Reply #34: A lot of the people expressing hostility to the Red Cross

[Coastie for Truth]

probably would like to see something like the Peace Corps - or Habitat for Humanity - or Mercy Corps - or Physicians Without Borders.

What they don't understand - with Bush having pulled out the National Guard - is that the default is "military" an amalgam of the old "Civil Defense" and the functions of the National Guard -- the . The State Defense Force is "The Governors Other Army", and is described by Wikipedia as

State Defense Forces, State Guards, State Military Reserve, or State Militia in the United States are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government. State Defense Forces are authorized by state and federal law and are under the command of the governor, as commander-in-chief, through the Adjutant General as the state's chief military officer.

State Defense Forces are distinct from the National Guard in that they are not federal entities and cannot be made so. The federal government officially recognized State Defense Forces under 32 USC Sec 109 and provided that State Defense Forces "may not be called, ordered, or drafted into the armed forces" (of the United States), thus preserving their separation from the National Guard.

Only about 25 states currently have active State Defense Forces, plus Puerto Rico, each with different levels of activity, state support, and strength.

SDFs generally operate with emergency management and homeland security missions.

--snip--

Most states organize their State Defense Force in parallel to their National Guard force, having it report to the governor through the Adjutant General. The Force is not funded by the federal government in any way. In most states, members act on a completely volunteer basis, have to purchase any uniforms after the first, and supply their own arms (if armed).

Kind of like with military discipline and military organization/chain of command.

I am a Red Cross Volunteer (Disaster Assistance, Shelter Manager), a CERT Volunteer (Neighborhood Captain), a Ham Radio Operator, and an eleven year veteran of the United States Coast Guard.

If the Red Cross goes away tomorrow - it will be replaced by some kind of a uniformed, military organization (not the Salvation Army or the Boy Scouts). Is that really what you want.