By Steve Contorno, CNN Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to reestablish a World War II-era civilian military force that he, not the Pentagon, would control. DeSantis pitched the idea Thursday as a way to further support the Florida National Guard during emergencies, like hurricanes. The Florida National Guard has also played a vital role during

:oh-shit: Legitimately spooky and also fucking insane

  • SacredExcrement [any, comrade/them]
    ·
    3 years ago

    State Sen. Annette Taddeo, another gubernatorial candidate, wrote on Twitter that DeSantis was a “wannabe dictator trying to make his move for his own vigilante militia like we’ve seen in Cuba.”

    I mean, she's a lib, but still terrible take.

    The Florida State Guard was created in 1941 during World War II as a temporary force to fill the void left behind when the Florida National Guard was deployed to assist in the US combat efforts. It was disbanded after the war ended, but the authority for a governor to establish a state defense force remained.

    States have the power to create defense forces separate from the national guard, though not all of them use it. If Florida moves ahead with DeSantis’ plan to reestablish the civilian force, it would become the 23rd active state guard in the country, DeSantis’ office said in a press release, joining California, Texas and New York.

    So not unprecedented or unknown...but:

    The move by DeSantis comes on the heels of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s directive warning that National Guard members who refuse to get vaccinated against the coronavirus will have their pay withheld and barred from training.

    Yeahhhh....

    • CTHlurker [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      So imagine a Freikorps, only instead of being traumatized by WWI and the trenches on the western front, these will be the dumbest members of the group that the Armed forces can't find a use for.