by Robert Bridge, Strategic Culture:

Amid rumors of a national lock-down, and the National Guard already activated in states across the country, rumors are rife that the land of the free will soon be cordoned off behind an iron curtain of martial law.

Although there have been just 258 reported deaths from coronavirus in the United States, Pentagon officials announced Friday it is drafting plans to take over hotels, college campuses, sports facilities and other buildings “if necessary” to help hospitals accommodate patients.

“We would…take the building over in a period of an exceptionally short amount of days, and we would go in and turn this into an ICU-like facility,” Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite said in comments to the Wall Street Journal. The remarks come as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) warns that as many as 70,000 Americans could be confirmed as infected with coronavirus by the end of next week.

Boots are already on the ground in neighborhoods across the nation as 3,300 Air and Army National Guardsmen have been called up in some 30 states and US territories, including California and New York. In Baltimore, meanwhile, the scene was reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina, when thousands of people were forced to seek shelter inside of the Louisiana Superdome, as rows of National Guard Humvees were spotted outside of empty stadiums.

Baltimore pic.twitter.com/Am0hEO6ZxB

— Peter R. Quinones (@PeterRQuinones) March 20, 2020

In California, meanwhile, where officials say 56 percent of the state – more than 20 million people, a figure that has been hotly disputed since just 1,195 positive cases and 23 deaths have been reported in the state thus far – could eventually be infected, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a “stay home” order for the state’s nearly 40 million residents. The clampdown includes the closure of various types of businesses, including dine-in restaurants, entertainment venues and public events and gatherings, according to the California state government website.

Needless to say, it is almost impossible to imagine the lock-down of America’s most liberal and populous state – where crime and tent cities have overtaken many urban areas – without some heavy military assistance. Newsom anticipated such fears when he told a presser that martial law would not be necessary to impose order “at this moment.”

“If you want to establish a framework of martial law, which is ultimate authority and enforcement, we have the capacity to do that, but we are not feeling at this moment that is a necessity,” he said.

Please stop spreading stupid rumors about marshall law.

COMPLETELY FALSE

We will continue to see closings & restrictions on hours of non-essential businesses in certain cities & states. But that is NOT marshall law.

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 16, 2020

Martial law has been instituted on the national level just once in the United States, and that was during the Civil War.

Amid ruminations of martial law on the streets of America, there is also talk that Trump, who has not been shy about taking harsh measures to stamp out the spread of the virus, which included a travel ban on 26 European nations, may impose a weeks-long ban on domestic air travel, as well as a halt to all non-essential business activity, according to a report in The Washington Examiner.

Such a move, should it actually come to light, would almost certainly necessitate large-scale military assistance. In other words, the imposition of martial law from sea to shining sea. This would give Trump, as Commander-in-Chief, authority over the states and their governors with regards to how to handle not only the coronavirus, but any crime and violence that follows in its wake.

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