Pentagon: Current policy is adequate
One of the country’s main monitors of hategroups asked Congress Friday to investigate possible racial extremismin the military, after finding U.S. service members participating in asocial networking site advertised as being for white people only.
Researchersfrom the Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, Ala.,identified about 40 personal profiles of people who list the militaryas their occupation on the Web site New Saxon, according to the group’sfounder, Morris Dees (right).
Examples that Dees cited from the Web page include:
- Aperson claiming to be in Iraq, who writes that he “hate(s) illegalimmigrants with a passion and feel(s) every true red-blooded, whiteAmerican should do whatever it takes to stop the foreign invasion.”
- Onewho said he was serving in Afghanistan lists as his favorite book, “TheTurner Diaries.” The novel is a favorite of white supremacists.
“Weurge your committees to investigate the threat posed by racialextremists who may be serving in the military to ensure that our armedforces are not inadvertently training future domestic terrorists,” Deeswrote in a letter addressed to four congressional committee chairmen.
Dees said existing Pentagon regulations that prohibit active participation in extremists groups should be strengthened further.