National Guard to be used as local cops??

[derketchup]

Any way I consider it--it seems like a bad idea. If they aren't going to be armed, why bother? And if they are going to be armed, nothing good ever comes when a country uses it's military against it's own people.

The end-times must be nigh, for I am agreeing with Den.

[Dengineer]

The end-times must be nigh, for I am agreeing with Den.

[MaryMary]

Mmm... thats a tough one.

In our countries history.... we've seen the NG used... sometimes for good, other times it didn't turn out quite so good...

WHat struck me was this

"So far this year, 113 people have been killed across Chicago, the same number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined in the same period, Fritchey said.
"As we speak, National Guard members are working side-by-side with our troops to fight a war halfway around the world," Fritchey said. "The unfortunate reality is that we have another war that is just as deadly taking place right in our backyard."

It kind of made me go "Good point..."..... BUT....

I don't like the IDEA of it. Armed soldiers walking the streets? That isan't exactly who we are. I have 100% respect for the national guard, but I am not sure this is their place, kwim?
We have one state now that has become a "stop and show me your papers" kind of place... based on appearance... and now another that wants military patroling the streets.... I am not comfortable with where this is going... and what it is reminiscent of...

So, I don't know...

If it's not who we are, so who we are? Why it would be OK for other countries where less Americans got killed then on the streets of major American city, but not for Americans?

[kval07]

The end-times must be nigh, for I am agreeing with Den.

No kidding! I actually just repped her before I scrolled down a bit and saw your post!

[NIGHTB1022]

Living 60 miles from the City of Chicago I can tell you this, I would not go into the city without the National Guard camped on my bumper. If you are not from this area then you can't possibly know just how horrendous it has gotten.

It is literally out of control, and they can't get a grip on it. Every night I watch the news and I see another 7 year old, a 3 year old, a 9 year old, an 18 month old, shot in the head or chest, caught in the crossfire of gang violence. Just last week or so a 13 year old kid on the way to school stopped at a corner market and got shot right in the head inside the store, once again caught in the crossfire.

I haven't been to Chicago in so many years I can't remember the last time I was there because I have no desire to end up on the wrong street by mistake and getting shot at.

Don't even say I am being extreme, because I am not, here are some numbers for you:

March 19, 2010 – April 18, 2010 = 31 days


31,598 crimes in 31 days


April 15th alone, in one day, they had 1,166 crimes.
do the math, check the statistics:

Chicago crime data (formerly chicagocrime.org) | EveryBlock Chicago

It's totally out of control and as much as I hate to say it, they need to bring the guard in, and bring them in armed and give them shoot to kill orders on the little gang bangers.

Too many people are dying and CPD can't seem to get a handle on it, they just don't have enough cops to do the job, someone has to do it.

[$Saving!]

Too many people are dying and CPD can't seem to get a handle on it, they just don't have enough cops to do the job, someone has to do it.

Then the taxpayers should be willing to pony up the funds to hire more police and special units to handle gangs.

If we allow one city to use the NG in this manner with no budget impact, many others will do it as well.

DC is also earned it's nickname The Killing Fields because every night on TV news you would hear about 5-6 murder victims, the nations capital no less.

And of course you rarely get cooperation from any witnesses because they don't "snitch" on each other.

Our judicial system does not remove these scum from the streets either, it's a rotating door in the courthouse except for out and out murder, maimed? No significant jail time, murder, perhaps.

You can't fix a systemic problem by force alone.

[NIGHTB1022]

Then the taxpayers should be willing to pony up the funds to hire more police and special units to handle gangs.

If we allow one city to use the NG in this manner with no budget impact, many others will do it as well.

DC is also earned it's nickname The Killing Fields because every night on TV news you would hear about 5-6 murder victims, the nations capital no less.

And of course you rarely get cooperation from any witnesses because they don't "snitch" on each other.

Our judicial system does not remove these scum from the streets either, it's a rotating door in the courthouse except for out and out murder, maimed? No significant jail time, murder, perhaps.

You can't fix a systemic problem by force alone.

Agreed, except for one small problem, Illinois is one of the brokest states in the US.

And it didn't help they let a bunch of them out on "minor" crimes because the jails were so overcrowded, well guess what 75% of them are right back in already an the other 25% are still on the streets creating madness and mayhem.

I realize you can't fix a systematic problem by force alone, but I bet a whole lot of people in Chicago would sleep alot easier at night knowing a bunch of the little bangers got gunned down instead of still being out on the streets as the gunners.

I believe in capital punishment, you kill someone, you should be terminated as swiftly as you terminated their life. Maybe if they knew they were going to get put to death instead of 3 hots & a cot they would think twice about pulling that trigger.

[$Saving!]

Agreed, except for one small problem, Illinois is one of the brokest states in the US.

And it didn't help they let a bunch of them out on "minor" crimes because the jails were so overcrowded, well guess what 75% of them are right back in already an the other 25% are still on the streets creating madness and mayhem.

I realize you can't fix a systematic problem by force alone, but I bet a whole lot of people in Chicago would sleep alot easier at night knowing a bunch of the little bangers got gunned down instead of still being out on the streets as the gunners.

I believe in capital punishment, you kill someone, you should be terminated as swiftly as you terminated their life. Maybe if they knew they were going to get put to death instead of 3 hots & a cot they would think twice about pulling that trigger.

Having our NG gun down gang bangers is the last thing we want. Granted, the revolving door of the courthouse and jails is feeding the lack of respect criminals have, IL will have to resolve this on their own. They will have to find the money by cutting their budget elsewhere. Every state is struggling but then again, politicians spent too freely for too long and don't have a clue how to cut their budgets, we even see that on the federal level.

And forget the death penalty in IL, didn't they put a moratorium on that back in 2003 or 2002??