Can our troops be used to quell demonstrations in the United States? How do we answer the question as to whether the current administration will have them fire on the crowds? Seeing crowds in Washington, D.C., during the George Floyd riots in 2020, Trump is reported to have asked "Can't we just shoot them?" 

We will look at the Constitution, especially the 10th Amendment, the Insurrection Act of 1807, and the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. The military has been used domestically to safeguard civil rights marchers, intervene when requested by governors during violent riots, to stop the Bonus March on Washington in 1932, and to imprison Japanese civilians during World War 2. 

Who is in today's military, where do they come from, how do they line up politically—and would they follow an illegal order and fire on unarmed civilian demonstrators or support a government coup?

About the Speaker

Dr. Michael Baker recently retired from a 40-year career in general, vascular, and trauma surgery. He also served 30 years in the uniform of his country and retired with the rank of rear admiral and has numerous kudos, including 3 Legion of Merit Awards, the Combat Action Ribbon and River and Coastal Patrol Officer-in-Charge warfare pin. He has experience in strategic planning, wargaming, combat casualty care, triage, operational medicine, and response to complex disasters and humanitarian emergencies. He currently teaches history, political science, and military affairs for the Osher LifeLong Learning (OLLI) Programs at UC Berkeley, Dominican University, Cal State University East Bay and Cal State Channel Islands; and he is on the Board of Governors of the newly combined Commonwealth Club World Affairs. He has published more than 100 articles in peer reviewed journals.