Brad,
And people are calling this people liberal. That is whats wrong with the Democratic party not seperating themselve from this type protest. However, I am furthered amazed by the Republicans for their lack of Responsiblity to these people for an answer from President Bush. Does he still believe that he and the other Republican Party has not played Iraq just for their own political gain. Some journalist should connect the dots of the Republican Party's movement for the last 25 years. The story would be a best seller even if it brought down the party.

Hmmm...

I'm the first one to rail against government suppression of free speech. I find the concept abhorent.

However, I don't know if this is that.

On a technical note, these aren't tanks. They're IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles). You can tell by the cannon on the turret. It's a 20mm, not a 120mm main gun.

As for the rest, in the video, the soldiers do look lost. They made no gestures or movements towards the protesters. And I have seen vehicles on the highways and major routes up here in Maine on maneuvers.

The video looks bad, but I don't think it's a determined "fact" that they were called out to harass the protestors.

"Some journalist should connect the dots of the Republican Party's movement for the last 25 years. The story would be a best seller even if it brought down the party."

Henry,

Did you happen to catch the q & a with the NATO Seretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer yesterday? In lieu of a response to a question from a reporter Bush reformed the reporter that he wouldnt be answering questions that actually asked him something.

johnhp,
No, but I'd love to have the clip for the next couple of elections.

Teddy, using our military to control protestors has happen in our country before. For the results of where this type of actions leads check out Kent State Ohio in 1971. Of course if you are looking for the Republican party to nose dive, just hope one of these troops shot an innocent protestor. :angry:

600 terrorists dead and counting!

Henry,

Absolutely it has happened before. I just don't believe this is one of those times.

At Kent State, the Guardsmen had weapons drawn and had taken an aggressive stance against the protestors.

These two vehicles were in the right-turn lane, had their cannons pointed forwards the whole time, and never made a single move towards the demonstrators. They looked lost. Which is possible, since they could be Guardsmen who aren't from the LA area. I know up here in Maine we get soliders on Guard weekends from NH, CT and MA.

Sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar.

That may happen in Maine, Teddy. And I've seen such vehicles in other American towns where there are large Military Bases near by, etc.

This, however, was the corner where Westwood, Beverly Hills and Hollywood meet.

I have lived in this area now for nearly a decade. I have *never* seen *any* military vehicle on the streets, much less a tank or an armored fighting vehicle or whatever you'd like to call it.

The area is about as urban as you can get in this city. Just a block or two away from the famous "Rodeo Drive" in Beverly Hills.

Vehicles in that location as seen in the video are as "normal" as they would be if they had pulled up to the Drive-Up Window at McDonalds in the same vehicle.

If they were "lost" then they were *very* lost. By about 300 miles.

I'm not arguing that it's odd or bizarre. Just that sometimes, the strange and inexplicable do occur. Like Bush winning the election.

The only person who could have called out the Guard would have been Arnold. And I don't think he was particularly concerned with one protest in LA, esp. when others have occurred w/o a similar incident.

Are you sure it was the Guard? (versus Army, etc?)

It was in front of the Federal Building. Do the Feds not have the authority to call in their own troops for protection?

(I don't know the answer at all. So really wondering.)

It can't be regular Army. Posse Comitatus forbids the use of regular army units on American soil to "execute the laws" of the United States. In fact under the US Code (TITLE 18 PART I CHAPTER 67, SS 1385), anyone who does so w/o Congressional assent or Constitutional backing can spend two years in jail.

So it would have to be the Guard, who inhabit a "gray area". They are considered under the authority of the Governor and state militia, unless called to duty by the Federal Gvt. Then they become Army.

I found out there is a Military Entrance Processing Station on Rodeo Road (http://www.mepcom.army.mil/meps/losa/). Which, I believe, is around the area of the protest (you would obviously know better than me). Perhaps they had a couple of vehicles come up from El Segundo to show new recruits or something.

I believe this was truly, just a bizarre coincidence. Unlike the Ohio voting, which sounds more and more ominous by the day.

Thanks for the honest legwork, Teddy.

Rodeo Drive is a different ballgame than Rodeo Rd. (where the MEPS you refer to is at).

I'd *love* to see it as a bizarre coincidence. I just happen to be seeing to many of them these days. And given the amount of the bizarre-ity of that one, it's getting harder and harder to give these guys any benefit of the doubt anymore.

As I've said...in 10 years, I've *never* seen a *single* military vehicle of *any* kind on the streets of Los Angeles, Bevery Hills or Westwood. Doesn't mean they're not there, including TANKS (or armored fighting vehicles) but I haven't seen 'em. And in front of a Federal Building, where there's an on-going protest...Well, yes. "Bizarre" indeed

I wrote a bit about this in a blog article:
a blog article
(sorry about the plug but my blog's new and no one calls, no one writes... :hehe:)

A friend who works in Waxman's office ended up doing some research. Apparently it is a case of "lost." The tanks (or whatever we call them) had come up from Camp Pendleton for VA Day ceremonies. They got off the wrong way on the 405, saw the protest and came over to "ask directions."

War protesters and armed vehicles are very sobering to see together. But hey, maybe they wanted to join in. :hehe:

One of my coworkers spoke of tanks during the LA riots that had been pulled out and stationed on the corners of Westwood and Wilshire, 2 blocks W of the Federal Building. This was long before my time in Los Angeles. Also, I believe there is a military hangar just a few blocks west of the Federal Building, behind the memorial cemetery.

This is a very odd (and oddly timed!) occurrence. Given the area, and that the intersection is one of the busiest in the world with the 405's on/off ramps at (as Brad pointed out) the nexus of a number of major cities, it seems very unlikely they would have found themselves 'just passing through.'

Not that it matters, but I meant 2 blocks E for Westwood and Wilshire.