Nope. Not happening here.

Tuesdays are generally a busy day around here, as we wrap up our print edition (with Adam Rex on the cover! On newsstands nowish!), so when people kept calling yesterday to ask why the city council imposed martial law on Tucson (thanks for nothing, Infowars), it was a somewhat unwelcome distraction. While the panic has calmed down somewhat, here is a quick guide to why you don’t need to worry about Resolution 22006.

1. The city council didn’t hand over control of the city to the military. The idea that this would even been likely is somewhat comical, but Resolution 22006 was merely a measure supporting Davis-Monthan’s continued existence. Whether you agree with that idea is something else entirely, but still it’s just a ceremonial measure.

2. The language about an emergency (not a “state of emergency,” as we generally think of such things) is in nearly everything the City Council passes, so they can implement whatever they’re doing immediately. Example, would a renewal of a contract to run the Temple of Music and Art warrant some sort of emergency status? Not really, but Resolution 22005 declares a similar emergency.

So, outside of the general idea that something very, very peculiar would have to happen to have the city council (usually mocked for being too liberal) to hand over control of the city to the military, knowing a little about how local government works will usually keep these sort of wild misunderstandings from happening. Plus, it might help to delete your Infowars.com browser bookmark.

This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 6, 2013.

The editor of the Tucson Weekly. I have no idea how I got here.

24 replies on “If You’re Freaking Out About Martial Law, Calm Down”

  1. The “emergency clause” is a standard practice in resolutions and ordinances passed by Tucson’s Mayor & Council. This is due to requirements imposed by state law, and by Tucson’s City Charter.

    Basically, it’s a legal workaround that prevents Cities from having to undertake impractical measures (and unnecessary costs to taxpayers), such as waiting 30 days and publishing the item in the newspaper, in order to complete their ordinary legislative actions. Certain types of actions, such as rezoning ordinances, never use the emergency clause. But most do.

  2. Ahh…nothing like the battle of egos between so-called bloggers to give one a good morning giggle.

  3. To say that the Mayor and City Council “recognize” and “support” the “military leadership’s decisions” concerning “community needs” with regard to “existing and future assignments” is a bit breath taking. What business is it of a military leader to make decisions regarding the needs of a civilian community? From dictionary.com, the definition for “recognize”, in this context, is “to acknowledge as the person entitled to speak”. Also from dictionary.com, the definition of “support” is “to undergo or endure, especially with patience or submission; tolerate.” It is no stretch of the imagination that this could easily be interpreted to mean that the Mayor and City Council are “yielding the floor” so-to-speak. The fact that R22006 says “both existing and future” leaves it open-ended and with no time-frame. Certainly an attorney would never draft such an indefinite measure. The way that Resolution 22006 is worded is vague, to say the least. And when it comes to legally binding documents, there is no room for vague language. Resolution 22006 also states that city officials and employees are “authorized” and “directed” to give this Resolution “effect”. “Directed” to give this Resolution “effect”? Why would a “ceremonial measure” need to be given “effect”, when “effect” in this context is defined as “the state of being operative or functional; operation or execution; accomplishment or fulfillment”? (also from dictionary.com) Mayor Rothschild is a very bright attorney according to everything that I have read, so I find it “somewhat comical” that this caliber of attorney would allow such a language to be even considered. Ponder this… What if the military leadership decided that it was a necessity for the community of Tucson (outside of the Base) to have check points? What if that same military leadership decided that local law-enforcement couldn’t do the job, so members of the military would man the check points? Who would the people of Tucson complain to? What if the “military leadership” then decided that the City Council needed to be replaced with compliant-military sub-ordinates? I know that this sounds far-fetched to some, but it is well within the realm of possibility, especially given the vague nature of the verbiage used in the document. Perhaps the caveat that, “this Resolution in no way grants any authority whatsoever to the military, or to any other entity, as Resolution 22006 is ceremonial and nothing else” could have been added so that constructive authority on the part of the “military leadership” would not even be possible. The way that it written is vague and open to interpretation. Perhaps the citizens of Tucson should review every Resolution and Ordinance currently in effect, because if anything else is worded anywhere near this vaguely, it could potentially cause a serious problem for the city. To mitigate future risk, perhaps the citizens should reconsider whom they elect next voting cycle.

  4. 1) It’s not just the lunatic fringe that is seriously bothered by the Council’s declaration without public input that the needs and desires and convenience of the dying war machine be given precedence over those of the Community at large.

    2) The “emergency clause” is WAY overused by the Mayor and Council…usually to AVOID a rigorous debate on public policy in order to grease the wheels for the worst elements in town…the “growth lobby” that’s determined to keep us from creating a sustainable future.

  5. Indeed Once again public input is not taken in concideration.This should be looked into further as word is getting out and about over this. And it should. Why is not the “Media” broadcasting and informing the public?? If this is not intended to be so, then let’s hear something other than words in print.Have the media and officials say something? Or is this just to remain silent and quite possible ,perhaps true?

  6. “Whether you agree with that idea is something else entirely, but still it’s just a ceremonial measure.” HAHA. Ceremonial, like a funeral? Sorry. I think Tucson has just been chosen for a Pentagon closed circuit reality show. But don’t worry. Everything will be okay if you’re papers are in order. Good luck.

