Pentagon Tightens Ban on Supremacist Activity After Years of Denying Problem

Since the SPLC warned the U.S. military about extremist activity among active-duty personnel in 2006, the Pentagon brass has steadfastly denied that a problem existed and insisted that its "zero-tolerance" policy was sufficient to keep organized racists out of its ranks.

That changed this past November, when the Pentagon quietly tightened its policy on extremist activity, which formerly only banned "active participation" in extremist groups but did not define what that meant.

Under the new regulations, military personnel "must not actively advocate supremacist doctrine, ideology or causes" or "otherwise advance efforts to deprive individuals of their civil rights." The new rules specify that "active participation" includes activities such as recruiting, fundraising, demonstrating or rallying, training, organizing and distributing supremacist material, including online posts.

rest at http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2010/04/13/pentagon-tightens-ban-on-supremacist-activity-after-years-of-denying-problem/?ondntsrc=MBQ100570NWS&newsletter=newsgen-20100513