Perhaps you should add some insight and explain to me and some of the vets I talk with whats wrong with that post. It's amazing how much slack you give a republican base Gov't who's abusing our Nat'l Guard's purpose, let alone the lack of training and equipment for disasters and emergencies here in the states.
I hope you do not take this the wrong way but you are the one that claimed you had no knowledge of the role of the National Guard then you offered up what you thought they should be doing.
This is straight from the web site for the National Guard.
"The Army National Guard (ARNG) is one component of The Army (which consists of the Active Army, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.) The Army National Guard is composed primarily of traditional Guardsmen -- civilians who serve their country, state and community on a part-time basis (usually one weekend each month and two weeks during the summer.) Each state, territory and the District of Columbia has its own National Guard, as provided for by the Constitution of the United States.
The National Guard has a unique dual mission that consists of both Federal and State roles. For state missions, the governor, through the state Adjutant General, commands Guard forces. The governor can call the National Guard into action during local or statewide emergencies, such as storms, fires, earthquakes or civil disturbances.
In addition, the President of the United States can activate the National Guard for participation in federal missions. Examples of federal activations include Guard units deployed to Kosovo and the Sinai for stabilization operations, and units deployed to the Middle East and other locations in the war on terrorism. When federalized, Guard units are commanded by the Combatant Commander of the theatre in which they are operating."
Before we go to far I would like to know where you got the information that the sole role of the National Guard was to fill sand bags. Here is a little history of the National Guard again from their web site.
History
"The National Guard, the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation's longest enduring institutions, celebrated its 371st birthday in December of 2007. The National Guard traces its history back to the earliest English colonies in North America. Responsible for their own defense, the colonists drew on English military tradition and organized their able-bodied male citizens into militias.
The Guard doubled the size of the Regular Army when it was mobilized in 1940, more than a year before Pearl Harbor, and contributed 19 divisions to that war, as well as numerous other units including Guard aviation squadrons. More than 138,000 Guardsmen were mobilized for Korea, followed by numerous smaller mobilizations for the Berlin Crisis, Vietnam, and numerous strikes and riots at home. Approximately 63,000 Army Guardsmen were called to serve in Desert Storm, and in the decade since then Guardsmen have seen a greater role than ever before -- conducting peacekeeping in Somalia, Haiti, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Bosnia, and Kosovo. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, more than 50,000 Guardsmen were called up by both their States and the Federal government to provide security at home and combat terrorism abroad. Today's National Guard continues its historic dual mission, providing the states with units trained and equipped to protect life and property, while providing the nation with units ready to defend the United States and its interests around the world."
The last sentence applies directly to your post.
The National Guard has 28 Brigade combat teams. They also have 78 combat support brigades. There are two National Guard special forces groups. For you to post that you fell like the primary mission of the National Guard is to combat flooding or put down riots should at the very least be insulting to those that serve but then again you did say you did not know what you were talking about. Look man you have posted several times that you think the military budget is to large well the National Guard is a way to keep a military and at the same time reduce costs. Every friend you talked to that is in the Guard should know that they can be called to active duty and they can be called to State duty. They even knew this when they enlisted since it is a part of the oath they have to take. Even the goofy wiki site admits a dual role for the National Guard. The National Guard gets the majority of its money from the Federal Government so they will exist and be trained for their Federal mission.
You claim they are being abused. That alone is the most absurd thing the have posted in some time. Right now they only have to stay in a combat zone for nine months. Those that fought in wars before them left home and came back when the war was over.