Patriot Front applicants are 21% US Military

[plague311]

According to some leaked documents by Patriot Front. Per The Guardian:

Some 18 out of the 87 applicants, or 21%, said they were currently or previously affiliated with the military. One applicant, who claimed to be a former Marine, also said he currently worked for the Department of Homeland Security, according to the SPLC’s Hatewatch, a blog that tracks and exposes activities of American rightwing extremists.

I don't think this is really a shock to anyone as it's been pretty well known for awhile that military and police have deep ties to white supremacy. It is interesting to see some numbers though. It should be noted that these are only the members who "claim" to be\have been associated with the military by their own admission. It's not a true number as some might have lied on both sides. A few examples:

One applicant, who said he lived in San Diego, claimed to be a current DHS employee and told Patriot Front he was inspired to join after he “found out about the Jews while in the marines”.

Another applicant used derogatory language about LGBTQ+ people and said he “first saw” them during his time in the military.

Someone else from Salt Lake City said he “shifted focus and questioned things” after his second deployment and went from being a Republican to joining the far right.

 

[sarge]

According to some leaked documents by Patriot Front. Per The Guardian:



I don't think this is really a shock to anyone as it's been pretty well known for awhile that military and police have deep ties to white supremacy. It is interesting to see some numbers though. It should be noted that these are only the members who "claim" to be\have been associated with the military by their own admission. It's not a true number as some might have lied on both sides. A few examples:

Accurately stated, some service members (absolutely a minority, although how significant a minority isn’t actually known) have ties to or beliefs that align with white supremecy groups. The military itself has no ties to these groups or viewpoints.

That some far-right whacktards join the military is neither surprising nor avoidable, just as it is unavoidable that gang members do so.

 

[Skeptical Greg]

I suspect there are a lot of right wing whackos working at Walmart.
Fedex?
The post office?
The republican party?

PS
21% Is a surprisingly low number..

 

[Thermal]

I suspect there are a lot of right wing whackos working at Walmart.
Fedex?
The post office?
The republican party?

PS
21% Is a surprisingly low number..

I'd have thought high. Actual military have stuff to do. A group like Patriot Front seems like a bunch of spoiled teens play-acting. Their recent march in Philadelphia made them look like they were more used to white-flagging rather than battle-flagging.

 

[dudalb]

I woud like to see details, partiuclary since the OP has pretty much shown he dislikes the US Military anyway.
And the Guardian has been known to play fast and loose with the facts to promote it's own left agenda.

 

[dudalb]

Accurately stated, some service members (absolutely a minority, although how significant a minority isn’t actually known) have ties to or beliefs that align with white supremecy groups. The military itself has no ties to these groups or viewpoints.

That some far-right whacktards join the military is neither surprising nor avoidable, just as it is unavoidable that gang members do so.

And the US Military has a zero tolerance policy on serving members belonging to white suprmacy groups.
And I suspect some of the people in the poll are lying about being in the US Military.
And I repeat, the OP has shown he just plain does not like the military, period.
It is amusing is that people on the left refuse to join the military as being something beneath them, then complain there are too many conservatives in the military....

 

[Myriad]

I'm just really really surprised...

...that you have to apply to Patriot Front.

Is there a test? Do you have to write an essay? Do you get preferred selection if a parent is a member?

 

[Craig4]

I'd be curious to know if there are concentrations in certain specialties or components. I suspect the number skew higher in the National Guard.

 

[Distracted1]

I'd have thought high. Actual military have stuff to do. A group like Patriot Front seems like a bunch of spoiled teens play-acting. Their recent march in Philadelphia made them look like they were more used to white-flagging rather than battle-flagging.

Quick Google search shows a bit less than 10% of the U.S. adult population is currently, or has a history of, military service.
That percentage is undoubtedly much higher among the Male population- which puts the service history of applicants not all that far from the service history of the general population of US men.
Not all that scary of a headline- in that light.

 

[smartcooky]

And the US Military has a zero tolerance policy on serving members belonging to white suprmacy groups.
And I suspect some of the people in the poll are lying about being in the US Military.
And I repeat, the OP has shown he just plain does not like the military, period.
It is amusing is that people on the left refuse to join the military as being something beneath them, then complain there are too many conservatives in the military....

I'd also argue the there is likely to be a significant proportion of those 21% who might well be ex-military, but either left the service under a cloud, or were considered not suitable for advancement. Not sure what you call this in the US military, we used to call them "snailers", from the acronym SNLR (Services No Longer Required). Such people were said to have received the DCM (Don't Come Monday).

 

[Jack by the hedge]

Yeah, when you note how many ex-military adult men the US has (I think it's roughly double other Western nations) the statistic fails the "But is that a big number?" test. Even if it's true it's not disproportionate in any way that needs an explanation.

