The Army has always been able to funtion regardless of internal racial tensions, but the serious imbalance in soldier demographics caused by an all-volunteer force is really starting to take its toll. The problem this time is that the infiiltration by hate groups is part of a greater goal.
A decade after the Pentagon declared a zero-tolerance policy for racist hate groups, recruiting shortfalls caused by the war in Iraq have allowed “large numbers of neo-Nazis and skinhead extremists” to infiltrate the military, according to a watchdog organization.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks racist and right-wing militia groups, estimated that the numbers could run into the thousands, citing interviews with Defense Department investigators and reports and postings on racist Web sites and magazines.
“We’ve got Aryan Nations graffiti in Baghdad,” the group quoted a Defense Department investigator as saying in a report to be posted today on its Web site, www.splcenter.org. “That’s a problem.”
The report said that neo-Nazi groups like the National Alliance, whose founder, William Pierce, wrote “The Turner Diaries,” the novel that was the inspiration and blueprint for Timothy J. McVeigh’s bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, sought to enroll followers in the Army to get training for a race war.
No shit. It’s bad enough that a soldier can’t feel safe outside the perimeter, but are our military bases going to turn into uniformed microcosms of our gang-filled prison system?
support the troops?
This must be a really new development. I’ve trained with a lot of soldiers and ex-military in my life. Some of them were recently out of the military…some had been in for years. One of them went through Paris Island in 1973, preparing for Vietnam (which thankfully he never reached due to the withdrawl of troops before his arrival). All of them, to a man, couldn’t care less about skin color. As they said, “In Boot Camp, everyone is olive drab”. This was in Mississippi in the 80s and early 90s.
For the most part, those that are racists got weeded out and had their paradigm shifted while in Basic Training. If your life is in the hands of the man next to you, you quit caring what color he is.
Yesterday we learned that gang tags are prevalent in Iraq.
Today it’s skinheads in the ARMY TOO.
The goverment is BS.
Go out and buy guns to protect your family NOW!
It’s all OVER!
#2 This isn’t anything new. Theres lots of gang activity in the military. There was in the late 80’s and early 90’s when I was in. And its only grown. Do a simple search on military gang activity. You’ll be suprised what you find. Its not just skinheads either.
I’ve always thought that a mandatory stint of military service would be a good idea. It’s not uncommon in the world. It makes for a more heterogeneous force, among several other benefits (to both the country and the individual). The problem would be to insure it’s a fair system without a lot of “get out free” cards handed out to politician’s kids and others of the privileged class. Heck, Elvis was in the army!
The second time is as many days that I discover myself mentioning it, but Timothy McVeigh was a decorated combat veteran, a former marine.
I admire and support the Southern Poverty Law center, but before we run screaming to the hills, I’d let the military deal with it. They sort of suck at dealing with sexual politics (women and gays) but they tend to handle racial issues well (in general).
#4 is right. When i was in from 90 to 93 there was racist groups from all sides in the army. I would say you cant hate a race that bad of you work and live with them but i am a bit of a fool. đ
I would not doubt it is getting worse but the question is what can you do about it?
Not to sound stupid but we are in Iraq and there is recruting shortages.
Maybe Bush will work on this to make people stop thinking of the war.
Here we go again, more “America is bad, this time the soldiers are nazis” F.U.D. from Smartalix.
Oh yeah, I took them at their word. I grew up in Mississippi man, I’ve seen the old school racism.
Sorry, I judged them on their actions with people of other races.
#9 I don’t think its really “America is Bad.” Its more like American has a problem with gangs and gang members join the military and keep their gang affiliations.
To be fair, we should address the racism not only in the case of skinheads, but the black panthers and african-american gangs. Racism is not specifically designed to disclude hate against caucasians. I am former military and was there. Unless you have seen it first hand, then an argument otherwise is irrelevant.
malren
What is your mental malfunction?
My intent is to point at this problem to address it, not vilify those involved. (Thanks Raff for pointing out the obvious to that jerk.) It is not the military’s fault that the president has them in a quagmire and nobody wants to enlist. The fact that there are groups using this situation to the detriment of military preparedness and functionality is something that needs to be made public. Have you ever served yourself?
Why do you support the enemies of this country by decrying their disclosure? Why are you so anti-American? You are either a shill or an idiot.
“…and nobody wants to enlist. ”
Liar. Typical for you, though.
I guess that’s why we hear the military is having no trouble making quota. Not.
You have so lost it you can only spout invective and twist meaning. You are pathetic. I’m done with you. I will pretty much ignore you from now on.
Most months they DON’T have a problem malking quota. You choose to believe the media when they pump up the months they do miss, and even then it’s never by more than a few percent.
To top it off, the quotas are padded and everyone knows it.
You’re an ass. Ignore me all day, I will still call you out on your BS when you post it. Start posting rational, truthful posts without the usual F.U.D. and you’ll find me a much different experience.
You just want your fellow lefties to pat you on the back and say “attaboy.” Weak.
#9, Here we go again, more âAmerica is bad, this time the soldiers are nazisâ F.U.D. from Smartalix.
Comment by malren â 7/7/2006 @ 10:38 am
wrong, Smartalix posted a story that was posted elsewhere. He didn’t invent, embellish, make up, exaggerate, or lie about this story. Hey, why don’t you check out the links he provided. You just might find the experience refreshing. If you don’t want to comment on the story, then shut the f*** up.
http://tinyurl.com/jw66q
http://tinyurl.com/zprsn
#1 Anon….yeah….support the troops. I thank everyone who ever fought for this country, the good, the bad, and the ugly, because thanks to them I have the freedom to live my life as I please.
Alix, Malren is correct in what he says about recruitment goals. They have been meeting or exceeding them pretty consistantly for the past year, with only a couple months where they missed their goals.
The military is like any organization that is large and uses volunteers, your bound to get some bad elements of all kinds. Hopefully, you can keep it to a minimum and clean them out. Think the Boy Scouts, the Priesthood and police departments.
Just a few years ago the black civil rights groups and the left complained the all volunteer army was dispoportunently made up of just the poor and blacks, which was pretty true, but not quite all true.
Now it’s the black gangs, the hispanic gangs and the skinheads etc., but none of them are even remotly close to a any real numbers in the force, and they usually are weeded out fairly soon.
Nothing new. In fact there is some evidence that this has been going on for a while and goes right to the top as a deliberate, if secret, plan.
“It’s the heartwarming story of a far-right, lunatic-fringe, conspiracy-peddling Special Forces bigot, the Pentagon’s ridiculous failure to stop soldiers at Fort Bragg from passing around his racist newsletter, and the professional militia he claims is waiting for an order to overthrow the corrupt U.S. federal system via military coup in favor of some God-awful dystopic vision of White Power governance.”
http://www.rotten.com/library/conspiracy/special-forces-underground/
Last time Neo-Nazis were in the military was a long time ago, and the word ‘Neo’ was missing. It was in Nazi Germany during the thirties, when I was a little Jewish kid running around Berlin. And, given this and other recent news, I do believe that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
D. Colmes
As a Gulf War vet from the first time around, I can say there were racists of all races in the military then, as I found afterwords in college, the workplace, etc…..I suppose it has increased with the current lowering of recruitment standards. Overall though, I found the military far less segregated and ignorant than the university environment.