White supremacists target middle America

[almaty 19]

The white-power movement is changing its marketing strategy to broaden its appeal.

The USA's largest neo-Nazi group is ditching its trademark brown Nazi uniform with swastika armband for a more muted look in black fatigues.

In Pennsylvania, the Keystone State Skinheads is changing its name to Keystone United to attract members.

The nation's largest white-power website, Stormfront, has a new feature that lets members create social-networking pages. The site has had as many as 42,700 unique visitors in a 24-hour period this month, a steady rise since it started in 1995.

Supremacist groups are on the rise as they market themselves to middle America, according to leaders of the groups and organizations that monitor them. They are fueled by the debate over illegal immigration and a struggling economy.

"Many white supremacist groups are going more mainstream," says Jack Levin, a Northeastern University criminologist who studies hate crime. "They are eliminating the sheets and armbands. … The groups realize if they want to be attractive to middle-class types, they need to look middle-class."

Levin estimates fewer than 50,000 people are members of white supremacist groups, but he says their influence is growing with a more sophisticated approach.

From 2006 to 2007, the number of such groups rose by 5% to 888, says the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which tracks them through news reports and other sources. The number is up 48% since 2000.

The FBI knows of about 24 domestic terrorist groups. Spokesman Richard Kolko would not say how many are white supremacists.

Jeff Schoep, head of the National Socialist Movement, says the government classifies his group as a domestic group of interest, not domestic terrorists. The FBI would not comment.

Interest in the group "has really spiked up," says Schoep, who would not say by how much.

"Historically, when times get tough in our nation, that's how movements like ours gain a foothold," he says. "When the economy suffers, people are looking for answers. … We are the answer for white people.

"And now this immigrant thing in the past couple of years has been the biggest boon to us," Schoep says. "The immigration issue is the biggest problem we're facing because it's changing the face of our country. We see stuff in English and Spanish. … They are turning our country into a Third World ghetto."

The National Socialist Movement is the largest neo-Nazi group in the USA, according to the SPLC and the Anti-Defamation League, which works to fight bigotry. The NSM has chapters in 38 states, its website says.

Mark Potok, director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project, says the debate over immigration has led to a rise in hate groups.

In Pennsylvania, where the Hispanic population increased by 41% from 2000 through 2007, Keystone United has been busy.

Members distribute fliers calling on residents to fight crime they say is committed by illegal immigrants, gangs and drug dealers. In September, members joined a rally against illegal immigration in Shenandoah that was organized after four white teens were arrested in connection with the beating death of a Latino illegal immigrant.

"A lot of these small working-class towns are being invaded by different types of people," says Douglas Myers, one of Keystone United's founders. He says the group speaks out for the rights of whites being pushed aside by newcomers.

"It appears they are tapping into and fanning the flames of mainstream America's fear of immigrants," says Ann Van ####### of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. "They are increasingly using the language of Main Street, things like, 'We want safe communities to raise our children.' "

Myers says the group is organizing family-friendly activities, rejecting the violence that made skinheads notorious. For example, they plan gatherings in public libraries.

"It's not the footage from the '80s with people burning crosses. It's a very healthy environment," Myers, 26, says.

The renewed activity includes a boom on the Internet, says Don Black, creator of the Stormfront website. The site has 144,000 registered members.

"Many people in this country, even if they were upset with the country's immigration policies, never felt that threatened until now," Black, 55, says. "White people were the majority. That's rapidly changing."

Black says the candidacy of Barack Obama has raised his site's profile.

In the past year, members have posted 337 entries on Stormfront related to Obama, ranging from whether an Obama victory will start a revolution among whites to whether the candidate will take away gun rights.

Black's son, Derek, 19, was elected to the Palm Beach County, Fla., Republican committee in August. Local Republican leaders are trying to unseat him after learning of his white supremacist ties.

Don Black, once a Ku Klux Klan leader in Alabama, says he's encouraged by the enthusiasm he sees.

