Should our country, perhaps in conjuction with others, form a disaster relief "army"?

Question

Lack of coordination and confusion in the wake of Katrina has raised many questions. There are many religious groups that provide hurricane, tsunami, and earthquake relief, and, as always during disasters, various public officials became the scapegoats for our general lack of preparation for mega-disasters. Such an army could have multiple purposes: first, forming a command post, giving logistical support, providing a "war room" to supply coordination and strategy, and offering coordination of voluntary efforts with the approval of all involved. Secondly, serving as a prototype for a permanent worldwide relief force to supplant armies of destruction on the theory that, as we become more committed to the daunting task of relieving human suffering, we collectively become more reluctant to add to it through war! Everybody could help. A "positive heroism" ethic might replace militarism and gang ethics. The education and engineering corps of the this army could quickly set up schools..

Answer 1

Ehh, the only real issue I have with your point, is that bit, "perhaps in conjunction with others" line....

If it was with other nations it would be no different in principle from having a UN peacekeeping force or three stationed in the United States, and while *I* have no issues with an objective third party seeing what goes on here...I know *many* others would.

But your Details, I think, are more about "in conjunction with other disaster relief agencies", which is good.....provided everyone knows their role in the efforts. We absolutely *have to* do this right or not do it at all: if we have a Disaster Relief "Army" as you propose, complete with weapons, then we MUST, absolutely must have safeguards in place, strong ones, that keep the evangelical and religious elements *in* that "Army" in check. Not doing this is all but handing the Dominionist elements in America a standing military with which they can stage a "religious coup'd'etat" and ramrod their agenda down our throats.

Quite simply: If we are to do this, we must use the hell out of Separation of Church and State to keep the *armed* side and the *religious* sides separate, permanently. Otherwise it just isn't even remotely Constitutional on its face, at face value.

But....having said all that. :) I *do* like your idea, of having a *national* Internal Military. One nationwide agency for handling crises of law, order and civilization as it were. Many many other developed nations already do this, they've streamlined their internal police agencies and disaster relief agencies into a single entity.

And we could save a lot of money and do a LOT more, BETTER, with what we have if we unified and streamlined ALL local police, Fire & Rescue, Ambulance companies, straight up into State Police and Disaster Relief agencies, up into the State National Guards, Coast Guard, and everything falling under the heading of "Homeland Security." We should just nationalize the whole damned thing, even the Park Rangers on our Reserves, who have *too many* fires to put out with too few resources....

Unify it into one big honking agency, *fund THAT fully*, regulate it strictly. Seriously. It isn't just about Command and Control issues though those are crucial....

It is about having ONE standard system in place instead of a patchwork that *deliberately as policy* is ridden with moth-holes from lack of funds and lack of appropriate training. It is about being RID OF, once and for all, all the cronyism and "good-ol-boy" isms that have ruined the reputations of Police Departments and Fire & Rescue Departments *all over* the nation, in big cities AND small towns....

I mean, in times of peace and porsperity, local control isn't a *bad* thing I guess....but you have to understand, during a disaster, local control has *by definition* collapsed. Local control is nothing but anarchy at this point. And anarchy is nothing but an invitation to Martial Law and the Prison State it brings.

So yeah. Unify. Simplify. Streamline it ALL from the local Police and Fire & Rescue and Ambulances, all the way up to the DEA, ATF and Coast Guard, and include Disaster Relief Agencies too.

Just be sure you do the job right. Fully fund. Fully regulate. Keep the evangelical elements *the hell away* from the weaponry, and it should all be good. Because ONE consistent standard all over the nation WORKS in the rest of the civilized world, and WE in America are being *retarded* for not doing this ourselves sooner.

Answer 2

We have the people in the form of the International Red Cross for the Civilian side, and you've got the NATIONAL GUARD for the military and transportation side.

The key on this is to come up with a way so that people who really do care and make the decisions do it quickly, and efficently- instead of being selfish and self seeking- the New Orleans Police Cheif who ordered the National Guard to save his personal stuff from his house rather than resuce people, is a good example.

The PATENTENTLY ILLEGAL way how the National Guard, and the New Orleans Police ILLEGALLY confiscated all LEGALLY REGISTERD GUNS at military gunpoint- fortunatly the NRA beat them in court and the state of Lousiana actually had the balls to say the 2nd Admendment of the CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES DOES NOT APPLY TO THEM.

Think on that- the local government says the national laws and rights therein, do NOT apply to them.

Better do more study and actually look around- the answers are there and they are being addressed

Answer 3

Maybe for a time.But the world is going through a major physical upheaval. We are all going to feel it, and there will be NO disaster relief. Best to quit complaining, and do as you suggest my friend. Get involved in your local Civil Defense program.