It is a sad commentary on this country, but Barack Obama's victory as the nominee of the Democratic Party is bringing out the bottom feeders and low lifes of the white supremacist circles who are reporting increased traffic to their posionous web sites. Personally, I have never understood the mindset that requires someone else to look down on and discriminate against in order to have some sense of self-worth. These folks are seriously screwed up emotionally and psychologically, if you ask me. It seems that rather than better themselves, they devote huge amounts of energy towards hating others. Perhaps if their energies were better directed, they would not need to look down upon/hate others to find a measure of self esteem. These individuals truly make one ashamed to be an American and are true losers. Sadly, what the article does not address is that if one regularly reads the websites of the major Christianist organizations - e.g., Family Research Council, Concerned Women, Focus on the Family - there is also a subtle anti-non-white bigotry being disseminated. Here are highlights from new Washington Post story:*
Sen. Barack Obama's historic victory in the Democratic primaries, celebrated in America and across much of the world as a symbol of racial progress and cultural unity, has also sparked an increase in racist and white supremacist activity, mainly on the Internet, according to leaders of hate groups and the organizations that track them.
*Neo-Nazi, skinhead and segregationist groups have reported gains in numbers of visitors to their Web sites and in membership since the senator from Illinois secured the Democratic nomination June 3. His success has aroused a community of racists, experts said, concerned by the possibility of the country's first black president. "I haven't seen this much anger in a long, long time," said Billy Roper, a 36-year-old who runs a group called White Revolution in Russellville, Ark. "Nothing has awakened normally complacent white Americans more than the prospect of America having an overtly nonwhite president."
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The truth is, we're finding an explosion in these kinds of hateful sentiments on the Net, and it's a growing problem," said Deborah Lauter, civil rights director for the Anti-Defamation League, which monitors hate group activity. "There are probably thousands of Web sites that do this now. I couldn't even tell you how many are out there because it's growing so fast."
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Earlier this month, Obama's campaign launched a Web site to defuse the false rumors that hate-mongers spread on the Internet. The site lists a series of untruths about Obama -- that he is Muslim; that his books contain racist passages; that his wife, Michelle, used the word "whitey" -- and discredits them. "The Obama campaign isn't going to let dishonest smears spread across the Internet unanswered," Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor said in a statement. "We have to be proactive and fight back."
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The past few months reflect a recent trend of hate group growth, watch organizations said. Fueled primarily by anti-immigration sentiment, white supremacy groups have increased by nearly half since 2000, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups. The KKK has diversified regionally and now has about 150 chapters spread through 34 states.
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There is also another possibility, of course, one that makes white power leaders despise Obama even more. "What you try not to think about is that maybe if Obama wins, it will create a very demoralizing effect," Doggett said. "Maybe people see him in office, and it's like: 'That's it. It's just too late. Look at what's happened now. We've endured all these defeats, and we've still got a multicultural society.' And then there's just no future for our viewpoint."
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