http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/10/military_hate_groups_enlistment_ban_101909w/

Congress wants to put hate-group ban into law

By Rick Maze – Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Oct 21, 2009 7:55:45 EDT

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

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

This seems rather dumb.

1)       If you genuinely want people to see that racism is stupid, then putting them in an integrated environment should help them get over it (that was part of the rational in integrating the armed forces)

2)      Given the broad definition of hate groups these days,  it could exclude former boy scouts

3)      To punish because of past conduct that wasn’t against the law seems punitive,

Republicans  are going to have a great deal to do come Jan 2011.  We may have to do an “omnibus repeal act of all the dumb things done by Congress in the last two years act”

But this is another great example of “feel good” politics.  It makes the legislator feel good because they are taking a stand against something they find distasteful, but they just are not thinking it through.