New battalion opens office in Asheville

By Liz Allen

Asheville, North Carolina, Sept. 24 (AGR)— A new National Guard Battalion, the 105th Military Police Battalion, is opening up in Asheville, replacing the 730th Quartermaster Battalion, which is being moved to the eastern part of the state. The 105th battalion differs from the old battalion in that it is comprised of military police and “... is designed to run enemy-of-war facilities,” explained Officer in Charge Captain Jerry Baird.

“We run prisons, while they did security,” he said. But they secure federal posts as well; “MPs do everything from the Pentagon to the CIA,” Baird added.

The new battalion has been created because the old battalion never had a “war trace,” an exact definition of who they are to take orders from in a time of war. The 105th is prepared to serve both state and federal missions, and directly assist in a time of war. Capt. Baird explained that being in the Guard is similar to being in the reserves and that 60% of United States’ fighting force is reserve. A possible mission for which they are currently being considered is going to Charleston, SC, to run a prison camp for military prisoners, including those in the military who have been court-martialed as well as citizens identified as enemy combatants. One such person, who Baird describes as having “a weird name,” is currently being held “more for their protection, to keep people away from them” who may want to injure them in the regular prison system.

The Guard will be available for a wide spectrum of duties, from disaster relief and decontamination to crowd control. Baird explained that they use a consolidated display of force which is effective in taming situations such as riots and looting. He gave the example of when Hurricane Hugo hit Charlotte. Local police forces were ineffective in stopping looting, but once the National Guard came in the “chaos” was put to a halt.

Military police require similar qualifications to regular military enlistment, like having a clean records check and standard height and weight requirements. Baird says most of those enlisted have previously served active duty. They are currently required to serve one weekend a month and two weeks a year overseas. However, the governor can activate the Guard unit or the president can activate the reserve for fighting.

Although according to Baird, “they try and deputize us every time we help out,” the average military police solider can only detain persons until local authorities make an arrest and cannot make arrests themselves, unless they are on a military post. However, most of those in the battalion make their living as law enforcement officers, and if something happens in the state then they have the authority to make arrests. The only other scenario in which members of the National Guard can make arrests is if martial law is declared, whereby the local police forces would not have power to arrest and only military forces could. Baird said that is a worst-case scenario because “it would mean a lot of other bad things would have had to have happened to get to that point.”

Because the Guard operates on both federal and state levels, money from both federal and state funds are used. To pay the actual paychecks, the funds are taken from the same fund as the state highway patrol, but the money for building a new armory in Buncombe County comes out of federal funds, while money for the land comes from state and country taxes. According to Baird, a new armory building is something that the local police and fire department support because they would be able to hold trainings there.

When asked if the battalion is being used to prepare for war in Iraq, Baird replied, “We’re always preparing. We get about 30 days notice [for a mission] and it all comes down confidential.” He also emphasized, “Nobody hates war more than a soldier. We just do our job. There’s other people up there making all the decisions on where to go.”

LWV schedules citizens’ summit on water authority

Asheville, North Carolina, Sept. 17— The League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County will hold a public forum Thursday, October 3, on the stalled negotiations towards creating a Regional Water Authority. The forum, titled “A Flood of Excuses, A Drought of Facts,” will be held beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, at the corner of Liberty and Chestnut Streets in Asheville.

With negotiations stalled in moving the Regional Water Authority towards independence, the League invites the public to examine the issues facing the beleaguered Authority. Guest speakers Renee Kumor and Gary Semlak will address the unusual financial and administrative obligations of the regional agreement that created the Authority and the recent breakdown of the concept of regionalism itself. Public discussion will follow.

Kumor, former Henderson County Commission member and chair who promoted the 1995 regional agreement, will offer a brief historical perspective on the existing water agreement reached by Asheville, Buncombe and Henderson Counties and provides analysis of the stalled negotiations, which were expected to move the authority toward independent status. Semlak, who recently stepped down as a member of the Regional Water Authority, will address the financial and administrative predicament the current agreement has fostered, including the hidden costs to water consumers.

The public is encouraged to attend and participate. For additional information, call the League office at 258-8223.

Source: League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County

UE holds 67th national convention in Raleigh

Raleigh, North Carolina, Sept. 20— From September 15-19 United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE), a progressive trade union that has been making major inroads for workers in the US, had its 67th national conference at the Sheraton in downtown Raleigh.

The event was the first national union convention to be held in the state of North Carolina. Due to North Carolina’s anti-union policies, such as the “Right to Work” laws, major unions have refused to hold conventions within the state. Organizers stated that having a large union convention may help jump-start union activity in North Carolina and strengthen local existing unions, such as UE local150.

Four days of intense workshops, discussions, and political actions were included in the convention, as UE planned its strategy for improving workers rights over the next few years. One of the highlights of the convention was a rally for collective bargaining rights for state employees.

On Monday, Sept. 16, Hundreds of UE members and supporters rallied (including the Farm Labor Organizing Committee and Jobs with Justice) for collective bargaining at the State Capitol. Even though there was a large attendance at the rally, the demonstration received no corporate media coverage.

While the unions of public workers are legal in North Carolina, they do not have the right of collective bargaining, making them unable to secure workers’ rights. Even without legally recognized bargaining, the local UE 150 in the Triangle area has successfully fought off privatization of house-keepers at UNC-CH, won a $1 million dollar settlement for their workers to get back-pay and other denied benefits, and is now the fastest growing UE chapter nation-wide. UE hopes to ‘Organize the South’!

Source: North Carolina Independent Media Center: http//chapelhill.Indymedia.org