The Political Insider

By Dr. Derek Ellerman

Let’s just get a few things out of the way:

• There is an ongoing invasion at our southern border. December saw yet again historic numbers – with well over 300,000 illegal border crossings.
• There are 400,000 National Guardsmen between the Air National Guard and the Army National Guard.
• The nominal purpose of the National Guard is to protect America.

Now, with that out of the way, it’s time for a simple proposal or two. 

RELATED: Another Record: Nearly 314,000 Apprehensions, Gotaways at Southern Border in December

Use the National Guard to Protect OUR Nation

While the idea is not new, the fact that is hasn’t seen wide-spread, universal adoption is a great example of how unserious this country is. 

In the great State of Texas, State Rep. Bryan Slaton introduced legislation to “protect the Texas National Guard from being deployed into active combat duty in unconstitutional wars.”

While also not new, the practice of sending our home guard, weekend warriors thousands of miles away from home in undeclared wars at the pleasure of the President has taken on preposterous proportions since 9/11. 

Just a quick Google search reveals: 

• Alaska Guard being sent to CENTCOM
• Louisiana Guard being sent to Kuwait
• Tennessee Guard being sent to Djibouti

Perhaps the most egregious example par excellence – Wisconsin Governor Mr. Magoo Tony Evers removed Wisconsin National Guard members from the U.S. border, while Wisconsin Guard members were sent 7,000 miles away to Afghanistan. 

That last example couldn’t have been a better match to light the fire of change, and brings me to my main point.

Texas Rep. Slaton’s bill would only allow National Guardsmen to be deployed overseas when Congress actually declares war, as required by the Constitution. (That topic is another piece entirely, but still fits here.)

Texas Scorecard reports: 

During an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson last week, Gov. Greg Abbott revealed that thousands of the Texas National Guard have been sent across the world instead of being at the frontlines on the southern border.

“Texas leads all states in the country in having our National Guard deployed to regions across the entire world, and so thousands of our National Guard are actually in other countries at this time,” Abbott said.

With all due respect, Governor Abbott, have you thought about, say, doing something about that? 

And doesn’t that message seem quite different from this one below?

RELATED: State of Emergency in El Paso as Border Patrol Reports Record Illegal Entries

America First

So here we have our country under actual invasion. According to the best numbers I could find, there are only 5,000 of Texas’ 21,000 Guardsmen on the border. 

How about this: National Guardsmen actually protect our nation, instead of nations 10,000 miles from our shores? 

Failing that, and a further insistence that the National Guard act as a foreign fighting force, how about the states once again create actual militias, controlled solely and only by the states? 

As is so often the case, unnecessary foreign wars of adventurism greatly expanded the power of the federal government and brought fundamental change to our Republic’s traditions; like in 1916, during WWI, when the National Guard was federalized. 

Remember the first and most important rule of all politics, friends: War is the health of the State.

As we’ve seen, Uncle Sam has no interest whatsoever in protecting this nation. So what other options do we have? 

• Do nothing
• Decentralize the existing National Guard back to state-rule
• Failing that, institute new militias.

I’m open to other suggestions, of course. 

And just as a pre-buttal to any detractors: Yeah, and how’s that working out?