I once held a KKK outfit owned by my grandmother (KKK = Ku Klux Klan - warning - this will take you to the actual KKK Website, so you may not want to contribute to their online numbers) . What happened to that canvas-like outfit? I don’t know…I left it at her house, and I believe a cousin took it (and you know which cousin you are…as do all the other cousins). That loss - which is tantamount to a Chicago museum loss - doesn’t matter so much as how and why my grandparents joined the KKK in the early 1940s in the first place.
At that time, the KKK had taken a new bent in marketing - at least where my grandparents lived. The KKK was seemingly kind, cooperative with city government and willing to provide money to downtrodden businesses, civic organizations and churches. And, they appealed to the poor. As my uncle once said, you knew who attended KKK meetings, as many members only owned one pair of shoes. The toes of those shoes were on exhibit, even under those robes. But, it was the rich who were able to organize those meetings, that marketing and the activities. They were the hidden KKK members.
Many people during that time and place joined the KKK to prove that they were, indeed, white. This included many mulattoes who appeared “white,” but who had at least one drop or more of black blood running through their veins. A membership in the KKK in Virginia in the 1940s, for instance, would insure some measure of safety from Walter Plecker’s persecution against multiracial individuals. If you were a member of the KKK, how could you be anything but white?
During that brief period in history, the KKK built diving boards for public swimming pools (open only to whites), marched down aisles in churches (filled only with white Christians) and left gift baskets filled with fruit on black residents’ porches (according to my grandmother). But now? The KKK has, once again, changed its marketing, and the election of Barack Obama has fueled their intensity.
World War I ended today in 1918, ninety years ago…almost a full century. That war was known as the “war to end all wars” because of the great slaughter and destruction it caused. Unfortunately, the peace treaty that officially ended the conflict, the Treaty of Versailles of 1919, forced punitive terms on Germany that destabilized Europe and that laid the groundwork for World War II.
Then, there was the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Gulf Wars. In each instance, the type of warfare changed. But, the people who went into battle did not change. Those men and women did, and continue to do, what they believe is right. They are, and were, related to us all in one form or another. Very few people in this country can state that they haven’t been affected by a person who has fought in any one of those wars.
Veterans from each one of those wars are alive today. 107-year-old Frank Buckles, one of the few men still alive from World War I, today will lay a wreath at the grave of Gen. John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, who led U.S. forces in Europe during that war. Buckles is one of ten men known to be alive who fought in that war. Then, there’s Lester Tenney, the 88-year-old commander of a dwindling group of Bataan Death March and Japanese prison camp survivors, who plans to commemorate Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery today for the last time, closing a 62-year tradition. Tenney believes as few as 100 or so survivors of the World War II death march are still alive.
In Lake County, Florida, about 8,000 veterans contribute to one of the highest veteran-to-population ratios in the state. Lake County’s veterans’ population is dominated by men and women who served in World War II, Korean and Vietnam. The major concern there has been and will continue to be assured funding for veterans health care. But, this is a minor problem when you look at California’s National Guard. This groups has the lowest benefits level in the country, an ironic situation considering that California has the largest population of veterans of any state.
Look, many of us don’t believe in wars (although they exist!), and many people are pacifists. But, veterans are among us, and they’ve been maligned, misused and neglected by citizens, our own government and the Veteran’s Administration for decades. Today, the government doesn’t allow its citizens to view the coffins that come home from Iraq or Afgahnistan. It’s almost as if their deaths don’t matter.
And, the veterans who survive are even more important, as many are homeless, jobless, sick and without care. It’s a sad statement when veterans need to continue to fight for their rights after being discharged, simply to receive the benefits they were promised. So, what can you do to help?
The first task isn’t overwhelming. If you live in Montana, you can text a vet and donate $5 at the same time to the Disabled American Veterans, a group that stations personnel on military bases to help active duty personnel as they transition out of military service. They also also supplement veteran care, including treatment available for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, available for veterans through the Veterans Administration. Finally, the DAV provides veterans with transportation to VA medical facilities.
If you don’t live in Montana, or if you don’t want to text, you can make a donation directly to the DAV at their Web site. Or, you can choose another way to thank the veterans who fought for this country. A simple “thank you” may be all that is needed in some cases, but we doubt it. Please do what you can.
I grew up in this town, a place usually noted for their famous floods. During the time I grew up here in the 1970s, I knew kids who had parents who were 1st- or 2nd-generation immigrants. They came from Europe - Poland, what was known as Yugoslavia, Italy, Germany, Ireland, etc. - and they worked in the now defunct steel mills. I had a wide education in various ethnic foods, religions, and belief systems as I grew up, as it seemed every other house was full of new wonders. But, these kids and their families - they all were white.
When I attended school in the Johnstown area, the black students lived in town and went to Johnstown High. The whites lived in the suburbs, and few, if any black students attended those schools. In my senior year (at a suburban school), one black student moved to our suburb and attended high school. I didn’t know him, but I remember him as he walked down the halls alone. I’m ashamed of myself for begin afraid of him, but I had never had contact with a black person before in my life, other than seeing black people from a distance.
This is one reason why I think that people react as they do in the video shown below when faced with something that is ‘foreign’ to them. They haven’t experienced the ability to reach beyond their boundaries to learn something new. And, the unknown is fearful. I know, for a fact, that many of the kids I knew in high school have remained in this town, and some have never ventured beyond the state’s lines. All they know is what they see and what the McCain camp has fed them, and Obama must seem very exotic and scary to these folks.
With that said, I’m still ashamed of the actions shown in this video, so I’m showing it to let people know that the ignorance shown here does not represent every soul who lives or who has lived in this area. It’s enough to make me realize that I never want to go back (glad I didn’t waste money on class reunions!). And, if any one of my former classmates wants to comment with some hateful remarks, just know that I have the finger on the delete button here. You, my friend (to quote John McCain), are powerless in my territory. Unless, of course, you’d like to lend a hand and your voice to help make this world (and your teeny-tiny corner of it) more tolerant and respectful. Then, I’ll be happy to renew our acquaintance.
Thank heavens, Rep. John Murtha (Johnstown) is backing Obama. I’m not a huge Murtha fan, but I respect his bravery in standing up for Obama in the racist western portion of this swing state.
