With our son heading off today for 4 months of infantry officer training at Fort Benning, Georgia, we chose to make our first trip into DC last night after relocating nearby a couple of months ago for a very nice "send off" dinner at the Capitol Hill Club. It’s the official club for Republicans. The Democratic club is down the street. For those of you not from Washington, it's about two blocks from the Capitol building.
Our son, a member of the Virginia National Guard, completed Officer Candidate School just as the pandemic was declared near a year ago, and he is just now headed off to infantry officer training (a lot of Army training was suspended or postponed, for obvious reasons, during the pandemic). We're very proud of his (and his colleagues') service and professional and personal sacrifice. As I walked by a group of Guardsmen, I spotted a couple that appeared to be from his regiment.
Notably, as some of you know, the Capitol Hill Club borders the fencing and razor wire that comprises a Baghdad-style "green zone." We were seated at a corner table with great view of the Cannon House Office Building, towards the Capitol. It was surreal eating a first-rate meal in clear sight of the militarization of our well-lit Capitol complex. We clearly ate better than many of the Guard apparently have.
We encountered a few National guardsman, all polite and professional.
They need to go home. All of them. Not according to me but the leaders of the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS).
“National Guard soldiers and airmen here in Washington need to return home to their families, civilian employers and regular military obligations. They have completed their mission. They have made us all proud.
“It’s time for local law enforcement to take it from here.”
Amen. Kudos on the Governors from states who have called their troops back home. Shame on our news media for failing to give proper attention to the crass and inappropriate politicization of our National Guard and the establishment of "Fort Pelosi." Where’s the credible evidence of a serious threat to the Capitol complex?
The same people who hate walls and border control have established exactly that around our symbol of democracy. Shame on the politicians who are either behind or who haven't stood up to this abuse, hypocrisy, and political farce.