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Disturbing News From (and About) the Coast Guard

By TChris, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Tue Sep 25, 2007 at 08:42:31 PM EST
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This is disturbing:

Nooses were left in a black Coast Guard cadet's bag and in the office of a white officer who conducted race relations training after the incident, leading a congressman to call Tuesday for a thorough military investigation.

A Coast Guard probe was unable to determine who left the nooses, said Chief Warrant Officer David M. French, a spokesman for the Coast Guard Academy.

This is even more disturbing:

A task force found that minority members comprised 13.5 percent of the Coast Guard's student body, compared with 16 percent in 1991, Cummings said. Minorities comprised only 7 percent of the faculty and staff, and fewer than 1 percent of captains on active duty are black, Cummings said.

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    Disturbing News From (and About) the Coast Guard | 10 comments (10 topical)

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    I'm just guessing, but ... (none / 0) (#1)
    by Beldar on Tue Sep 25, 2007 at 11:16:55 PM EST
    I have no first-hand knowledge of or about the Coast Guard, but my impression is that its members historically have been drawn largely from members of the population who already have some love of, or other connection to, the sea. Among those who sail as a vocation or an avocation, blacks may also be underrepresented as compared to national population statistics.

    Be cautious in presuming that there's a discriminatory motive to blame for the statistics you cite.

    The nooses, by contrast, are deplorable.  (But in context, they're one anecdotal incident.)

    If there was not a discriminatory motive (none / 0) (#2)
    by Edger on Tue Sep 25, 2007 at 11:40:13 PM EST
    that is fairly widely held on board the Eagle, or at least fairly widely tolerated (supported?), I would think they would not be unable to determine who left the nooses...

    Parent
    Or ... (none / 0) (#3)
    by Beldar on Tue Sep 25, 2007 at 11:48:58 PM EST
    The despicable individual who left the noose knew that what he was doing was likely to cause him to be (justly) ostracized or worse, and he was careful not to get caught.

    Be careful with guilt by association or implication.

    Parent

    Good point (none / 0) (#4)
    by Edger on Tue Sep 25, 2007 at 11:51:50 PM EST
    but in my experience people who are that racist have a hard time hiding it, and the people they work with know about it.

    Parent
    yep. (5.00 / 1) (#5)
    by cpinva on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 10:00:40 AM EST
    and at that age, subtlety isn't their strong suit.

    that said, unless the individual(s) used gloves, my guess is they left a part of themselves on that noose. methinks the coast guard didn't do much of an investigation, if they didn't have their forensics people swab it for bits of leftover DNA.

    Parent

    Googling around (none / 0) (#6)
    by Edger on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 10:21:47 AM EST
    I found that the Eagle is a training ship, with a complement of approx. 19 officers, 46 crew, 175 cadets and instructors.

    Students.....

    Parent

    The Coast Guard has a squeaky clean (none / 0) (#7)
    by Edger on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 10:23:06 AM EST
    mom and apple pie rep to uphold?

    Parent
    You do realize (none / 0) (#8)
    by Deconstructionist on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 10:46:13 AM EST
    CSI is just a telvision show? The odds of obtaining a usable DNA sample from a normally handled pieece of rope is exceedingly small. Moreover, given that rope is probably commonly used in the Coast Guard what with the boats and all there would be little chance of establishing that the presence of a particular person's DNA on a piece of rope tied him to the leaving of the noose. Additionally, I'm not aware of the Coast Guard requiring all personnel to deposit DNA samples for comparison purposes.

      I have no opinion on the thoroughness of the investigation but that argument lends nothing to the accusation it was lacking.

    Parent

    YOo do recognize (none / 0) (#9)
    by Edger on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 10:49:22 AM EST
    speculation and contextualizing when you see it?

    Parent
    A family member's a CG Acad Grad, (none / 0) (#10)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Wed Sep 26, 2007 at 11:44:21 AM EST
    I'll let you know what the says about this.

    Disturbing News From (and About) the Coast Guard | 10 comments (10 topical)

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