By Robert Laurie ——Bio and Archives--August 18, 2014
American Politics, News | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
Missouri's governor said on Monday he would send the National Guard into the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson to restore calm after authorities forcibly dispersed a crowd protesting last week's fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen by police. Gov. Jay Nixon signed an executive order deploying the U.S. state militia, saying demonstrators had thrown Molotov cocktails and shot at police as well as a civilian, a description of the night's events diverging widely from some eyewitness accounts. "Tonight, a day of hope, prayers, and peaceful protests was marred by the violent criminal acts of an organized and growing number of individuals, many from outside the community and state, whose actions are putting the residents and businesses of Ferguson at risk," Nixon said in a statement on his website.
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon called the National Guard to Ferguson late Sunday without letting the White House know first. "Folks didn't know," an administration official told BuzzFeed Monday. "The White House did not know they were sending it in." Nixon gave "no heads up," the official said.GASP! How dare he!? Doesn't he know that every decision in America must first face the scrutiny of our glorious golfer-in-chief? Why, it's almost as if activation of the National Guard is an entirely state-based decision that falls completely within the state's jurisdiction! Oh wait. That's exactly what it's like. Activation of the National Guard does fall completely within the state's jurisdiction. The feds have no say in the decision, so there's nothing especially surprising about the fact that Jay Nixon made the call without tearing Obama away from his 9 iron. Actually, given the President's ceaseless desire to politicize virtually everything under the sun, it seems like a pretty smart choice. Governor Nixon's decision is none of the President's business. The fact that so many in the media seem to think otherwise? ...That's troubling.
View Comments
Robert Laurie’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain.com
Be sure to “like” Robert Laurie over on Facebook and follow him on Twitter. You’ll be glad you did.