"We see a lot of people coming out of the woodwork," he says

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Sad. John Tanton - considered the leader of the anti-illegal immigrant movement was recently exposed for his close ties to racist groups.

Historical Library, reveals not only that Tanton is an unabashed racist, but that he has been enmeshed in the white nationalist movement for decades. Link.

John Tanton's Network

The organized anti-immigration "movement" is almost entirely the handiwork of one man, Michigan activist John H. Tanton. Here is a list of 13 groups in the loose-knit Tanton network, followed by acronyms if the groups use them, founding dates, and Tanton's role in the groups.

Those organizations designated as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center are marked with an asterisk (*).

In this list, "founded" means a group was founded or co-founded by John Tanton. "Funded" means that U.S. Inc., the funding conduit created and still headed by Tanton, has made grants to the group.

*American Immigration Control Foundation

AICF, 1983, funded

*American Patrol/Voice of Citizens Together

1992, funded

California Coalition for Immigration Reform

CCIR, 1994, funded

Californians for Population Stabilization

1996, funded (founded separately in 1986)

Center for Immigration Studies

CIS, 1985, founded and funded

Federation for American Immigration Reform

FAIR, 1979, founded and funded

NumbersUSA

1996, founded and funded

Population-Environment Balance

1973, joined board in 1980

Pro English

1994, founded and funded

ProjectUSA

1999, funded

*The Social Contract Press

1990, founded and funded

U.S. English

1983, founded and funded

U.S. Inc.

1982, founded and funded

[Danno 1,228]

Ahhh News flash!

They are probably "changing their look" because there is a whole new generation for which, the

white-sheets.... didn't work for them.

Are liberals "changing their look" too when they put away the tie-dyed shirts and love-beads and

moved right into the Starbucks scene?

Change is inevitable for any group.

[himher 634]

Any correlation between the trailer parks where these people come from and third world ghettos?

[Danno 1,228]

Perhaps you missed the main point of these type articles.

The old stereotype of the KKK coming from trailer parks is not valid anymore.

In fact there is a whole new breed (or maybe they were always there) of intellectual-type folk who are joining and running these groups.

As a side note; I went to the Souther poverty law centers' web site.

There have been charges for years that they only focus on white groups or anti Jewish groups, in fact most any group that identifies itself as white will find its way on their "Hate list".

You can go to a map section, I pulled up a few states including California (for diversity sake) and did note, almost (if not) every group listed was in fact a white sounding group or at least, not displaying some other ethnic brand.

3-4 hundred million people in this country and the only groups that exist to worry about are white based?

Well there was one notable exception which was showing representation on every state I tried (No not the Black Panthers)

.. it was the "Nation of Islam".

Oddly enough Obama's church sees this group as a "brother" and in fact praised the leader with high honors not long ago.

Not sure who this website is endorsing for Prez. but it would be interesting to know ...and know what their reaction would be if say John McCains church were in such warm relations with any other (white extremist) group they have listed on their list of "hate".

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Let's put it in perspective. These racist dingleberry's are still less dangerous than Islamic terrorists.

[SaadBell 0]

Let's put it in perspective. These racist dingleberry's are still less dangerous than Islamic terrorists.

[IAMX 3,055]

Let's put it in perspective. These racist dingleberry's are still less dangerous than Islamic terrorists.

Anyone that makes up their mind before they hit an issue is a ###### fool.

Everybody is so busy wanting to be down with a gang, I'm conservative, I'm liberal, I'm conserv-- that's bullshit. Be a fvcking person-- listen!

No normal, decent person, is one thing. I got some #### I'm conservative about, I got some #### I'm liberal about.

QFT.

The Al-cracka thing was funny as well.

[sloth 0]

KKK all they way.

[himher 634]

You're probably right. Perspective is good - Let's see - the number of American civilians killed by terrorists, worldwide, 1995-2005, was 2,952. That includes the 9/11 fatalities. I do not have statistics for the last (2) years but it was increasing in 2005 due to retaliation for the (2) wars we were involved in.

