Alternet: “The American-Statesman reviewed documents including one signed by the state’s top-ranking military official that highlight concerns over compressed timelines for training troops in crowd management and de-escalation tactics.
The documents also suggest the Texas Military Department is under significant strain, casting doubt on its ability to efficiently allocate personnel across the state amid heightened security measures.
…“I was shocked that they were mobilizing the amount of people that they were mobilizing,” one of the guardsmen said, per the report.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me why we would be activated in such large numbers against the citizens we’re sworn to protect.”
Another guardsman questioned the political motivations of their deployment, saying it “does strike me as a suppression of free speech ahead of time.”
“Did I swear an oath to the president? Did I swear an oath to the governor?” They said. “Or did I swear an oath to our basic, inalienable rights?””