There have been many instances of the use of the military within the borders of the United States, such as during the Whiskey Rebellion and in the South during the civil rights crises, but these acts are not tantamount to a declaration of martial law. The distinction must be made as clear as that between martial law and military justice: deployment of troops does not necessarily mean that the civil courts cannot function, and that is one of the keys, as the Supreme Court noted, to martial law.
Of late there has been scattered media reports that the US military is preparing to impose martial law, should things get out of hand due to our current economy. I thought this was a bit off the mark, but then I remembered about a decade ago when our town was part of an "exercise" which saw USMC troop and gunship helicopters flying very low and fast all over town, picking up and dropping off Marines. Apparently this happened across the country with Army and Marine units. Now I find out the units selected for the "Consequences Management Operations have all had combat tours of duty in urban areas of Iraq and mountain regions of Afghanistan. Maybe I better re watch that movie "The Siege"....
I know many people find comfort in the nanny state we have become, especially here in the west. I dont. My family were pioneers, and self reliance was critical to survival. But given the dismal state of the economy, and the continued lowering of our expectations of each other, it probably wont be long until places like Montana actually do suceed from the US.
Maybe the Russian economist that predicts the dissolution of the USA isnt too far off the mark after all. I hope not though.
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