Inside the Ring

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By Bill Gertz

Antiwar harassment

The Air Force is warning military personnel traveling to the Pentagon to be on alert for anti-Iraq war harassment, including recent incidents involving radicals who used racial epithets.

A "security advisory" circular distributed recently by the Air Force's Eagle Eyes watch report - a project of the Office of Special Investigations - said several recent incidents of antiwar harassment took place in the national capital region involving military personnel who were "verbally assaulted while commuting on the Metro."

"These uniformed members have been approached by individuals expressing themselves as anti-government, shouting antiwar sentiments and using slurs against minorities," the May advisory said.

In one case, a woman in uniform was followed on to a Metro platform by an antiwar protester who "continued to berate her as she exited the Metro station."

Verbal assaults took place near the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Eisenhower Avenue Metro stations on the Yellow Line.

"However, military members should be vigilant and aware of their surroundings at all times while in transit," the advisory stated.

"The incidents appear to be random in nature," it stated. "Investigations [to date] indicate that these incidents do not appear to be an organized campaign."

Angry China

The U.S. ambassador to China, Clark T. "Sandy" Randt, opposes Bush administration plans to sell advanced F-16 jets to Taiwan because of concerns that Beijing has grown "angry" over protests and harsh reaction around the world to China's Olympic torch relay.