Congress Wants To Ban “Haters” From Joining Military

Defense Department to decide how itwill determine association with a group and how it will decide whatconstitutes “active participation.”

The job of recruiters could get tougher as a result of a provisionin the compromise 2010 defense policy bill that bars enlistment ofanyone who has been an active participant in an extremist group.

Thiswould include any groups advocating discrimination based on race, sex,creed, religion or national origin, especially if the group advocatesto the use of violence — something recruiters will have to screen forif the bill becomes law.

Participation in such groups already isprohibited for current service members by regulation, but thecompromise defense bill, HR 2647, also puts the prohibition into law.

TheHouse of Representatives gave final approval to the bill two weeks agoand the Senate is expected to take the bill up in the next few weeks.

The rules will take effect 180 days after the bill is signed into law.

The restriction could have been even tougher. As initially passed bythe House of Representatives earlier this year, the provision of thedefense bill would have prohibited recruitment or retention of anyoneassociated with an extremist group, whether or not they were an activeparticipant.

The House-passed plan called for the immediatedischarge of anyone associated with a hate group. For current servicemembers, the House plan had an exception from immediate discharge if aperson had previously renounced their membership in a hate group. Noexceptions were allowed for recruits who had been associated with hategroups, so even if they had renounced their membership they would havebeen barred from enlisting.

Additionally, there were concernsthat the earlier proposal would have extended beyond extremists andsupremacist groups — the chief target — to include criminal gangsinvolved in drug trafficking, the illegal sale of weapons andsmuggling, according to a Congressional Research Service analysis.

Asevidence of association with a hate group, the earlier House proposalwould have accepted tattoos, e-mail or posting online, written materialor attendance at meetings. Those evidence rules are dropped from thefinal bill, leaving it up to the Defense Department to decide how itwill determine association with a group and how it will decide whatconstitutes “active participation.”

Generally, Defense Departmentpolicies have determined that active participation in an extremistgroup is any involvement that furthers the group’s aims, which could beleadership, organizing, fundraising or attending public meetings ordemonstrations, even when off-duty.

The Defense Department rules apply to active and reserve forces.

Source

2009-10-24