I hope that the governor of Maine will refuse to send members of the Maine National Guard to Eastern Europe, a move that will escalate towards a war with Russia. There is no military solution out of this crisis — diplomacy needs to be the focus.

Gov. Brennan refused to deploy the Guard in 1986 to Central America when President Reagan declared that the leftist Nicaraguan government was a threat to our national security. Instead of building roads in Honduras to support the Contras, Brennan ordered that the guard work on 40 road projects in Maine. At the time, federal law required governors to consent to federal activation unless the activation occurred during a time of war or national emergency.

After Brennan’s wise and brave move, the Pentagon asked Congress to clarify the relationship between federal and state governments in regards to deploying the National Guard. An amendment was then added to the National Defense Authorization Act of 1987 that stripped governors of their ability to block overseas deployment. The law was appealed, but unfortunately upheld by the Supreme Court which ruled that Congress can authorize the president to order members of the National Guard to active duty for purposes of training outside the United States during peacetime without either the consent of a state governor or the declaration of a national emergency.

Now is the time for another wise and brave governor to resist sending members of the state’s National Guard out of state to risk or trigger military confrontation. Maine taxpayers’ would rather spend their money deploying the Guard to Maine hospitals to help with COVID treatment.

Natasha Mayers

Whitefield

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