Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi.
Well, the KKK is back at it with their little flier campaign. It’s a bit more involved than the last effort in Georgia.
Following the mass shooting at gay nightclub ‘Pulse’ in Orlando, Florida, the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi gave out anti-gay pamphlets to the homes in Gautier and Ocean Springs along the Gulf Coast.
[…]
In response to news reports of the incident, Brent Waller, who identifies as the Imperial Wizard of the United Dixie White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Realm of Mississippi, said it’s his right to distribute whatever material even if locals do not welcome them.
‘I got the same right under the First Amendment to pass out pamphlets and literature just the same as the newspaper does,’ Waller told the Hattiesburg American.
Waller defended his group’s anti-gay sentiments by saying that black people and Muslims are also their list.
‘[The pamphlets were] put out in a legal fashion, nobody’s being targeted,’ he said. ‘There’s some things about gays, but there’s also some things about blacks and we’re coming out with one on Muslims next week.’
Goodness, he sounds a wee bit defensive. I’ll admit to being quite amused at the politically correct disclaimer after the Boycott 101’s final paragraph:
“Don’t let the outside immoral crowds and their news media get your butt in a bind. We will never bow to homosexuality and bestiality or other unnatural sexual perversions that go against the laws of nature and GOD.”
It said: “This is a mass flier drive, no one is being targeted because of race, religion, national or sexual orientation.“
Emphasis mine. Not overly amused though, because while the Klan is not remotely the same powerful organization it used to be, given the rise of the far right everywhere, along with white nationalism, it doesn’t pay to completely discount such groups. There’s a great deal of ugly in the Boycott 101 flier, but even the Klan, it seems, has had to learn where to carefully draw a line.
And Waller said he and his group don’t want outsiders coming into his state “spreading their liberal agenda.”
“Our state is being bombarded by outside views,” he said. “They get on the news about the flag and gay rights agenda.”
But the straight white perspective is rarely told, even though the bulk of Mississippi residents are white, Waller said.
According to a U.S. Census report issued in July 2014, an estimated 62 percent of the state’s residents are white.
“We’re the Klan that’s been here since the Civil War,” Waller said. “We have long been the voice for the white right wing. People may not like our views, but we are entitled to them.
“We’re not out here hanging people no more, but we certainly have some viewpoints that some people don’t agree with, but we certainly have some who do. I don’t sugarcoat it. I’m not politically correct. We are the main group for the white man. We have been for 150 years.”
Waller said the UDWK will continue to push for the right to be heard.
“We’re really going to get the message out this summer,” he said. “As long as we’re not using any inflammatory or hate-type material in our fliers we’re OK.”
And contrary to popular belief, Waller said, he has nothing against gays as long as they don’t flaunt their lifestyle.
“If somebody wants to live a certain lifestyle, I’m cool with that,” he said. “But if they want to push their agenda on us … I had one of those gay churches contact me. I told them I’m going to pray for you. You don’t have to worry about us harming you, but I think what you are doing is wrong.”
It does appear, at least for now, that the Klan remains mostly de-fanged.
Via Hattiesburg American, and Gay Star News. Boycott 101 Flier.
People said the same thing about post WW1 Germany. Just sayin. I never trust nationalists to stay defanged for long.
No, neither do I, which is why I pointed out it doesn’t pay to discount such groups, and normally, I’d feel a bit more assured about the de-fanging, but with the far right rising all over the world, and the resurgence of white nationalism, I’d say at most the de-fanging can only be considered as temporary.
I can’t begin to say how disturbing it is to me, after years of activism to drive the neo-nazism movement back to the lunatic fringe, decades ago, that it’s all bounding back, and quite strongly, too. It still isn’t as strong as it was, but everything now is staked on who is going to end up leading, and not just in this country. Right now, there’s still a strong backlash to such hate and bigotry, but if there’s a power shift, that will all change.
I got that disturbed feeling when I saw my first “Put the White Back in the White House” bumper sticker on a nice car in an upscale suburban parking lot back in 2012. Racism going mainstream once again…
Waller defended his group’s anti-gay sentiments by saying that black people and Muslims are also their list.
When we discriminate we, uh, don’t discriminate!!
I wonder if the KkK has all their trademarks registered etc. Because it sure would be fun to start chapters of the KKk that were inclusive and welcoming and had really awesome events except, you know, weren’t uncool assholes. Hey did you see the KKk mardi gras float? Hell yeah, the neon robes and platform shoes and the drum and bass corps playing trance music… Wow they were so groovy!!
But the straight white perspective is rarely told, even though the bulk of Mississippi residents are white, Waller said.
In lengthy interview, KKK spokesperson complains they don’t get interviews.
Marcus @5:
That is the line that stuck out to me. My jaw dropped when I read it. I just wonder how anyone could believe that the straight white perspective hasn’t been the predominant narrative forever.
Wow the titles of these guys are laughable.
Wow the titles of these guys are laughable.
I’m spartacus!
Seriously, I’m the Turbo-Charged Social Justice Grand Wizard of Laughing at the Untied Dixie Cup Knights of the Whatevurr Realm of Mississippi. Two can play that game.
Who is Number 1 ?
Fixed that for historical verisimilitude. The KKK was the Reconstruction equivalent of the vigilantes at Trump’s rallies. Or Hitlers. Or Mussolini’s. Or Peron’s. Or . . . .
Ogvorbis:
That’s the right fix, too. The KKK has always been about white privilege. Specifically, white privilege with money.
White male privilege with money. In that respect they are true to the founding principles of the nation.