  7. This is not a declaration of martial law. Tucson City Council and the Tucson Mayor do not have that authority. Perhaps everything will go to hell, but as of today, DMAFB is the most exemplary military base associated with any urban area in the US. Not only are they not a problem, they are a source of entertainment as I love watching the various warbirds in flight. Post personell are routinely polite and friendly. There is an almost nonexistent presence of uniformed military personell in this region. Yes, I know that some will think me a fool, but I will issue a new Sit Rep should the peaceful, unintrusive situation change. Until then, I will act as if it is just another day in the high desert.

  8. The link to these resolutions on the .gov website is not working now, but I have read paragraphs from it at other sites and it certainly sounds like specific control has been delegated to the military.

    When things are done quickly, for “emergency” reasons or not there is usually something that is objectionable about it to someone. If it is done to avoid any public discussion then I would think that it may be to hide something thats not popular.

    When someone tells me to calm down and delete bookmarks that lead to controversial opinions I feel patronized and insulted not more comfortable.

  9. Dan, we realize you are new at the Weekly, but you need get the history and purpose behind this resolution before you spout off.

  11. I don’t know how long you have been in Tucson, but the conflict between DM and the community has been going on since before you were born. Living on the East side you don’t get the pounding that Midtown folks do. You need to take a look at a map of the circular flight path over Midtown. Have you attended any of the MCRC meeting? There is one on the 20th at 6:00 pm at Ward 6. I’ll be glad to pass on background information unless you have your mind made up. The M&C forgot to talk with any of the MCRC neighborhood groups before they jumped into 22006 to get a feel for what the community thought. They were only listening to the DM 50 and Chamber. Google City of Tucson + Resolution 22006 to see the amount of national attention the Reso has gotten. It was not just a ceremonial gig. Try http://www.tucsonforward.com to get some background.
    By the way, Youth on Their Own is great organization.

  12. Sally: I understand where you’re coming from, but I think you’re misunderstanding the intent of the post. Like I wrote, you can disagree about whether the City Council should be passing anything supporting DM, but they weren’t installing martial law or a state of emergency (which was what some people were saying online and calling/emailing to ask me about).

  13. Did I say anything about martial law? If you truly want to be enlightened, that is a good thing. The common use of an emergency clause is something that most didn’t realize or understand. There may have been problems with municipal abuse up in Scottsdale and Gilbert. It would be interesting to find out how often an emergency clause has been used on a resolution in resent history by COT. They say 90%..90% of what?

  14. Could be the militarization of the entire nation. These tanks are showing up in many cities. Is it just to gain acceptance of a military presence or martial law in our cities?

  16. Don’t blame Infowars. This is bad reporting, and mere speculation. Martial Law is coming. consider the facts. Billions and billions of ammunition bought out over past year by DHS, FEMA, over 6,000 Tanks and Armored Vehicles, 14000 armored body suits, 226000 coffin liners, 50 executive orders instating the arrest and seizure of americans without trial, all which passed into law unnoticed by your ignorant liberals., …there countless amounts of crap. Brooklyn went into martial law…New orleans was under martial law at one point with hurricane, they took everyones guns, and never gave them back.

  17. It is not a good day for the Weekly when the Arizona Daily Star gives a better and more reasonable voice to those protesting the established order in this city than it does, but that seems to be the case here. Why Mr. Gibson chose to focus his reaction on the admittedly alarmist (and non-local) infowars.com is a mystery to me, when the objections to the resolution were first made, and in a reasonable form, via the activist organization Tucson Forward (tucsonforward.com) and a report in the Occupied Tucson Citizen (“Tucson’s Mayor and Council declare emergency and abdicate responsibility to Air Force”, http://occupiedtucsoncitizen.org/?p=2312). Since the Star is now picking up on the real objections to this resolution, as can be seen by their decision to print an Op-Ed in today’s Star from Tucson Forward member Lee Stanfield, (“Council resolution on D-M denies citizens’ rights, puts city at risk” http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/guest-co…), I hope that the Weekly will pick up some of the issues raised by this resolution as well (including the routine use of the “emergency” clause — just because its routine doesn’t make it right, an emergency should mean an emergency, shouldn’t it?).

  21. While you people smugly dismiss citizens with legitimate questions, you stupidly enable the deployment of a fascist agenda. I would bet the people of Tucson do not feel “safe” right now with all those jarhead guns walking about their city. What happened to the America we thought we lived in? Gone the way of a fascist nation. Feeling SAFE yet?

  22. Why was this held behind closed doors? Why didn’t local news stations report this? The city council and there actions could even be called criminal, not just because of this but because of what they do and do not do on a daily basis.Want to get the budget under control? Start by putting people on the city counsel that actually do the job! And quit voting them back into office when they don’t perform what they were elected to do! They all need to go.

  23. What the writer was hoping for was for us to read the article and move on to the next one not thinking nothing of it. Don’t you dare say Inforwars.com is to blame for false information, normally they have a document as proof of whatever claim they have. It’s newpapers like this that I see why they are free, you are doing nothing but advertising sex and alcohol.

    Any way back to this particular title. I am freaking out two hours ago because more then one reputable website is posting on this. As one who lived on DM for four years, I walked by myself and observed a lot back then. To know what I do now and be deemed crazy by people who refuse to believe this is the worst part. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win – Gandhi

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