Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Navy to mask Coronado's swastika-shaped barracks

By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 
September 26, 2007 
CORONADO, Calif., -- The U.S. Navy has decided to spend as much as
$600,000 for landscaping and architectural modifications to obscure the
fact that one its building complexes looks like a swastika from the air. 
The four L-shaped buildings, constructed in the late 1960s, are part of
the amphibious base at Coronado and serve as barracks for Seabees. 
From the ground and from inside nearby buildings, the controversial shape
cannot be seen. Nor are there any civilian or military landing patterns
that provide such a view to airline passengers.
But once people began looking at satellite images from Google Earth, they
started commenting about on blogs and websites about how much the
buildings resembled the symbol used by the Nazis.
When contacted by a Missouri-based radio talk-show host last year, Navy
officials gave no indication they would make changes.
But early this year, the issue was quietly taken up by Morris Casuto, the
Anti-Defamation League's regional director in San Diego, and U.S. Rep.
Susan Davis (D-San Diego). 
As a result, in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, the Navy has budgeted
up to $600,000 for changes in walkways, "camouflage" landscaping and
rooftop photovoltaic cells.
The goal is to mask the shape. "We don't want to be associated with
something as symbolic and hateful as a swastika," said Scott Sutherland,
deputy public affairs officer for Navy Region Southwest, the command that
is responsible for maintaining buildings on local bases.
The collection of L-shaped buildings is at the corner of Tulagi and
Bougainville roads, named after World War II battles. 
Navy officials say the shape of the buildings, designed by local architect
John Mock, was not noted until after the groundbreaking in 1967 -- and
since it was not visible from the ground, a decision was made not to make
any changes.
It is unclear who first noticed the shape on Google Earth. But one of the
first and loudest advocates demanding a change was Dave vonKleist, host of
a Missouri-based radio-talk show, The Power Hour, and a website,
www.thepowerhour.com
.
In spring 2006, he began writing military officials, including
then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, calling for action.
That August, he received a response from officials in Coronado, who made
no promise to take action and said, "The Navy intends to continue the use
of the buildings as long as they remain adequate for the needs of the
service."
In December, the now-defunct San Diego Jewish Times wrote about the
buildings and the controversy.
Soon Casuto and Davis got involved.
Casuto began an on-and-off dialogue with the chief of staff to Rear Adm.
Len Hering, commander of Region Southwest. He said that several members of
the Jewish community had complained to him.
"I don't ascribe any intentionally evil motives to this," Casuto said,
referring to the design. "It just happened. The Navy has been very good
about recognizing the problem. The issue is over."
Davis, who is Jewish, is also pleased with the Navy's decision.
During a discussion with military officials on other issues, Davis had
mentioned the Coronado buildings and suggested that rooftop photovoltaic
arrays might help change the overhead look. The base gets 3% of its power
from solar energy and has been looking to increase that percentage.
Reached in Versailles, Mo., vonKleist, the talk-show host, said he was
ecstatic.
"I'm concerned about symbolism," he said. "This is not the type of message
America needs to be sending to the world."
Copyright 2007 Los Angeles Times 
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