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I do not recall ever hearing or reading of this piece of American history.

Posted by lrbeggs 10 years ago to Government
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A little history:


This is almost unbelievable. I had never heard of this.

Rare Film From 1932. Can It Happen Again?

FANTASTIC NEWS VIDEO: 1932 - young Patton, young Eisenhower, young MacArthur, Pres.Hoover, Walter Winchell reporting. I don't recall this from any history classes.



All Comments

  • Posted by H2ungar123 9 years, 12 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Wow! Your info re: the Insurrection Act is a
    real eye-opener!! Thanks much for the
    explanation....
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  • Posted by $ Maphesdus 10 years ago
    Of course you don't remember this particular piece of history. Do you honestly think a nation which uses military force against its own citizens would allow them to remember it? Never. It had to be scrubbed from the history books.
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  • Posted by Esceptico 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Believe me, that are NOT in my circle of friends. But, with 10 military people in your immediate family I suspect you have less than an objective outlook. None will out-and-out say that is what their inner desires are because it would not be acceptable in most "circles." But dig down a bit, and see what you unearth as to why they even went into the military and the particular branch and job they do in the military. Ask why they take part in a "standing army" when it is specifically prohibited by the Constitution or participate in wars not declared as required by the Constitution---all 10 swore to uphold the Constitution, right?
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  • Posted by DrZarkov99 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    While you're at it, you might also look up the "continuity of government" act. Ostensibly put in place in the event of a major attack on the Federal government, it pretty much gives carte blanche for the government to take control of everything.
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  • Posted by SRS66East 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    What an awful blanket statement. I have many servicemen in my family (4 currently, 6 retired) and non of them have been in it to quench a thirst for battle. I don't know who you have been talking to but if the servicemen in your circle are all about bloodlust then I have to seriously question your circle.
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  • Posted by Bobhummel 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Thanks for That explanation of the law. I guess I got the short course WRT PC when flying boarder reconnaissance missions along the southern U S boarder as part of the joint task force. The Navy F-14s took the photos/imagery, the USBP, DEA, SS did the law enforcement work.

    Thanks for the history on the insurrection act. I must read more on it.
    Cheers
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  • Posted by Esceptico 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    I think you are right. Those who cause the wars do not fight in them, they send kids who truly believe they are doing the right thing for god, country, and mom. All the leaders have to do is change who the "enemy" is and the soldiers will kill them. Example is Senator Reid and branding the Nevada incident as domestic terrorists.
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  • Posted by $ Abaco 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    I think you raise in interesting point. Thinking back when I was 18-20...I would have been one hell of a soldier, able to kill a bunch of people if I thought them to be the enemy. I think the fault of global violence perpetrated by our military, still, falls more on the shoulders of the commanders and elected officials than the kids actually pulling the triggers. Gone is the concept of walking softly with a big stick. I noticed in the televised fire fights of the 2nd Iraq war that our leaders seemed all too willing to put our troops in harms way, too. Opting to hamstring our guys and remain reluctant to call in air strikes or the big guns. I saw that as an example of how little our soldiers lives were valued. Now, I understand there are over 20 suicides each day from the ranks. I hope that's not true...but, it doesn't surprise me.
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years ago
    Well, I happened to be a fellow alum of both Gen MacA and Ike, and we did take a look at this during a military ethics class. Some issues that need to be taken into account -
    1) DC isn't a state and thus Posse Comitatus prohibits the federal military from enforcing state laws. Since DC is a federal zone, federal troops are not covered by PC in this situation.
    2) Remember this was the depths of the Great Depression. The original proposal for the bonus payment was that it was to be deferred until 1945 but instead 1/2 of it was paid earlier. The nation did not have the remainder of the payment money and being on the gold standard at the time, could not just print the money.
    3) There was a communist instigator (don't remember the name) who is suspected of ramping up tensions in order to bring down the US gov't.
    4) Despite the newsreel footage, the evacuation of the shantytown was orderly and without incident. What remained was burned down so as to dissuade the protestors from returning. While tear gas was used, the only injuries were caused on an earlier day when the DC police chief (who was actually helping the protestors) was attacked by the protestors with a policeman being knocked out by a thrown rock and the police returning fire and killing 2 of the protesters.
    5) The show of force by MacA was meant to be just that - a show. As will materialize more fully during WWII and later in Korea, MacA was quite a showman and want-to-be politician.
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  • Posted by DrZarkov99 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    People keep stating the Posse Comitatus act (passed in the 1870s as part of a political deal to withdraw occupation troops from the Southern states) as a protection against martial law. In point of fact, PC only prohibits the U.S. military acting to enforce state law. The real danger comes from the Insurrection Act (passed in 1807), which gives the President the right to declare a state to be in a condition of "insurrection", where a state's residents rights are "endangered", and the governor is either unable or unwilling to stop the situation. That act does give the military the duty to enforce martial law at the President's direction. Congress has no part in the decision, and can only deny funding for the action. No other act jeopardizes the republic more than the Insurrection Act.
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  • Posted by BambiB 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Most of the wars America has been involved in over the past 100+ years have been put-up jobs.

