What would you do if I told you the sky is green?
What if I even urged you to join a group whose main credo was that the sky was green? What if I sold you a doughnut and told you the proceeds were going to the Order of the Green-Sky Believers?
It’s absurd, but I believe it. And I also have the right to say it. I just can’t beat you over the head with it. Literally.
The same thing goes for white supremacists. They have every right to believe the white race is supreme to all others.
They can even hand out pamphlets spreading their message. But they may not beat, burn, choke or gouge the blackness out of me. The minute their views infringe upon the rights of others, their First Amendment freedoms end.
Recently, Matthew Hale, leader of the World Church of the Creator, spoke to a group of supporters in York, Pa.
Interestingly, the former mayor of this town, Charlie Robertson was charged with the 1969 murder of Lillie Belle Allen, killed during a race riot. Though the members of the World Church had a right to hold their meeting, several York citizens said they felt the group shouldn’t have been allowed to hold their meeting in the city.
White supremacists provide a classic example of controversial figures and groups in America. From neo-Nazi skinheads to Soledad Brothers or Al Capone to Angela Davis, they all share common characteristics. Their ideologies are disliked. Their followers are held in disdain.
Their significance and influence are disturbing to the government.
So where in a free society do white supremacists belong? Theoretically, they belong with everyone else, although some would try to disconnect them from the rest of the populace.
As American citizens, they are entitled to certain rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
However, using a “united-we-stand” ideology, now so frequently applied to everyday life, racists may belong in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, with the rest of the political detainees. Technically, they are terrorists, right?
If the United States can be compared to a family, then white supremacists, or any extremist group, are the rebels of the family.
They’re the ones in and out of jail, strung out on drugs (or in this case, ignorance) or just out causing mayhem for heads of the household (government) and the rest of the family (the American people).
The government gives freedoms and restrictions, just like parents do. The government also punishes those who take advantage of those freedoms. Eventually, one side wins the battle, which is usually one of will.
More often than not, the government wins because of unequaled resources.
So, as long as we live in this house, we may live our own lives, but must abide by house rules. Most of us will, but there are those who won’t. It always happens, just as sure as the sky is green.
Rahkia Nance, 19,.is a sophomore newspaper journalism student from Herndon, Va. She can be reached at Petite8228@aol.com