I don’t mean to sound like Chicken Little here, nor do I mean any disrespect to the memory of Walt Kelly. But every so often, I find myself wondering if the sky really is falling. I mean, a year ago or so, if you’ll recall, we had Janet Napolitano releasing a threat assessment that found that the types of people who keep and bear arms, join the NRA, and like to go to the range to shoot, or gun shows to buy, should be classified as proto-terrorists. We were not amused. Now comes word from the FBI that our military (you know…the good guys) have been infiltrated by the bad guys, i.e.: gangs. I’m not sure whether to laugh, or cry.
So here’s the 411. The FBIes tell us that their intel shows that every branch of the service has been infiltrated by gangs. This makes a certain amount of sense, when you think about it. Ghetto or Bario, the only way out (other than a body bag or an education) is likely to be joining up. Fair enough. But the problem seems to be that, once the former gang member goes through basic, he finds himself thrown in with others that he knows from da hood, and all of a sudden the “former” gang member isn’t so former. Then, too, you’ve got to wonder why gangs don’t just throw in with the military.
After all, they have access to the very best, kick-ass guns, unlimited amounts of ammo, and some of the best training this side of Thunder Ranch. Some enterprising, young gang-banger enlists, becomes all he can be for a hitch, then gets out and gets back to the hood, where he becomes the local version of a field general with an intimate knowledge of weapons, tactics, and stratagems. And bonus: He know knows all the inside Baseball moves that Uncle Sam been done teachin’ yo’ friendly neighbor(in the)hood SWAT teams. Now THAT’S the way to level the playing field!
According to the report, the military now includes members from 53 gangs and 100 regions in the in every branch of the armed forces. The list includes every major street gang, prison gangs, and outlaw motorcycle gangs. Lovely. And it gets better: they’ve been reported serving in both U.S. and international military installations.
Through transfers and deployments, military-affiliated gang members expand their culture and operations to new regions nationwide and worldwide, undermining security and law enforcement efforts to combat crime. Gang members with military training pose a unique threat to law enforcement personnel because of their distinctive weapons and combat training skills and their ability to transfer these skills to fellow gang members.
If there’s any good news, it’s that the gangs have concentrated on the U.S. Army, Army Reserves, and the Army National Guard.
Many street gang members join the military to escape the gang lifestyle or as an alternative to incarceration, but often revert back to their gang associations once they encounter other gang members in the military. Other gangs target the U.S. military and defense systems to expand their territory, facilitate criminal activity such as weapons and drug trafficking, or to receive weapons and combat training that they may transfer back to their gang. Incidents of weapons theft and trafficking may have a negative impact on public safety or pose a threat to law enforcement officials.
The FBI points out that many gangs, especially the bikers, actively recruit members with military training and advise young members with no criminal record to join the service for weapon access and combat experience.
Of course the bennies don’t stop there. You got your modern-day Ché Guevara servin’ a hitch and coming back as a newly-commissioned el General, but he’s got some homies still workin’ on the inside, if you know what I mean. Forget that “river ‘o guns” B.S. into Mexico. You’ve got a potential raging rapids of weaponry going out the door on a five-finger discount plan, straight from a U.S. Armory to a bario near you. And we’re not just talking full-auto carbines that would make your average AK or AR look puny by comparison. Nope. We’re talkin’ RPGs, grenades, .50 cals, and some pretty impressive munitions. The possibilities are endless.
And frightening. Gangs are evidently recruiting members with no criminal records to join up and come back with info and connections that can benefit the gang. Think of it like sending your kid off to college abroad, to broaden their horizons. Only these kids are learning how to be soldiers. What a great skill to export for gang use, eh?
Of course, this is of no interest at all to those defenders of justice, the ATF. I mean, why arm gangsta soldierz? They already have the good stuff. And it doesn’t exactly further the ATF narrative, either.
One more fun factoid to fulminate over: When push comes to shove, oh…I dunno, say when the President invokes martial law or something, where will the allegiance lie with Col. Crip and Brigadier General Blood? Will they be playing for Team Uncle Sam, their own gangs, or just freelancin’? And the best part? The same paralysis by political correctness run amok exhibited in the case of the Muslim attacker at Fort Hood in Waco will prevent the military from weeding out the gang members who’ve infiltrated the military.
In the back of my mind, I’ve always felt as if our next-to-the-last resort against the tyranny of a government run amok (the LAST resort being the 2nd Amendment), would be that the military would never take orders directing them to turn on their own citizenry. If we’ve got a military infected with gang members, I’m not so sure about being able to count on the armed services if things do ever get that bad. Hell, I’m not sure I’d trust ’em in a Katrina-style emergency now, either.
There’s a simple solution to this. But it requires top-down leadership, a refutation of politically correct thought, and a willingness to do what’s right – and let the ACLU and others of their ilk go hang. But to do that, it has to be approved by the Commander-in-Chief. And until someone else lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, I just don’t see that happening.