Hysterical Media Members Accuse Ron DeSantis of Building His Own 'Militia' to Prepare for 'Civil War'

Bonchie reporting for RedState

Fresh hysteria is emanating from the left after accusations that Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida is starting his own “militia” circulated this morning. The claim originated from CNN (shocked face) via an article entitled “DeSantis Proposes a New Civilian Military Force in Florida That He Would Control.” It includes a picture of DeSantis partially overlaid on a picture of Donald Trump.

In short, we all know what CNN is insinuating here.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to reestablish a World War II-era civilian military force that he, not the Pentagon, would control.

DeSantis pitched the idea Thursday as a way to further support the Florida National Guard during emergencies, like hurricanes. The Florida National Guard has also played a vital role during the pandemic in administering Covid-19 tests and distributing vaccines.

But in a nod to the growing tension between Republican states and the Biden administration over the National Guard, DeSantis also said this unit, called the Florida State Guard, would be “not encumbered by the federal government.” He said this force would give him “the flexibility and the ability needed to respond to events in our state in the most effective way possible.” DeSantis is proposing bringing it back with a volunteer force of 200 civilians, and he is seeking $3.5 million from the state legislature in startup costs to train and equip them.

And with that, we were off to the races. MSNBC’s Malcolm Nance took to social media to proclaim this the beginning of “Trump’s Red Army.” That tweet came in response to radio host Dean Obeidallah claiming DeSantis was doing what leaders in Iraq have done and that the Florida governor is preparing “for war.”

Mission accomplished for CNN, but buried deep in their article is the actual truth of what DeSantis is wanting to do. If you go down to paragraph 8, you’ll see that not only is this not some civil war militia force, but it’s actually something that New York, California, and 20 other states already have.

If Florida moves ahead with DeSantis’ plan to reestablish the civilian force, it would become the 23rd active state guard in the country, DeSantis’ office said in a press release, joining California, Texas and New York.

“Reestablishing the Florida State Guard will allow civilians from all over the state to be trained in the best emergency response techniques and have the ability to mobilize very, very quickly,” DeSantis said during a visit to Pensacola on Thursday.

So what’s the actual purpose? Mainly to be able to respond quickly respond to civil emergencies like hurricanes and other disasters without being held back by the federal red-tape surrounding the deployment of the National Guard. It also allows a state to have the resources necessary for such events without having to worry about federal vaccine mandates, which have threatened to weaken National Guard units around the country.

No, DeSantis is not preparing to go to war for Donald Trump or any other such nonsense pushed by BlueAnon freaks. Such a suggestion should land a person in a mental institution. Unfortunately, MSNBC sees fit to put these kinds of people on air. They want the hysteria and division that is driven by this, and CNN knew exactly what they were doing with that headline.

And to think that so many, including on the right, clutched their pearls when Donald Trump called these “news” outlets the enemy of the people.