    Remember the Maine? There's evidence the Maine exploded, not due to sabotage, but due to system malfunction. But it got us the Spanish-America War.

    We got into WWII by cutting off Japan's supply of steel. They really had no choice but to attack us.

    Vietnam was even more of a con job. The "Gulf of Tonkin" incident is now known to have been a lie.

    The Gulf Wars? Weapons of Mass distraction?

    Obama wanted to get a war going with Syria - but the weight of evidence is on the side of Asad and the Syrian government regarding the use of chemical weapons.

    And why did Obama lob cruise missiles at Ghadaffi?

    So if nobody wants to serve in the futureā€¦ maybe that's a good thing. The US manufactures and ships trillions of dollars of resources to other countries just to blow them up and kill thousands of Americans for no purpose other than to enrich the military-industrial complex. What if we didn't do that? What if we spent those trillions on make America better?
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  • Posted by Esceptico 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    How gracious of you. Normally those of a military "go kill 'em" mindset are much more nasty. Have you studied any epistemology? If no, I suggest it. If yes, I suggest a review of cognitive dissonance.
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  • Posted by iam124c 10 years ago
    And, O, by the way, one of the commenters in this string is an absolute stupid asshole of stinking ignorance!!!
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  • Posted by iam124c 10 years ago
    I am a Marine (Retired). Once I was put on alert, told to "gear up" to move on a group that was holding a public building, and the "authorities" couldn't handle the situation. Ah, but this wasn't in some other country where we were at war; this was in California! The "Black Panthers" were holding a building and the civilian law enforcement folks couldn't handle the situation. Now these citizens were criminals, and I felt for the law enforcement personnel, but in my mind I could only think of another federal law that forbid me to take action against citizens of the USA. I prepared myself mentally to refuse to follow the order that we Marines all thought was coming.

    I didn't have to put that decision into action; they called it off.

    I watched this video and wanted to puke! Can it happen again? Of course it can. Any travesty of the past can come back to us again when the circumstances support it.

    It's enough to "make a grown man cry!"

    I have made my plans--have you?
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  • Posted by Herb7734 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    What a horrid piece of work was the revered FDR. From knowing Japan's plans for Pearl Harbor 11 months in advance, to turning a blind eye to Germany's killing of the Jews Don't get me started on that Obama Blueprint S.O.S. (Son Of Satan.) I have a beagle bitch whom I won't sully by associating what she is with him.
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  • Posted by Esceptico 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    And they seek it out. Nice rush. At best, not honorable in my view, and at worst dangerous. These are the people who would shoot U.S. citizens or innocent citizens (collateral damage?) in other countries. When one considered these folks swear to uphold the constitution and yet there has not been a declared war since WWII, one can only assume the current military does not understand what they have sworn to uphold or don't care. Either way they should not be out killing people and breaking things (Korea, Viet Nam, Iraq, etc., now probably Ukraine) in the name of upholding the Constitution. They do it because they want to. They, as you say, like the rush of life and death action. What is this life and death action? I think it is safe to assume they are thinking in terms of keeping their own lives and killing others. This does rather bring us back to the original point that they like to kill people and break things without individual responsibility.
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  • Posted by jpellone 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Check and see how many high ranking Officers of our current military have been replaced. BHO is replacing all officers who refuse to attack American citizens. I believe the number has reached over 1000 but I may be wrong...
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    It was a very different time, and MacA was a very different type of soldier. The entire situation was bad. The gov't reneged on a promise (granted, in the depths of the depression), the vets demanding payment from a gov't that couldn't possibly pay such under the fiscal system at the time, a military commanded to march on vets. All in all, the outcome was certainly not as devastating as it potentially could have been.

    And yes, they do teach this in military ethics - you might find my other reply elsewhere in this topic.
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    You are clearly ignorant of the military mind. Those who "were seeking action" get the rush of the situation of life/death - NOT that they are out to kill others. It is similar to those that are addicted to first person shooter games.
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  • Posted by reSource 10 years ago
    I remember hearing about it but I went to a parochial, not a public school. I didn' t receive all the details either. I do think that this country's biggest problem is not only the people in DC but the public school propaganda machine. Today we have nice, well rounded young citizens who like their great, great grandfathers believe what the government tells them. So sad.


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  • Posted by jimslag 10 years ago
    I had heard about this before but not in this amount of detail. I probably found it in some of my military history. As I was in the military, I had access to many books and articles in the military libraries. I also read about the War of Athens, GA, after WWII, another epic part of history that is not discussed much. Not so much as this but still involving veterans.
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  • Posted by 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Certainly. I have asked my 18 year old son about to enter the Naval Academy. We have had many such discussions. As I have with my father and uncles. Not one had a thirst for blood or to kill. I do not doubt there are warriors who live for battle as well as psychos in it for nefarious reasons. My experience has been that the majority do not.
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  • Posted by Esceptico 10 years ago in reply to this comment.
    Most of the soldiers with whom I have had conversations or have read their thoughts or about them, would have been a better way to express myself. I am sure there are some good soldiers. Ask a current or former military creature whey they volunteered and delve into what they say below the flowery "I did it to serve my country" stuff.
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