Posted on Mar 21, 2015
Should the Secret Service (President Protection) be replaced by a Military Detachment? Every week there's another scandal.
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It seems like there's scandal after scandal with the secret service. Should a special operations detachment take on the mission of protecting the President? Not saying that the military doesn't have it's own discipline issues but it is almost unheard of in these kinds of units. Seems like a better job for the President's 100. What are your thoughts?
http://www.npr.org/2015/03/17/393646631/secret-service-director-grilled-about-agency-scandals-in-house-hearing
http://www.npr.org/2015/03/17/393646631/secret-service-director-grilled-about-agency-scandals-in-house-hearing
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 37
SSG Robert Burns, I think the Secret Service needs to clean house personnel (especially leadership)-wise and clean up their act, but I do think they should retain the mission of protecting the POTUS.
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The Secret Service needs to be traveling to fraternities. They could put on a clinic on partying.
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I've never understood the link between counter-fitting and presidential security. Strikes me as a relic of a political maneuver.
Regardless of which organization controls this, there will be discipline problems, power tends to corrupt.
Late Republic-Early Empire Praetorians? Essentially elite soliders to body guard a general who became an emperor. Mid-late empire Pretorians: political, corrupt, nepotistic force. Oh history, you rhyme so.
Regardless of which organization controls this, there will be discipline problems, power tends to corrupt.
Late Republic-Early Empire Praetorians? Essentially elite soliders to body guard a general who became an emperor. Mid-late empire Pretorians: political, corrupt, nepotistic force. Oh history, you rhyme so.
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I think Marines are best suited. Any I believe all secret service and most agencies other than the FBI should be disbanded. That said I think there should be trials to protect the president. I also believe the president has to have current u.s. passport and not have forged documents. Just my .02
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Capt Richard I P.
Well... they already do stand around in ceremonial role, and the band (and formerly the entire Corps is called the "President's Own"....
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Three Words...
Posse Comitatus Act
18 U.S.C. § 1385 -- http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/1385.html
Posse Comitatus Act
18 U.S.C. § 1385 -- http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/1385.html
18 U.S. Code § 1385 - Use of Army and Air Force as posse comitatus | US Law | LII / Legal...
Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.
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PO2 Steven Erickson
This is true, SFC (Join to see). IMHO, although I'm a huge supporter of the military in every way, part of what made the US the greatest nation on the planet was the complete subservience of the military to the politicians. The military carries out policy (external to the US), but NEVER makes internal policy.
Not that I trust the politicians - far from it - but I do not have a warm fuzzy with the idea of the personal safety of the politicians dependent on the military. That could lead to a sort of pressure from the military on the politicians. Bad. Bad. Bad.
Not that I trust the politicians - far from it - but I do not have a warm fuzzy with the idea of the personal safety of the politicians dependent on the military. That could lead to a sort of pressure from the military on the politicians. Bad. Bad. Bad.
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SFC (Join to see)
I'm not disagreeing that there are other reasons not to do it. I just think Posse Comitatus is the least of them.
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PO2 Steven Erickson
It may be a minor "impediment" but I think the philosophy and reasoning behind the Posse Comitatus Act is too important to dismiss.
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The president is in danger because the secret service has become tainted. The number of security breaches that have occurred in the last few years is terrifying. God forbid something happen to the man, Ferguson will look tame. It is imperative that we protect the man, and at this point I trust the Marine Corps a whole lot more than the secret service.
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Deal with the issues and not group the "bad eggs" with the entire organization.
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First off, Chief is spelled wrong in the other option for the poll.
We are not a government that has ever been linked to a military junta, I think if we were to go down this path you could see things trend more in that direction.
Next you have to get around Military actions on U.S. Soil. If someone attempted an assassination or succeeded, then the military detachment would probably want to take action.
We have constantly over the last 15 years taken on DoS responsibilities without proper training, and eventually got close to right or actually gotten the right answer. Why would we want to take on the responsibilities of another agency that would stress an already thin military.
We are not a government that has ever been linked to a military junta, I think if we were to go down this path you could see things trend more in that direction.
Next you have to get around Military actions on U.S. Soil. If someone attempted an assassination or succeeded, then the military detachment would probably want to take action.
We have constantly over the last 15 years taken on DoS responsibilities without proper training, and eventually got close to right or actually gotten the right answer. Why would we want to take on the responsibilities of another agency that would stress an already thin military.
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