A humbling read

Thank you for including the editorial by Randy Stapilus on the emergence of hate groups, especially toward government, in last week’s edition.

This article was particularly meaningful for me, as I had just finished reading one of the most difficult books I’ve read in a long time, “A Fever In the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them,” by renowned American author Timothy Egan. This book was difficult because of its intensely disturbing history of everyday Americans who were conned into hating their neighbors and fellow citizens by a few greedy, calculating and cruel individuals who took enormously profitable advantage of our ‘dark’ side that pits us against each other. It gave me nightmares, and still haunts my daytime thoughts.

The story briefly touches upon the southern Democrat’s huge efforts to block any rights African Americans had achieved during and shortly after the Civil War, and the initial development of the Ku Klux Klan movement to lead the effort, resulting in President Ulysses S. Grant’s efforts to quash it, and later President Rutherford Hayes’ narrow election that allowed him to support it full stop, despite knowing how cruel and illegal it was.

After a quiet period for the Ku Klux Klan, in the early 20’s a few cunning individuals, primarily a completely dishonest, greedy and cruel man named D.C. Stephenson, saw an opportunity to make millions by using (often by bribing) the Protestant churches’ ministers, among others, to convince people to give their money to the the Ku Klux Klan’s cause of ‘purifying’ the white, Christian ‘race’ in the U.S. and either sidelining or just murdering any Catholics, Jews, African Americans, immigrants, and a slew of others they could find to ‘hate.’

Stephenson bragged about physically and sexually abusing women. He bragged to his friends about getting rich by lying to and cheating gullible people. Eugenics was a popular movement; he fully supported it. His daily speeches and statements were filled with lies, often to intentionally hurt innocent people who were attempting to stand up against the Klan.

Corruption in small to large communities reigned in all areas of government and public life. Unthinkable atrocities toward innocent Americans took place DAILY in the U.S. by the Klan, and by 1925 D.C. Stephenson was hoping to reach his pinnacle goal to be elected president and turn the entire country into a fascist government. 1925.

Any of this sound familiar?

And here we are, 100 years later. Same show, with a few little twists to keep it interesting. We just don’t learn, do we?

What is the nature of hate? Does it originate from ignorance and arrogance? Is it a form of scapegoating to absolve our own lack of character as we refuse to love our neighbor as ourselves, as almost all religions try to teach us? Does it give us permission to steal from others for our own perceived needs and wants? And worst, does it provide a sick sense of entertainment that only our species out of all others on Earth engages in?

As deeply discouraging as it was to read, I highly recommend this book. It is a humbling and shameful experience to read, as it sobers our sense of ‘greatness’ as Americans.

Respectfully submitted

Francesca Anton