The Next President is...

[FourFans]

2 hours ago, Day Man said:

why do you suppose no R cities are being floated for mil intervention despite having high crime too?

Which ones specifically are you thinking about?

[Lord Ratner]

9 hours ago, fire4effect said:

Looks like a C-17 flew the Texas Guard to Chicago. I know we've all embraced our fair share of military suck but I'm curious how BO community feels about this mission. I can definitely see a long-term effect on recruiting and retention in the Army Guard depending how this all shakes out. More than a few enlisted in the Army/Marine Corps are not US citizens or have family members who aren't.

Philosophically, if the governor isn't asking for help, then I'm inclined to be against it. I would make exceptions for the protection of federal buildings, such as during the race riots of 2020, but that's not happening right now. 

 

Politically, I have no idea. It could work, and it's not a stretch to see how. That could be a big political win if it forces Democrats out of their reflexive embrace of crime. 

[Day Man]

7 hours ago, FourFans said:

Which ones specifically are you thinking about?

Memphis?

[Lord Ratner]

24 minutes ago, Day Man said:

Memphis?

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/restoring-law-and-order-in-memphis/

 

Also, you think Memphis is Red?

[brabus]

@Day Man Memphis is a blue city with a Democrat mayor (and has the NG on the way). Try again.

[HeloDude]

33 minutes ago, Day Man said:

Memphis?

Dude, you’re just embarrassing yourself.

 https://app.enhancedvoting.com/results/public/shelby-county-tn/elections/General11052024

[brickhistory]

Certainly not a perfect record, but overall, I voted for this:

Illegal border crossings drop to lowest level since 1970: ‘Most secure border in American history’

Kash Patel says FBI agents fired over monitoring GOP senators

Trump's DC police takeover: What the crime stats show

National Guard Exceeds 2025 Recruiting Goals | American Military News

Comey pleads not guilty in court after indictment on alleged false statements, obstruction

 

As to non-citizens serving in the Guard and how they feel about helping ICE, while I certainly can't know, I imagine most of them feel like those immigrants who came here the legal way - make the illegals earn their entrance.  Dude who enlisted is paying his dues to get his citizenship.  Why should someone else get a free ride?

[disgruntledemployee]

Dallas and Ft Worth seem to be the biggest US cities with Republican mayors.  No idea what their crime rates are, but these are cities that have Constitutional Carry, vs say, Chicago. 

[brabus]

41 minutes ago, disgruntledemployee said:

Dallas and Ft Worth seem to be the biggest US cities with Republican mayors.  No idea what their crime rates are, but these are cities that have Constitutional Carry, vs say, Chicago. 

Dallas is better than Chicago by a solid amount (though still a large city with crime). But I think you are bringing up a valid point: there are other contributing factors to crime rate than the political leaning of the local gov. However, it’s still worth noting something like 2A rights and associated laws in cities is very much linked to who’s running the place.

[guineapigfury]

Dallas has a Republican mayor, but he ran and won twice as a Democrat then switched parties near the start of his second term.  Fort Worth's mayor ran and won as a Republican. 

[Lord Ratner]

6 minutes ago, guineapigfury said:

Dallas has a Republican mayor, but he ran and won twice as a Democrat then switched parties near the start of his second term.  Fort Worth's mayor ran and won as a Republican. 

This is correct. Last I saw Fort Worth was the largest and only "major" Republican city in America. 

 

And they don't have a notable crime issue to speak of. 

 

Dallas is completely blue, minus the strange politics of the current mayor.

[fire4effect]

1 hour ago, brickhistory said:

Certainly not a perfect record, but overall, I voted for this:

Illegal border crossings drop to lowest level since 1970: ‘Most secure border in American history’

Kash Patel says FBI agents fired over monitoring GOP senators

Trump's DC police takeover: What the crime stats show

National Guard Exceeds 2025 Recruiting Goals | American Military News

Comey pleads not guilty in court after indictment on alleged false statements, obstruction

 

As to non-citizens serving in the Guard and how they feel about helping ICE, while I certainly can't know, I imagine most of them feel like those immigrants who came here the legal way - make the illegals earn their entrance.  Dude who enlisted is paying his dues to get his citizenship.  Why should someone else get a free ride?

Lot of nuance on this issue. There was a report of a father who was admittedly in the US illegally who was arrested by ICE who's sons who are US citizens were all serving in the Marines. Father of Marine veteran released after being beaten and arrested by ICE agents . as an example. As for recruiting and retention we are only 6 months into this, so I see it depending a lot on what happens going forward. Worst case is a Kent State scenario.

Longest pole in the tent is something all in the military understand is sustainably and logistics. Side note is this is why I like those with a military background to serve in government because politicians often make all kinds of promises with no clue how to make a plan work in the real world. 300 Guardsmen for 60 days? I can't say what long term effects will be. How long can they be away from their civilian jobs before they get surly? We all ask as taxpayers how much are we willing to spend long term. Just scratching the surface.

I admit the sight of US military policing our streets provoke a visceral reaction on my part and what's to stop a Democratic Administration from doing the same thing in the future?

[M2]

2 hours ago, disgruntledemployee said:

Dallas and Ft Worth seem to be the biggest US cities with Republican mayors.  No idea what their crime rates are, but these are cities that have Constitutional Carry, vs say, Chicago. 

Just to clarify, these are STATES that have Constitutional Carry and yes, I do believe exercising one's God-given right to self-defense reduces crime rates!

But are the mayors the cause of crime, or is it simply that people who vote for red candidates then to be the same ones who commit the crimes?

2/3rds of the 100 largest U.S. cities have Democratic mayors, and urban areas consistently have the highest crime rates, both violent and property-related, over suburban/rural areas.



So, while there is a political tie here, it's not the one driving the need for increased security.

By the way, both Dallas and Fort Worth (they are two separate cities!) have Republican mayors!  Eric Johnson of Dallas serves a population of 1.3M, and Mattie Parker of Fort Worth around 956,000.

Ironically, Johnson switched from Democrat to Republican in 2023!

I was up in the DFW/Arlington area in late June/early July, and while not a garden spot, the law and order there seemed far more effective than what I experienced in Baltimore last month!

[M2]

9 minutes ago, fire4effect said:

Longest pole in the tent is something all in the military understand is sustainably and logistics. Side note is this is why I like those with a military background to serve in government because politicians often make all kinds of promises with no clue how to make a plan work in the real world. 300 Guardsmen for 60 days? I can't say what long term effects will be. How long can they be away from their civilian jobs before they get surly? We all ask as taxpayers how much are we willing to spend long term. Just scratching the surface.

I can't speak for any other states, but I do have good insight into the Texas Military Department and the TAG, and can attest this deployment will have practically zero impact on servicemember's civilian employment here. 

I've had people deployed for Operation LONE STAR - BORDER SURGE for four years, and all are successfully returning to their jobs.

If it is a cause Texans believe in, they will support it to their dying breathe!  It's our in our culture, history and mindset!