Letters submitted by BDN readers are vetted by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to [email protected]

I hope Governor Janet Mills refuses to send members of the Maine National Guard to Eastern Europe, a decision that could escalate into a war with Russia. There is no military solution to this crisis – diplomacy must be the focus!

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

After Brennan’s wise and courageous decision, the Pentagon asked Congress to clarify the relationship between the federal and state governments regarding the deployment of the National Guard. An amendment was later added to the National Defense Authorization Act of 1987 that stripped governors of their ability to block overseas deployment. The law was appealed, but sadly upheld by the Supreme Court which ruled that Congress can authorize the President to order members of the National Guard to go on active duty for training purposes outside the states. United in peacetime without 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 National Guard out of state to risk/initiate a military confrontation. Maine taxpayers would rather spend their money deploying the National Guard to Maine hospitals to help with COVID treatment.

Natasha Mayer

white field

More articles from the BDN