Reading Notes

Taft public library. Historical articles, newspaper clippings, and reports about the Ku Klux Klan involvement in the 1920's and 1970's.

This the country I'm about to journey across. Former confederate territory.

Taft, CA
1975
Klan territory

I have a black friend, therefore I can't be racist. Look we had over thirty black students ... and only twenty of them were recruited just to play on the football team.

Educated young people left the town - a 'subtle compliment to the educational system'.

Brilliant turn of phrase. 1) The town is culturally and intellectually backward. 2) But the education program is good enough to make the children realize and prepare them well enough to go somewhere better. 3) But the education is not so good as to move the entire town forward, or give their bettered student enough opportunities locally for to stay.

'Turn of phrase'. To express an idea in an on-point, original way that makes the reader need to swivel his mind away from autopilot comprehension to catch what author is saying.

The victims were afraid to go to the authorities for help, because the sheriff and elected officials were high ranking members of the Klan.

Recalls

See where the Klan gives in? When it's government officials, in public offices of power, are called to be taken out of power. Not when there are criminal charges for brutal beatings, murders... there are ignorant bigots, low level members, who can die in jail for those crimes. The scum and vermin on the bottom dying on either side of battlefront, business goes on as usual, but shake the upper branches of the tree just a little, and the leaders run for the hills.

You see the membership lists of the KKK are heavily populated by blue collar workers. Granted it's a blue collar town reliant on oiling industry, but these classes of society have the most reason to resent their impoverished racial minority counterparts.

Because 1) they do heavy physically demanding work to earn their pay while the bootleggers, and criminals make more money by cheating. Resentful of inequality. 2) The blue collars are uneducated and their view of the world is basic, anchored by religion. Don't think for themselves, see right and wrong as black and white, faithfully follow orders. 3) They are the bottom of their race's society, so racial superiority means a lot over the dirty, immoral, drugged up, disorderly - it's I'm not like them because I am white.

The politicians denied involvement or knowledge of the Klan's racist vigilante beatings and lynchings. Nevertheless they were all ousted from office, all except for the one politician who openly and fully supported Klan actions. Stanely Abel. He never stepped down from his views nor was taken out of office. LOL.

Here's his public statement.

The Klan is gone but their members remained in the community. Actions are gone but nothing done or really can be to remove the sentiment. Fifty years after the first Klan movement, some blacks were targeted at the college.

Some funny Klan miscues. They tell a guy they beat up to stay in town, but say his gf has to leave. Not surprisingly, the opposite happened. Cause who in their right mind stays in town after his neighbors, clerks, and gardeners came after him?

Because Klan kept their identities hidden, outsiders could pose as the Klan to intimidate their enemies or get personal revenge.

What Klan ideology fails to acknowledge is: the aliens are the scum in this multi-ethnic society because they are the lower class. If there were *no* aliens, the same problem would continue, they would just be occupied by whites. Wait actually, the homeless I see are predominantly white.

Oh never mind, that's only because the Mexicans and Blacks are on government assistance. But only because their two minimum wage jobs doesn't pay enough to feed the family. But only because they don't stop having children. But only because having a larger family helps in the long run in case one member gets injured and can't work. But only because they don't educate themselves and get white collar jobs. But only because their school district is bad and they are disadvantaged against wealthy white counterparts. But only because their test scores are low and the parents don't prioritize education. But only because they struggle to put food on the table and take the bus to two jobs. But only because there's too many of them coming to this country. But only because wealthy whites don't want to work the physically degrading jobs and hire aliens at low wages. But only because aliens aren't racially superior enough to get educated and get good jobs; look at their backward countries. But only because the United States exploits foreign countries for natural resources. But only because their countries are oppressing their people's freedom. But only because we put their tyrants in power. But only because they promised not to harbor weapons of mass destruction. But only because the U.S. has more than everyone else combined. But only because their countries threaten violence and terrorism. But only because we police the oceans and regulate global trade. But only because pirates would roam the seas if we didn't. But only because our exceeding wealth creates pockets of deep poverty in other parts of the world. But only because they believe in religious extremism. But only because we fund Israel to perpetuate Middle East conflict so we can go in and take oil. But only because the Holocaust was a really really bad thing that happened in Europe that didn't involve Jerusalem. But only because we didn't step into the war until after Hitler checked Jews off his list and went for non-Aryans. But only because Japan attacked us. But only because we saw their blatantly obvious sneak attack come from the opposite side of the globe and let them bomb us. But only because we were buddies and didn't want to hurt them and are peaceful allies again. But only because we nuked their entire national leadership off the face of the earth and interment camped their U.S. citizens living overseas. But only because the allies were the good guys and let the U.S. become the rightful leader. But only because Russia didn't win the Cold War. But only because USA #1. But only because temporary geographic protection from Britain, genocide of buffalo and Injuns, wealth of one-time natural resources, and influx of capable yet expendable immigrants from all over the world who built this country, railroads, skyscrapers so the most underhanded, power-hungry, moral-less tycoons could drink everybody's proverbial milkshake.

Exactly, God bless America. What does God have to do with a 250 year old blip on the timeline of civilization that he didn't favor to the Hindus, the Chinese, the Romans. God loves religious freedom. What does no false idols, plagues, floods, salted earth, and leveled cities have to do with religious freedom? Jesus loves you. Why do I have to give a homeless guy money every time he does? Because socialism leads to communism which is evil. Then why does Capitalism create a homogeneous swath of McDonald's, Walmarts, and conformist television-culture spending? So I can buy a solid gold boat and make Islamics jealous when I win the lottery. Then how come Saudi Arabia already has billionaires among the richest in the world? Cause my forefathers fought and died so I could idle my car in front of Walmart playing loud music out my open windows instead of parking ten feet away and walking to the entrance. Amen, God bless America.

The real achievement of American civilization is that one man without nobility or rank, can have power without being at the head of a government or an army, but by leading the dollar bill. That is what the American way worships. That one day, I will have enough money to do whatever I want. By playing machines at the casino that is life. Flashy lights without substance, repetitively pushing a button that converts the rewards of my labor into a brief entertaining diversion, convinced that I too am special, lucky, and superior enough to screw over a genius who invented the modern computer to become the world's richest man.

Btw, the man who wrote Windows was Gary Kildall. Who? Exactly. From an immigrant family of Norwegian and Swede descent. Who Made America? Racial minorities. Immigrants. The uncredited laborers who come to this country, work, and die for its billionaires.

Kildall sold his company in 1991 for $120 million. He died only three years later, in 1994. In 1994, Bill Gates was worth $9 billion. And today Gates is valued at $80 billion.