Found Object: The Klan Explains It All for You
Posted Monday, March 5, 2001, at 4:39 PM ETIt's objet trouvé time again! The Supreme Court today decided not to hear a case about whether the state of Missouri could be compelled to allow the Ku Klux Klan to participate in its "Adopt-a-Highway" program. (A federal appeals court ruling last March decided against Missouri and in favor of the Klan.) The Klan's new victory made Chatterbox wonder what general image the Klan seeks to project nowadays. The answer can be found in this handy FAQ prepared by the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, which confirmed that the Missouri organization is one of its chapters.
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Q. Why do you kill black people?
A. We don't kill black people. This is another misconception about the Klan. ... It is unfair to say the Klan kills black people. ...Q. Are you all Nazis or something?
A. No. The Nazi regime ended in Germany over 50 years ago. We live in a different century in the United States. ...Q. You say you don't hate minorities, but they can't join The Knights. Doesn't that make you all prejudice [sic]?
A. ... Membership in The Knights is reserved for white Christians, however, those of other racial backgrounds who support our political platform can be Official Supporters. Official Supporters will receive a certificate verifying them as Official Supporters of The Knights and receive a subscription to The White Patriot News Report. However, Official Supporters can not attend private functions of The Knights.
Sadly, the FAQ doesn't address the question, "How does litter removal relate to the broader Klan mission?"
E-mail Timothy Noah at .
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Reader Comments From The Fray:
Well nothing wrong here, I can't join the Black Panthers or any of many Negro, Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern groups or clubs, and let's not forget the religious ones. And even if I were allowed in then it would not be with open arms but with pressure to make me want to vacate the place (I have tried this before). But I don't hold that against them. Groups should have the right to limit membership. Where does it say that everyone should be able to do any thing they want? In the Bill of Rights or the Constitution the original forefathers did not intend that. The words are 'created equal', not that we will stay equal, and only the freedom or liberty to pursue happiness, no promise we will get any. I do not like the KKK but they have the same freedoms and rights as those on the outside wanting in, and that is to be inside with the doors barred (as long as they stay inside the boundary they created, no harm no foul).
--Ron
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