Number of murders, same time, our own streets, 189,172 or an average of 17,197 per year.

Per capita, the violent death rate in Iraq, in year 2006 (most violent), was 56.49 per 100,000 residents. That's 16,273 civilians, soldiers, and police killed in a population of 28,807,000. That's still lower than the city of New Orleans in the same year, 2006, where the murder rate was 67.5 per 100,000 population.

So, yeah, Islamic terrorists are probably what we should spend billions of dollars focusing on and looking for under every rock and bush. At least then we won't have to look in the mirror. I have a news flash for you - you are statistically safer in an active war zone than you are in downtown New Orleans (or Washington, DC, or Gary, In, or Detroit, or Compton, Ca, or Atlanta, or St Louis who all in the last 10 years exceeded the above 2006 violent death rate in Iraq)

I think the racist dingleberrys are running our country, and they and their military-industrial friends and contractors are getting rich while the rest of us are getting screwed. I do not think it will be long before we look up and realize we are neither safe nor free anymore. <hoping I dont get sent to Gitmo for these comments>

Let's put it in perspective. These racist dingleberry's are still less dangerous than Islamic terrorists.

[Ban Hammer 12,901]

You're probably right. Perspective is good - Let's see - the number of American civilians killed by terrorists, worldwide, 1995-2005, was 2,952. That includes the 9/11 fatalities. I do not have statistics for the last (2) years but it was increasing in 2005 due to retaliation for the (2) wars we were involved in.

Number of murders, same time, our own streets, 189,172 or an average of 17,197 per year.

Per capita, the violent death rate in Iraq, in year 2006 (most violent), was 56.49 per 100,000 residents. That's 16,273 civilians, soldiers, and police killed in a population of 28,807,000. That's still lower than the city of New Orleans in the same year, 2006, where the murder rate was 67.5 per 100,000 population.

So, yeah, Islamic terrorists are probably what we should spend billions of dollars focusing on and looking for under every rock and bush. At least then we won't have to look in the mirror. I have a news flash for you - you are statistically safer in an active war zone than you are in downtown New Orleans (or Washington, DC, or Gary, In, or Detroit, or Compton, Ca, or Atlanta, or St Louis who all in the last 10 years exceeded the above 2006 violent death rate in Iraq)

that settles it. we need to declare war on new orleans!

I think the racist dingleberrys are running our country, and they and their military-industrial friends and contractors are getting rich while the rest of us are getting screwed. I do not think it will be long before we look up and realize we are neither safe nor free anymore. <hoping I dont get sent to Gitmo for these comments>

don't worry, we're not.

[himher 634]

(laughing) we're already at war with New Orleans <wondering why the Katrina victims can get a free ticket ANYWHERE but back home where they belong>

You're probably right. Perspective is good - Let's see - the number of American civilians killed by terrorists, worldwide, 1995-2005, was 2,952. That includes the 9/11 fatalities. I do not have statistics for the last (2) years but it was increasing in 2005 due to retaliation for the (2) wars we were involved in.

Number of murders, same time, our own streets, 189,172 or an average of 17,197 per year.

Per capita, the violent death rate in Iraq, in year 2006 (most violent), was 56.49 per 100,000 residents. That's 16,273 civilians, soldiers, and police killed in a population of 28,807,000. That's still lower than the city of New Orleans in the same year, 2006, where the murder rate was 67.5 per 100,000 population.

So, yeah, Islamic terrorists are probably what we should spend billions of dollars focusing on and looking for under every rock and bush. At least then we won't have to look in the mirror. I have a news flash for you - you are statistically safer in an active war zone than you are in downtown New Orleans (or Washington, DC, or Gary, In, or Detroit, or Compton, Ca, or Atlanta, or St Louis who all in the last 10 years exceeded the above 2006 violent death rate in Iraq)

that settles it. we need to declare war on new orleans!

