I continue with a recap from my debate with a man I am calling Ferdinand Yocum as we debate whether President Donald Trump is justified in sending in the National Guard into Chicago to try to quell the violence. Ferdinand says no. I say yes. Again, I will designate Ferdinand Yocum with the initials FY and my designation with the initials AN.

FY: on your last point, it sounds like you have observed the army being called into cities and want to see more federal intervention in states governance rather than allowing states to govern themselves. That is also a Tenth Amendment issue which you seem to reject fully.

As to this increase in crime, from AI: Chicago experienced a 32% year-to-date drop in homicides through July 2025, with 240 homicides recorded, putting it on track for its lowest total in six years, alongside significant decreases in overall violent crime (-21.6%) and shootings (-37%). I lived in the Chicago area for a number of years, I haven’t been there this year, but I follow the news; simply because someone says crime is horrendous doesn’t make it so.

AN: In your previous message, you wrote that we should allow the states to govern themselves.

President Trump does not need the permission of the state officials to do what he is doing, especially given the fact that the leaders in Chicago have demonstrated any ability or desire to get things under control. Do you deny this? Do you think the mayor of Chicago had things under control?

Bottom line: If you think things are wonderful and safe in Chicago, you and I simply have an unbridgeable world-view on what constitutes safety. And I should hasten to add that virtually ALL of the ongoing chaos in Chicago is almost completely caused by the Left, those people you seem rather inclined to want to defend.

Do you deny that violence and mayhem is coming from the Left? Do you believe the violence and anarchy is coming from both sides? Are BLM activists Conservative? Are members of Antifa, those renegades who go around cracking skulls in the name of being anti-fascist while behaving like fascists, staffed by Right-Wing Conservatives?

You wrote: “That is also a 10th Amendment issue which you seem to reject fully.”

The amendment reads as follows:

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

In other words: any power not explicitly given to the federal government belongs to the states. Law enforcement and policing are traditionally state responsibilities. Is President Trump in violation of the 10th Amendment? It is clear you’d like to think so. But is that accurate? You seem to be ignoring the fact that the National Guard is of dual STATE- and FEDERAL-status. Are you not aware of that?

True, when under state control the National Guard operates under the governor of that state.
But what about when they are Federalized? Do you still think it’s up to the State Governor to dictate what the National Guard does or does not do? Is that really your position?

So the real question we should be addressing is this: Under what authority is the President using the National Guard?

President Trump is well within bounds to use the NG to protect federal property and federal employees according to the law (see 40 U.S.C. § 1315.)

Further, the President of the United States is well within bounds to restore public order more generally.

Now here is where you may have a point: the Supreme Court could, conceivably, rule that Trump IS in violation of the 10th Amendment on those grounds, but I highly doubt it would go that way, but we shall see. (Some local courts do see it that way in Portland and Chicago).

But if Trump’s use of the National Guard is protecting federal property or personnel, he’s untouchable.

And that, my friends, is the latest elephant in the room.

(This will be concluded in the next issue of Uncommon Sense).