W.T.F?!?

[lurkerwithout]

KKK publicly distances themselves from Fred Phelps.

The Ku Klux Klan has distanced itself from Westboro Baptist Church, saying it "absolutely repudiates" the church's activities.

The KKK, which is an extreme right-wing hate group in the US, said in a press release about its aims that it did not have any connection with the homophobic church.

Led by pastor Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church is notorious for causing distress to bereaved families by picketing the funerals of US soldiers killed abroad.

The church believes God is angry that the US "enables" homosexuality.

In the release, the KKK says: "The Ku Klux Klan LLC has not or EVER will have ANY connection with the Westboro Baptist Church. We absolutely repudiate their activities."

Both, however, are vociferously opposed to same-sex marriage, although the KKK now states it sees no issue with civil unions as an alternative.

Comments

Actually, this does make a twisted sort of sense to me...

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

The KKK have tried to present themselves as a "patriotic" organization, in the sense that they believe that they are trying to save the nation. And back in the day when they were a force to be reckoned with nationwide and members barely bothered to hide their identities, they presented themselves as Holy Warriors, charged by The Lord to help protect and preserve the ideals that made this nation great. In conclusion: The KKK's position is that God loves America, and He only wants to see us prosper.

The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), on the other hand, states that God *HATES* the US because we are not a Fundamentalist Christian Nation. And that that EVERYONE who serves the current regime DESERVES to die. Including members of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, et al. And so members of the WBC have shown up at the funerals of US Armed Forces personnel, REJOICING IN THEIR DEATHS! Telling bereaved parents that THEIR CHILDREN DESERVED TO DIE!!!

So you can see how there's serious dogmatic schism between the metaphysical viewpoints of the KKK and the WBC.

---

Of course, if I were cynical, I might suspect that the KKK was distancing themselves from the WBC because the latter group was "poisoning the recruitment pool". After all, a large number of racist/homophobic people in this nation come from uneducated, low-income households... and out of economic necessity, many such families have at least one member in the US Armed Forces because there are simply no other job opportunities available.

I'm sure that every time the WBC rejoices in the death of another US soldier, the relatives of US Armed Forces personnel go absolutely ape-shit with fury. Doesn't matter if the family is just as racist & homophobic as the WBC; The first thought going through the minds of the family members is: "That could be my kid/sibling/parent in that coffin." The *SECOND* thought is "If the WBC tried to pull that shit at my kid's/sibling's/parent's funeral, I WOULD RIP FRED PHELP'S HEART OUT OF HIS CHEST AND EAT IT RAW!!!!"

So, if the KKK tries to recruit from these dirt-poor & dirt-dumb families without making it clear that the KKK despises the WBC... well, things might not go so smoothly. Hell, I can also see current KKK members who have relatives in the armed forces sending memos to The Grand Wizard asking for this press release! It soothes jangled nerves, and makes the KKK look like "The Good Guys" again!


But I'm not that cynical...

[box-in-the-box.livejournal.com]

Your cynicism makes sense to me, and yet, it still doesn't account for the Klan's official endorsement of civil unions here, since that stance actually places the KKK to the left of a majority of "mainstream" leaders of the Republican Party on the issue of gay marriage.

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

I was surprised at the civil union announcement, too.

My cynicism's best guess is that the "Civil Union" position is purely window-dressing for the Liberal Media, designed to make the KKK look more moderate and understanding than they really are. And when you get right down to it, Civil Unions are just another example of the "Separate and Unequal" mindset that is typical of the KKK. Civil Unions sound great in theory, but it'll never work in practice; someone will find a way to make sure that the fags & dykes get screwed and abused in the courts when they try to get their benefits.

[box-in-the-box.livejournal.com]

Fair point.

Still, even though this fully accounts for the Klan's discriminatory attitudes, it STILL means that they're nonetheless behaving smarter than the mainstream GOP, which refuses to compromise on gay marriage at all costs.

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

Rank and file of the KKK may be dumb as dirt... but not their leaders. That's why the organization still exists. That's also why the KKK is still dangerous.

"Know your enemy, and know yourself."
- Sun Tzu
-- THE ART OF WAR