Alaska, Texas governors sue over National Guard vaccine rule

[TexasTowelie]

Source: AP

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in seeking to block the U.S. Department of Defense from mandating COVID-19 vaccines for National Guard members who are under state command.

The Pentagon has required COVID-19 vaccination for all service members, including the National Guard and Reserve. Attorneys for the two governors, in an amended lawsuit dated Tuesday, say that when National Guard members are serving the state, the federal government has no command authority. The lawsuit said the mandate is an unconstitutional overstepping of bounds.

The case dealing with Alaska and Texas guard members is an amended version of the challenge filed by Texas earlier this month.

More than 220 members of the Texas Air National Guard and about 40% of Texas Army National Guard members are refusing to be vaccinated for “either religious accommodation needs or otherwise,” according to the lawsuit. About 8% of Alaska Air and Army National Guard members have not received a first dose of any COVID-19 vaccine and of these members, “more than 90% have requested a medical or religious exemption, yet no such exemptions have been granted.”

Read more: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/dallas-fort-worth/news/2022/01/27/alaska--texas-governors-sue-over-national-guard-vaccine-rule

[turbinetree]

1. Fuck them this is a national security issue.....did these assholes get vaccinated....

[Phoenix61]

2. They have to be deployable at a moments notice.

Fully vaxed is part of that along with childcare plans etc.

[AllaN01Bear]

3. waste of our money .

[Samrob]

4. Pretty soon we may have to fight with a military with no discipline or respect for the COC.

Some other issue I might understand but over a public health issue...I just don't get it. Will they be suing next for the freedom to allow military to use crack cocaine?

[Initech]

5. Pretty soon we may have to fight a war with no military.

If this anti-vaxxer bullshit keeps up and keeps killing people.

[cstanleytech]

6. Fine then expect federal monies assigned to be spent in your state

that were earmarked for the guard to be withheld including any monies that anyone in the guard might have received.

[maxrandb]

7. I am pretty sure that COVID constitutes a national emergency

It's way past time to nationalize the Guard, order them to get fucking vaccinated, or get out.

I am tired of pussyfooting around with these ignorant fucksticks.

I would activate the National Guard, not only to fight COVID, but to also ensure ballot access.

There would be a special Division created to do nothing but pass out pizza and water to voters in line, complete with air conditioned, or heated tents.

I never thought I would see the day, but it's time to go Abe Lincoln on these asspickles.

[majdrfrtim]

8. I served in the National Guard and was deployed overseas four times in 8.5 years.

(So much for one-weekend-a-month-and-two-weeks-in-the summer, eh?)

Each time I deployed I was "federalized" and therefore considered (by the Guard) to be under the authority of the Active Duty US Army. I had to meet ALL of the requirements of Service Members who were full-time Soldiers on Active Duty. End of discussion.

I cannot believe the idiots attempting to argue that the present vaccine mandates are somehow an "unconstitutional overstepping of bounds." As much as I didn't want to get the *series* of anthrax vaccinations (6 of them over the course of a year), I knew I had to endure them ("endure," because after each injection my shoulder and upper arm felt as though a major-league slugger had connected his bat with my body) before and during my time in Iraq.

Upon reflection, perhaps had I not been in my 50s when I joined, with no prior service, the anthrax vaccination series might not have seemed so painful, but the kids around me who also got vaccinated seemed to report similar consequences . . .

What really gets me is the civilians who are playing fast and loose with the income streams of Junior Enlisted personnel too gullible to realize *they* will be the ones who lose big-time when they get administratively separated from the Guard as a consequence of their actions, having believed the duplicitous and manipulative perfidiots leading them on to believe such a stupid lawsuit could succeed.

[Skittles]

9. do they even understand what MILITARY READINESS means

FUCK THEM