Leaving aside its trigger-happy reputation globally, including amongst its allies, the US military seldom questions orders to bomb, shoot, imprison or torture anyone at all who may be designated as a target by its imperial C-in-C. Besides, the issue was dealt with by H.R.5122
See http://libertyforlife.com/law/posse_comitatus_destroyed.htm

well said

the government turns its back on the soldiers as quickly as it does the public

nwo has no friends

henry ford got the army to shoot auto workers in ann arbor michigan

http://www.henrygeorgeschool.org/ford.htm

generals patton and macarthur lead troops down the mall in wash dc to fire on ww1 vets

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonus_Army

the iraq vets ar a good group of guys who know what the deal really is

I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class thug for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902–1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents

Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940), nicknamed "The Fighting Quaker" and "Old Gimlet Eye", a Major General

Back when I was drafted into the army during the Vietnam war era, I was a card carrying member of the American Servicemens' Union. The ASU advocated civil disobedience up to and including sabotage of US military property as tactics to help force an end to the war in southeast Asia. To put it mildly, the Pentagon and the army's Criminal Investigation Division took a dim view of such antiwar efforts by members of the armed forces (many of whom, after discharge, took prominent part in street demonstrations as members of Veterans for Peace and Vietnam Veterans Against the War).

In the aftermath of US withdrawal from Vietnam (I believe in the early 80's when Reagan was president) Congress quietly passed a new section to the federal Criminal Code and the UCMJ making it a felony for anyone to attempt to form a union, or to be a member of a labor union, if you were on active duty in the United States military. I believe that is the current status of the First Amendment freedom of association rights I once exercised as a member of the American Servicemens' Union for those who are in US military service today. What was constitutionally protected back then is now considered a criminal conspiracy.

It is good that Iraq Veterans Against the War is out front on this issue, its connection to the union busting power grab underway in Wisconsin, and the role that the National Guard has played historically in times of worker strikes and other times of great public unrest. It was the Ohio National Guard who fired and killed students at Kent State University in 1970. Earlier, when the city of Detroit was convulsed by riot, arson, and looting, Republican governor George Romney and Democratic President Lyndon Johnson worked out a deal which saw the streets of the Motor City patrolled by soldiers many of whom had returned from combat tours in Vietnam. Angry locals in both these midwest states took note.

"Adding another mission to an already overburdened military for the purposes of suppressing the rights of workers is irresponsible and not worthy of our service."

Amen.

FTA.

It's not a crime, nor a mutiny, to refuse to carry out orders that are clearly unconstitutional.

Bill from Saginaw

Veterans should be tried for their crimes and punished proportionally.

Iraq Veterans Against The War, finally a voice of reason! I applaud these Veterans. They are doing a great job working to make America safe for our children and grandchildren. We can only hope that if that egomaniac Walker tries to get the National Guard to turn on dedicated, hard working, decent, family loving, Americans (to do what, open fire on them?) The National Guard will refuse the order like the Egyptian military. How dare he suggest such a thing? Where are the Constitutional Lawyers? I thought America was founded by our forefathers to prevent anyone from gaining tyrannical control of the masses.If there is no law against what Walker is doing there should be.

I have meant and know personally many military personnel and all of the ones that I have known would not kill American citizens, but the CIA, Xe, SS mercenaries sure would! I applaud IVAW. America may need you to keep your oath to protect America from its domestic enemies. If you do not fear your own Government, it means you are either a brainwashed, right wing hate radio sheeple; a propaganda idiot, Fox News watcher; an apathetic citizen that has not been paying attention; or one of the Koch brothers! The Jeffersonian quote, that when the Government fears the people that is a democracy and when the people fear the Government that is tyranny is just as true now as it was over two hundred years ago.

Gosh, in France, in 1789 wasn't it the king who asked the troops to come to Paris and rescue him by firing on the French citizens... and guess what? The army arrive from Marseilles and said, "No way", and as they say... the rest is history.

RE: It is dishonorable to suggest that military personnel should be deployed against teachers, health care providers, firefighters, police officers, and other government employees, many of whom are themselves serving in the National Guard.

OUTSTANDING!!! We need working class solidarity, that means solidarity with soldiers who are drawn from the working class too.

The core message of this article is a good one and one that ought to be brought up more often in my opinion. When reading People's History, Zinn likes to periodically toss in a "Marshall Law was declared", I can't think of any of those he listed as not being union-busting related.

However, my hat goes off to those in the service forced to make that decision. It is infinitely tougher for them to decide which path to choose when their rations and personal safety are at stake.

Veterans should be concerned about the situation in Wisconsin. Once the "expensive" public workers are beat into submission, what's to keep them from going after pricey veterans benefits next? They've already proved that past contributions don't matter when they decide to rob you.

Thank you IVAW from Madsion.
I hate to sound overly dramatic here, but the more I learn of this bill Walker is trying to ram through, but it is about so much more than just collective bargaining. It defunds all education - no more state funding for k-12 or the UW system at all by 2013. It allows the Walker, who did not graduate college, to fire the whole college administration and replace it with people he chooses, with no oversight. It literally steals from a pension/health care fund set up by the public employees to cover temporary cuts in State contributions to the main fund. The State still owes this fund $200 million from the last time it tried to do this, and the State Supreme Court found it unconstitutional. It lets Walker sell off the Publicly Owned Utilities, to who he determines for a price he determines, no bidding or transparency. It kicks 65,000 of the state's poorest off health care, and lets him replace the board that says who gets health care and who doesn't with whomever he chooses.

This is literally a fight against Mussolini style Fascism, in the state that first won labor rights. If it goes through here, expect it in the rest of the country next year, and expect to see Scott Walker For President in 2012 ads 24/7.

And judging from the signs I have seen on the square, we all make the connection between military spending and the evisceration of one of the best educational systems in the county (WI is ranked #2 in the US after our neighbors, MN). LOTS of connections are being made in the square, as people are not just listening to speakers, but talking.

I had a 17 year old kid tell me "I think I am a Socialist, but there seems to be so many different kinds of Socialism, what kind would you recommend?"
This became huge here when, on the first day the teachers did their sick-in and gathered at the protests, the students gathered at the closed schools and marched down the city's main through way to join with their teachers. Until the Republicans back down here, there will be resistance. I can't wait till Spring... Downtown is going to be so much fun!

Perhaps I missed it -- Did anyone comment about using mercenaries against our citizens?

Two powerful words come to mind: Kent State. That event forever changed the way Americans looked at the war and at the National Guardsmen who refused to disobey orders to shoot students. If Walker or any other governor tries that again it will be the spark that ignites the volatile gas spreading across America.

There has already been enough of the government's actions that we are just Mundanes to be Tamed. I applaud the IVAW people for pushing this envelope and help to stop any possible government terrorism of its citizens.
WE HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THAT
DO YOU HEAR ME USA......ENOUGH