Expect righties to start to steer away from "Ft. Hood was terrorism" soon

[ck4829]

Pentagon report finds evidence of extremism and infiltration in the military, not just by Islamic fundamentalists, but also by extreme right wingers, white supremacists, and hate groups.

"An independent fact-finding report made public last week by the Pentagon in the wake of the November shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, concluded that the Pentagon was not well prepared to defend itself from many internal threats. The report, “Protecting the Force: Lessons From Fort Hood,” focused on the serious breakdown within the military that allowed Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who has been charged with killing 13 people, to advance through the ranks despite concerns from his superiors about his behavior.

The report went much further than the Hasan case, however, examining the Pentagon’s efforts to weed out extremists of all kinds — including those involved in white supremacist hate groups. And it found those efforts lacking. In a section entitled “Indicators That DoD Personnel May Become a Danger to Themselves or Others,” the report states that current Pentagon policies are “outdated and fail to include key indicators of potentially violent behavior.” Specifically cited in this respect is “association with hate groups.”

The report recommends that the DoD (Department of Defense) review its policies on prohibited activities, which it says are currently “limited” and “unclear” and only apply to “active participation in groups that may pose threats to good order and discipline.” And it proposes that the Pentagon broaden the definition of “active participation” to include “contacting, establishing and/or maintaining relationships with persons or entities that interfere with or present a clear danger to loyalty, discipline, mission, or morale of the troops” and may also “increase an individual’s propensity to commit violence.” The review, which was conducted by Togo D. West Jr., a former secretary of the Army, and Adm. Vernon E. Clark, a former chief of naval operations, suggests that the Pentagon come up with “policy changes” to address these purported failings.

In December, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) wrote to West and Clark about concerns that racist extremists were finding their way into the military’s ranks. The SPLC’s letter stated that the Pentagon’s current policy on “active participation” in hate groups is inadequate. Citing many examples of military personnel posting racist and anti-Semitic materials on the Internet, the SPLC called on the Pentagon to revise its regulations to more broadly prohibit contact with extremists."

http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2010/01/21/fort-hood-report-calls-for-change-in-pentagon-hate-group-policy/

[spanone]

1. 'made public last week'.....so much for the m$m picking this up

[alstephenson]

2. Wow. Thanks for posting.