natural occurrence of the Santa Ana winds helping to burn off nature’s debris.
Thankfully, George Bush has sent some 2000 California National Guardsmen to Iraq or they too would probably be fighting nature’s cleansing process.
Don’t fool with Mother Nature.
By Neo, Wednesday, 24 October , 2007 @ 11:12 pm
When did they day the “big one” is coming ? It’s good to see that the Democrat run state legislature is preparing to allow nature to have it’s way.
Can you say .. environmentally sound ?
By NortonPete, Thursday, 25 October , 2007 @ 5:49 am
Fires are fueled by Eucalyptus brush. This specie was introduced by Australians 150 years ago its not native to California.
“On warm days vaporised eucalyptus oil rises above the bush to create the characteristic distant blue haze of the Australian landscape. Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable (trees have been known to explode)”
Add in Santa Ana winds of 100 mph and its a wonder the entire So Cal didn’t vaporise.
But somehow with a bit of spin we can work in Iraq and Global Warming.
By Quilly Mammoth, Thursday, 25 October , 2007 @ 5:51 am
In a way I support the general premise of what the Democrats are saying. It’s a problem that I first spoke against fifteen years ago. At that time the Administration began to seriously talk about implementing one of several plans that the DoD had come up with to downsize the military. That plan meant stripping the Reserve of all Combat Arms and placing them exclusively in the National Guard.
My opposition came down to several key points, two of which were that it put more emphasis on the National Mission than that of the State mission and that the use of the National Guard in a sustained combat role would become a political football. Casualties in Guard units were more likely to be concentrated in small locales rather than disbursed across wider areas as the Reserve units were and that in times of natural disaster conflict between the State and Federal mission was inevitable.
I doubt anyone ever read our, or any other study groups, paper on the effects of that plan. When the first Guard unit was called up to serve in Bosnia is when I decided to leave the Army.
If there is a problem with there not being enough Guard soldiers to properly respond to national disasters then the blame should be laid squarely on the Administration’s shoulders…the Clinton Administration…that made such a situation inevitable. (And I think they did that on purpose)