Blowing Sh-t Up

piece in the times today about the growing number of right-wing hate group members who have not only enlisted in, but have been actively recruited to join, the miliary.

lovely:

The Southern Poverty Law Center identified the author as Steven Barry, who it said was a former Special Forces officer who was the alliance's "military unit coordinator."

"Light infantry is your branch of choice because the coming race war and the ethnic cleansing to follow will be very much an infantryman's war," he wrote. "It will be house-to-house, neighborhood-by-neighborhood until your town or city is cleared and the alien races are driven into the countryside where they can be hunted down and 'cleansed.' "

He concluded: "As a professional soldier, my goal is to fill the ranks of the United States Army with skinheads. As street brawlers, you will be useless in the coming race war. As trained infantrymen, you will join the ranks of the Aryan warrior brotherhood."

hmm, anyone still want to argue about whether the military has become an attractive destination for hate-filled people?

this is disgusting.

but i'm not surprised. once upon a time, the military turned out thoughtful, progressive people who wanted to see the world and broaden their horizons -- culturally, socially, and intellectually. people like my girl C's grandfather and my own grandfather, both of whom served in World War II.

now, it seems that more and more people join the military to blow shit up, to kill. my own brother J once thought about a career in the military, and though he's a bit more conservative than i, i have no doubts that he'd be put off by the convergence of machismo/homophobia/misogyny that has only increased in recent years.

now, i'm not saying that EVERYONE who joins the military does so for goonish, thugish reasons. i know two people personally who have served in iraq, one who went to howard u. and another from my hometown. both are great guys who reluctantly got caught up in all of this and who, after returning home, expressed distaste for many of the extreme right-wing views that take hold in the military. but you're kidding yourself if you think these people are the rule rather than the exception.

here's a thought: in the same way that the jury selection process in this country is meant to basically weed out any potential juror who actually wants to serve on a particular case (who essentially wants to pass a certain judgment for whatever reason), i think military service should be relegated to those who don't want to serve in the military at all. this would entail reinstateing the draft probably. and it would entail my serving, sure. but i think i would rather serve with people who are more intent upon using this largest of government bohemoths for peaceful means than with boys who just want to grunt and yell and blow crap up on my tax dollar.