Carter, you said “When an individual is enlisted in the military that does not deprive him of his rights”

Wrong! As a veteran, I can tell you that when anyone enlists in any branch of the military, they do forfeit some rights. Ever hear of the UCMJ? Uniform Code of Military Justice. Its a parallel legal system, and far more restrictive that Civil Law. Service members are subject to both at the same time, as a result, Double Jeopardy does not apply to them.

Military regulations are enforced as if they were equal to the UCMJ as well. You sacrifice your individual freedoms to wear the uniform. The Armed Forces are not and never will be a 9 to 5 job.

What I meant to say was this, with a biracial president, we have to be on extreme alert for white supremacists, yes.

I neither endorse nor oppose President Obama, but the last thing I want is for our president to be harmed. I don’t care what his politics are, he is our president and we, as a society, must do everything to protect him.

Disagree with him all you want, but in your disagreement, do not encourage vitriol that will encourage others to potentially take into their own hands a horrific thought to do our president any harm.

For some reason, I just got notified of your comment on my comment, so although it’s March, I’m still responding to your thoughtful commentary.

I agree with you about the isolation that young people must feel in order to join a gang.

Mr. Carter, you also put it so heartfelt and articulately when you stated, “This issue of gangs in general within the US Military makes me extremely sad. Young people on mil bases are (on occasion) ripe for recruitment due to feeling of isolation, etc.

“Sad commentary on family systems dynamics & support via our military housing. It places the challenges of support further on the military family. A tough load to bear.”

With a biracial president — he IS NOT Africa-American, my SPLC friends, and don’t charge me with racism, ok? Why? Because I have TWO beautiful granddaughters who are biracial with a black father and white mother. They are neither my heritage, Italian-, Welsh- and Scottish-American or African-American. They are all of them, that terrible word, an “assimilation” of diversity in our human family.

Yeah, that thing U2 said in the lyric, “When All Colors Will Bleed Into One.”

As I only believe in one color, human, with its wonderful shades, shapes, sizes, cultural diversities, etc., U2 could not have been more prescient when it sang that lyric so long ago.

Before conservative jingoists charge with of being a “bleeding-heart liberal” whom conservatives love to bash. I’m actually a CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS SPLC supporter and have been an SPLC supporter for more than two decades as a conservative newspaper editor who has promoted the SPLC countless times in his newspaper columns and now on my blogs.

Thank you, Mr. Carter, for such a heartfelt, understanding comment, because we have to realize that some of our youth may be prone to making the grave error of joining one these organizations, be it a gang that is dedicated to eradicating my black relatives or other gangs who deal drugs and death to any “color” of American if they happen to be of the “wrong” gang sign.

This issue of gangs in general within the US Military makes me extremely sad. Young people on mil bases are (on occasion) ripe for recruitment due to feeling of isolation, etc.

Sad commentary on family systems dynamics & support via our military housing. It places the challenges of support further on the military family. A tough load to bear.

That includes neo-Nazi gangs and white-supermacist gangs, but these are not the only gangs, and SPLC should not only focus on white racist gangs. It should also focus on all gangs. All are repugnant.

It showed gang members at musical events on military bases flashing gang signs, and it reported gang crime committed on foreigh soil.

There also is a report on gangs. Here is the link: http://209.85.173.132/search?q.....&gl=us

It’s an unclassified document.

The History Channel said the Pentagon said there is less than 1 percent of soldiers who are gang members, but this represents an entire Army base of gang-bangers spread throughout the military.

Of course, the Pentagon did not respond and the show is not over.

I wouldn’t worry as much about these people getting their “hands on weapons” as much as I would worry about their training being used to gather weapons, including biowarfare capabilities, to carry out their evil agendas.

What also concerns me as much as racists in the military are gang affiliations, which I believe pose a greater risk at this time than white supremacists, but it’s not as sexy to go after gang affiliations as it is white supremacists, is it?

That said, gang affiliations obviously include white supremacist gang affiliations, but there are criminal enterprises with gang members in the military and they are not all neo-Nazis.

All, however, are repugnant and a danger to democracy, and I applaud the SPLC’s efforts, but please don’t stop there.

Perhaps I missed you going after other gang affiliations, and if I did, I stand corrected.

Also of concern in the military is the “boys-will-be-boys” macho attitude that allows military personnel, usually men, who go to strip bars, bars and other venues where women are objectified as mere objects rather than persons.

The result is drunken soldiers, rapes, domestic violence and immoral behavior.

The military needs to clean up its acts, including our military personnel in Iraq who have admitted to having sexual liaisons with Iraqi women, who reportedly were prostituting themselves.

This is also repugnant and military discipline should be so exacting as to prevent this and to severely punish this behavior.

I was witness to a right-wing talk radio show host who when asked about the results of the election replied, “Well, it certainly gives me something to talk about for the next four years. But I deeply believe that it was a very healthy thing for race relations in this country & am deeply moved by what it provides people as an example of what can be accomplished by hard work & acceptance of all people as human beings first”.
This is as near as a quote as I remember, but I was moved that this person saw what Good the election results provided. (He was not on the air at the time & I have no right to publicly mention his name. I simply want to make a point & not aggrandize this individual.)
STOP categorizing anyone with a differing opinion with paranoia & suspicion. Not everyone who votes differently is a bigot. Not everyone need ascribe to the same world view. Those who demand this are the essence of The Problem.
Change starts with one’s self. Start looking in the mirror & see if some of the problems in this country can be dealt with by realizing that people are different & being different is OK. There is a very large difference between someone of differing political views & a bigot.
This country should never demand that we all conform to one ideological perspective of the world around us. When any individual does that; they are part of the problem and NEVER part of something wholesome or decent; Left, Right or Centrist.

I’ve had the “HateWatch” web address on my blogroll for almost a year but wonder how many people actually take time to look up these available statistics for themselves.

Keep up the great work.

Michelle