[Vision2020] Racism?

[Tom Hansen]

I don't believe that prejudicial selection of "long hairs" for urinalysis
tests, based solely on the person's long hair, could be considered "racist"
unless you can pigeon-hole "long hairs" as a specific race or culture.

The subject article deals with a unit in the New Mexico national guard
consisting primarily of Hispanic soldiers.  Why that specific unit?  Why not
national guard (and/or reserve) units out of Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit,
. . . ?  Are Hispanics from New Mexico more likely to be gang-affiliated
than enlistees from those cities I mention?

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"Uh, how about a 1-strike law. Death doesn't seem too extreme for a Level-3
sex offender."

- Dale "Comb-Over" Courtney (August 3, 2005)

-----Original Message-----

From: Matt Decker [mailto:mattd2107 at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 8:29 PM
To: thansen at moscow.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Racism?

Tom,

Just wondering, is profiling also racist?

This story has many "what ifs" to it. Sure we can all say that pulling all 
latinos out of the unit could be racist. But were they?

What if a person said so and so is using drugs and the guy is a long 
haired(longest hair a person can have the military) hippie. Would that be 
such a bad use of profilling, if all "long hairs" are pissed tested?

Enough for now

Matt


>From: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>
>To: "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: [Vision2020] Racism?
>Date: Tue, 1 May 2007 05:47:40 -0700
>
>In my opinion, racial profiling is racism, regardless of what your day job
>is.  We don't tolerate it in civilian life.  We demand, and expect, better
>from those in uniform.
>
> >From the May 6, 2007 edition of the Army Times -
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Racism?
>Strip search for gang tattoos spurs cries of profiling
>
>The commander of New Mexico's National Guard demanded an apology from Army
>leadership after dozens of his soldiers in a mostly Hispanic unit were
>ordered to strip to their gym shorts and then were searched for gang 
>tattoos
>while on duty in Kuwait.
>
>Army officials said the searches of 58 guardsmen in a unit called Task 
>Force
>Cobra last May were proper and legal.
>
>But Brig. Gen. Kenny Montoya, head of the state Guard, said he believes
>ethnicity played a role in the episode - the unit is 55 percent Hispanic.
>
>"I said something wrong was done there, and it was because of race, and I
>want to make sure it will not happen again," Montoya said.
>
>The search was prompted by an unsubstantiated allegation from a soldier in
>another unit who complained about gang activity among soldiers in Kuwait.
>The soldier claimed to have seen gang tattoos among members of Task Force
>Cobra's parent unit.
>
>The search, conducted by a Criminal Investigation Command agent, turned up
>no gang tattoos. The Army forbids extremist, racist, sexist or vulgar
>tattoos and prohibits membership in any extremist group, though rules do 
>not
>specifically mention gangs.
>
>The Army recommended discipline against three soldiers who objected to the
>searches. Maj. Kenneth Nava, a spokesman for the New Mexico Guard, said
>those three were counseled but not otherwise punished.
>
>After the Albuquerque Journal reported the incident this week, New Mexico's
>congressional delegation demanded a full investigation from the Army. Gov.
>Bill Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor and a Democratic
>presidential hopeful, said he supports an investigation into the "degrading
>searches."
>
>The New Mexico chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens also
>expressed outrage.
>
>Maj. Anne Edgecomb, an Army spokeswoman at the Pentagon, said in an e-mail
>Wednesday to The Associated Press that the Army had just received the call
>for a full investigation and had yet to respond.
>
>The task force is made up of nearly 190 soldiers and deployed in November
>2005 to provide convoy security in Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar. The unit 
>returned
>last November.
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Seeya round town, Moscow.
>
>Tom Hansen
>Moscow, Idaho
>
>"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the 
>tranquil
>and steady dedication of a lifetime."
>
>--Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.
>
>
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