DEPLETED FORCES. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius noted on Sunday that the response to the deadly tornado that destroyed the small town of Greensburg, Kansas has been slower because many of the troops and equipment for the state's National Guard are in Iraq. Today, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley also voiced the same concern. Traditionally, of course, the National Guard has been used as a state militia to help with natural disasters. Now that the DoD has drafted the state militias to serve tours of duty nearly equivalent to enlisted soldiers, the effects are evident when disasters like this weekend's tornadoes hit.
--Kay Steiger
