U.S. Coast Guard Rasism
Racists In USCG May Not Give Equal Treatment To All
September 29, 2007
Given that the military is comprised of men and women from every state in America, including those known to have a long history of violent racial attitudes, it should come as no surprise, that those in the United States Coast Guard including those in training, who are on the job to not only patrol the American waters for security reasons, but also to assist American citizens as well as foreigners in our waters, may not be treating all those incidents involving various races equally.
This became shockingly apparent this week, when The Navy Times reported there were two incidents involving two nooses left in the belongings of a black Coast Guard Academy cadet and a white staff member assigned to the civil rights office at the New London, Conn., campus.
The nooses of course, were meant to signify the hanging of blacks who had gotten 'uppity' back in the slave days in America, as well as into the civil rights movement, and even beyond. White northern 'sympathizers' were also attacked and murdered for fighting for equal rights for all Americans.
The Coast Guard Academy confirmed that two nooses were found July 15, 2007 in the sea bag of a cadet serving on the Coast Guard training barque Eagle and in the office of a faculty member a couple weeks later.
This cast a shadow on the USCG at a time that The Committee on Homeland Security took steps to improve cruise-line safety by approving language in the Coast Guard Authorization Act requiring cruise lines to notify the Department of Homeland Security (DOHS) of security-related incidents involving U.S. persons.
Incidents required to be reported include any act resulting in death, serious bodily injury, sexual assault, a missing person, or that poses a significant threat to the cruise ship, any cruise ship passenger, any port facility, or any person in or near the port.
It is unclear if this means that the cruise lines must report the incidents to the FBI as well as DOHS.
The racism problem in the USCG is especially troubling given the high number of minorities in Florida and California coastal communities. As well, this year the cruise industry announced that they were going to begin to more heavily targeting minorities in their marketing campaigns.
Only this week, internet users found satellite images of the U.S. Navy military base at Coronado (San Diego) California, and discovered the base buildings were set up in the configuration of a Nazi, swastika, a symbol of Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich and white supremacy.
The real shock was the military acknowledgement that they knew the building, built in 1967 was in the shape of a swastika, and decided to keep it quiet.
The building was built during the Lyndon Baines Johnson presidential adminstration. Johnson, was a conservative from Texas, and was known as "as a racist fighting a racist war" (Vietnam). He gave a campaign speech in May 1948 in which he compared civil rights legislation to the creation of "a police state in the guise of liberty." Later he was known as the racist who navigated the 1957 Civil Rights Act through Congress.
These two news stories this week were not the only slap in the face to minoriites living in or entering the U.S. Yesterday, the presidential conservative candidate debate on minority issues had four empty seats and those GOP (Grand Old Party) candidates showing up took quick aim at those far right conservatives missing the debate. They said their absence hurt the party's image and amplified racial divisions.
The four missing the debate at Morgan State University in Maryland, known as a black university historically, were New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Arizona Senator John McCain and former Tennessee Senator Freddie Dalton Thompson.
"Frankly, I'm embarrassed. I'm embarrassed for our party and I'm embarrassed for those who did not come, because there's long been a divide in this country and it doesn't get better when we don't show up," former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said in the nationally televised debate.
With a cruise industry courting the minorities and those who are suppose to defend the constitution and give aid at sea, as well as protect American borders, exhibiting racist attitudes it is clear that the risks are higher for minorites at sea are higher than they are for caucasians.
This risk is greater just because of the racist attitude of those in power whether publicly stated or secretly embraced, as in the case of the USCG nooses hate crime.