I think the racist dingleberrys are running our country, and they and their military-industrial friends and contractors are getting rich while the rest of us are getting screwed. I do not think it will be long before we look up and realize we are neither safe nor free anymore. <hoping I dont get sent to Gitmo for these comments>

don't worry, we're not.

[Mononoke28 134]

Perhaps you missed the main point of these type articles.

The old stereotype of the KKK coming from trailer parks is not valid anymore.

In fact there is a whole new breed (or maybe they were always there) of intellectual-type folk who are joining and running these groups.

Just this morning my boss, who lives in a very nice neighborhood here in Denver, told me that at one of their HOA meetings one of his neighbors said he hated Halloween because of all the Hispanic kids who come knocking at their door. The problem was, he said it with anger and hatred. S-C-A-R-Y.

Diana

[Danno 1,228]

(laughing) we're already at war with New Orleans <wondering why the Katrina victims can get a free ticket ANYWHERE but back home where they belong>

You're probably right. Perspective is good - Let's see - the number of American civilians killed by terrorists, worldwide, 1995-2005, was 2,952. That includes the 9/11 fatalities. I do not have statistics for the last (2) years but it was increasing in 2005 due to retaliation for the (2) wars we were involved in.

Number of murders, same time, our own streets, 189,172 or an average of 17,197 per year.

Per capita, the violent death rate in Iraq, in year 2006 (most violent), was 56.49 per 100,000 residents. That's 16,273 civilians, soldiers, and police killed in a population of 28,807,000. That's still lower than the city of New Orleans in the same year, 2006, where the murder rate was 67.5 per 100,000 population.

So, yeah, Islamic terrorists are probably what we should spend billions of dollars focusing on and looking for under every rock and bush. At least then we won't have to look in the mirror. I have a news flash for you - you are statistically safer in an active war zone than you are in downtown New Orleans (or Washington, DC, or Gary, In, or Detroit, or Compton, Ca, or Atlanta, or St Louis who all in the last 10 years exceeded the above 2006 violent death rate in Iraq)

that settles it. we need to declare war on new orleans!

I think the racist dingleberrys are running our country, and they and their military-industrial friends and contractors are getting rich while the rest of us are getting screwed. I do not think it will be long before we look up and realize we are neither safe nor free anymore. <hoping I dont get sent to Gitmo for these comments>

don't worry, we're not.

HAve no fear, "Mayor School-bus Ray" Promised it would be a chocolate city again and it will be.

[pedroh 21]

Perhaps you missed the main point of these type articles.

The old stereotype of the KKK coming from trailer parks is not valid anymore.

In fact there is a whole new breed (or maybe they were always there) of intellectual-type folk who are joining and running these groups.

As a side note; I went to the Souther poverty law centers' web site.

There have been charges for years that they only focus on white groups or anti Jewish groups, in fact most any group that identifies itself as white will find its way on their "Hate list".

You can go to a map section, I pulled up a few states including California (for diversity sake) and did note, almost (if not) every group listed was in fact a white sounding group or at least, not displaying some other ethnic brand.

3-4 hundred million people in this country and the only groups that exist to worry about are white based?

Well there was one notable exception which was showing representation on every state I tried (No not the Black Panthers)

.. it was the "Nation of Islam".

Oddly enough Obama's church sees this group as a "brother" and in fact praised the leader with high honors not long ago.

Not sure who this website is endorsing for Prez. but it would be interesting to know ...and know what their reaction would be if say John McCains church were in such warm relations with any other (white extremist) group they have listed on their list of "hate".

because compared to other 'racial groups' white groups usually claim their 'coolness' by demeaning other races.. they claim to be the chosen by god, the original founders of this country.. so, demeaning other groups is ok? I don't think so..

there are few white groups that just are proud of their heritage, most of them hate minorities because of 'racial quotas' and talk about how this and that group are violent because it's in their genes, and how some areas should remain white, and not mix with others

the word 'miscegenation' is usually used by white groups only.. and that word is absurd and stupid, and so outdated, using it is an insult

Edited October 22, 2008 by pedroh