 

[Arcade22]

My god! That means the military is 21% Patriot Front!

 

[ponderingturtle]

Yeah, when you note how many ex-military adult men the US has (I think it's roughly double other Western nations) the statistic fails the "But is that a big number?" test. Even if it's true it's not disproportionate in any way that needs an explanation.

Well it is 3x the rate of former military in the general population.

 

[TurkeysGhost]

There is definitely an attitude in this country that veterans, especially combat veterans, are "super citizens" worthy of some special deference. This attitude seems to lead to vets feeling they have some special right to take direct action should government not live up to their personal standards.

It's easy to see why vets might have incredibly jaundiced views. We have a small, professional army that is largely fighting wars of imperialism that are far, both geographically and mentally, from the American homeland. The public largely doesn't care that much about these wars and there isn't much more than paper-thin gratitude for their military service.

Getting churned through the military system, experiencing incredible violence overseas in forgotten corners of the globe, and getting spit back out to an uncaring homeland is probably an extremely radicalizing experience.

Belew's book "Bring the War Home" goes into great detail about how disaffected Vietnam vets made up the most radical, militant core of the extreme right movement responsible for incredible violence and instability in the 80's and 90s (Ruby Ridge, Waco, OKC bombing)

https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674286078

 

[plague311]

I woud like to see details, partiuclary since the OP has pretty much shown he dislikes the US Military anyway.And the Guardian has been known to play fast and loose with the facts to promote it's own left agenda.

Uhm, excuse me? How the **** did you come up with that? The police and military DO have a deep connection with white supremacy. The 21% is just military, it doesn't include police. How much higher would the percentage be if they included all LEO's of some form? I thought I delivered it in a pretty impartial way, and I don't have anything against the people in the military, or the military itself. Other than it's massively bloated and the amount of money we pour into it could be better used somewhere else. I'd like to know where you pulled this bull **** statement from though.

ETA: Also, as to the facts, they're Patriot's reports. The Guardian didn't do anything other than report what they said. So you basically just ad hom'd your way into saying nothing with this post.

 

[sarge]

Uhm, excuse me? How the **** did you come up with that? The police and military DO have a deep connection with white supremacy. The 21% is just military, it doesn't include police. How much higher would the percentage be if they included all LEO's of some form? I thought I delivered it in a pretty impartial way, and I don't have anything against the people in the military, or the military itself. Other than it's massively bloated and the amount of money we pour into it could be better used somewhere else. I'd like to know where you pulled this bull **** statement from though.

ETA: Also, as to the facts, they're Patriot's reports. The Guardian didn't do anything other than report what they said. So you basically just ad hom'd your way into saying nothing with this post.

The US Military has no connection with white supremacy. The US military generally leads society at large in efforts to invrease integration for racial minorities, women, and LGTBQ+ (Trumps 4 years aside).


iMHO, the US Military is grossly under-sized for the tasks it has been assigned over the last two decades AND it is a bloated, unnecessarily expensive drain in the nations resources.

As for the statistic that 21% of the applicants are former military, so what? Absent context it is entirely meaningless. How many applied? Million, or merely thousands? If only thousands, then 21% is statistically insignificant.

That a group like Patriot Front would attract some former Soldiers is neither surprising nor alarming.

 

[Distracted1]

Well it is 3x the rate of former military in the general population.

90% of American veterans are men. A random sampling of adult American men would (assuming a roughly 50% men/women split) results in a number around %14 if the applicants are all men (likely, no?).
The numbers in the headline are not particularly alarming.
The existence of such a group may be alarming in itself- but the number does nothing to impugn the character of the US veteran or active duty service member.

 

[ahhell]

I knew a white supremecist in the Navy, he was quite the oddity. When we found out a group of us quizzed him on his beliefs. Truly bizarre and creepy.

But then I was only in for 6 years, so I'm sure If I'd stayed in, I'd have figure out how soaked in white supremacy the military actually is.

 

[rdwight]

As for the statistic that 21% of the applicants are former military, so what? Absent context it is entirely meaningless. How many applied? Million, or merely thousands? If only thousands, then 21% is statistically insignificant.

That a group like Patriot Front would attract some former Soldiers is neither surprising nor alarming.

87. Total applied. Of which a whole 18 claimed to be currently or previously 'affiliated' with the military. If you can't extrapolate that to deem the military overtaken by white supremacy I don't know what to tell you.

 

[plague311]

87. Total applied. Of which a whole 18 claimed to be currently or previously 'affiliated' with the military. If you can't extrapolate that to deem the military overtaken by white supremacy I don't know what to tell you.

Who is making this claim? It's a statistic, that's it. There is some serious butthurt over this article, and it's kind of surprising.

It's not saying that the military is taken over by white supremacists. It states, in the article, that the numbers are apparently rising.

Jesus Christ. ******* touchy around here.