Since I am in a musing mood let me elaborate on something I mentioned in
passing in the email to which I am replying. Why was my grandfather so
disdainful of organized religion? He never said. He only said that going
to church was against his religion, but he described himself as a hard
shelled Baptist and they do have churches. I think I pieced some facts
together that might explain it. Once a comrade told me that he had
noticed that when people had been through a really hard labor battle
they did not trust preachers. The reason, of course, is that preachers
very strongly tend to take the side of the bosses. I have also mentioned
on this list a phenomenon I have noticed myself. That is, we almost all
develop our adult identities during a certain range of ages. That range
is between the age of 14 and 18. Whatever music you develop a taste for
at that time you favor the rest of your life. Whatever mode of dress you
favor then you look upon it with favor or nostalgia the rest of your
life. A lot of other attitudes that you develop then stick with you too.
Now, when was my grandfather in that age range? He was born in 1905, so
that would mean that he was between 14 and eighteen from about 1919 to
1923. Now, what was happening in southern West Virginia at that time.
The mine wars were going on. That was the time of one of the most
violent struggles to organize the coal miners in history. It was the
biggest uprising in the United States since the civil war. It was the
time of the Battle of Blair Mountain. It was the time of Mother Jones's
militancy in West Virginia. My grandfather was never a coal miner, but
he had relatives who were and he was living not quite in the midst of
the mine war, but pretty close to it. He never told me about that small
civil war in West Virginia. Like I said, he was rather taciturn. But it
had to have been a big factor in his forming his adult identity. I think
that may explain why he was so pro-union even if the KKK might not have
approved of that and I think that may be why he did not trust churches
or preachers and that was largely responsible for my having been so
lucky to have grown up in such a secular family in the midst of the
bible belt.
On 8/25/2016 9:50 PM, Roger Loran Bailey (Redacted sender rogerbailey81
for DMARC) wrote:
I recall my one and only conversation with my paternal grandfather about his membership in the KKK. I was in my early teens and I had made some disparaging remark about the Klan and my grandfather told me he had once been a member. He went on to say that he got out of it when them durn radicals took over. He did not elaborate on who them durned radicals were or why he didn't like them, but he did go on to give a brief description of what the Klan was like when he was in it. Apparently Black people were not the main target in the West Virginia KKK. Their target was mainly white people and they acted as the morality police. As he put it, when some no account lazy ass guy laid around getting drunk and wouldn't take care of his family the Klan would go to have a talk with him and then he would usually straighten up because he knew the Klan was watching him. My grandfather did not say what would happen if he didn't straighten up, but that part about his changing his behavior because he knew the Klan was watching him sounds rather ominous to me. Black people did not seem to be on their radar screen to any significant extent. Now, I know that there are numerous groups that claim to be the true Ku Klux Klan and I don't know which one he belonged to, but I do think the focus of the different Kluxer groups varies. I was about nineteen when my grandfather died and all the way up until that time he pretty much regarded me as a kid and from his perspective one did not bother to talk about serious things like politics or social issues with a kid. He was also rather taciturn about certain subjects too. For example, he had a real problem with attending church and with organized religion, but he never elaborated on that much even though I think I can take some educated guesses about what turned him against religion. But it was that taciturnity about religion that I think was largely responsible for my having grown up in such a secular family that I didn't know about god until I started to school. That was just one example though. He was rather taciturn about a lot of things including his views on social issues. Nevertheless, though, comments would slip out now and then and even though it was slow in coming I think I eventually realized that he had a lot of views that were in agreement with the KKK. He didn't like Jews, but since he never mentioned Jews it was a long time before I found that out. There were comments now and then that let me know that he had rather regressive ideas about Black people too. When I was about fourteen years old there was a candidate for mayor that I liked. Honestly, the fact that he was Black did not even enter my considerations. That is why I was so surprised when I told my grandfather who I favored and he was so aghast. There are certain phrases that I had only known as phrases used to make fun of racists that I didn't even realize that real people really used and suddenly my grandfather was using them in all seriousness. They're alright if they stay in their place. Obviously running for political office was not in their place. He said that he never thought a grandson of his would turn against his own race. And so forth. I was absolutely incredulous that he was actually saying those things. Anyway, it was some years after he died that I was watching a television show on which West Virginia history was being discussed and they started talking about the KKK. Their description of how the KKK operated in West Virginia did match my grandfather's description. I don't know that that means that it was a milder form of the KKK though. Morality police rather appall me too.
On 8/25/2016 6:36 AM, joe harcz Comcast wrote:
The KKK has a long history in Indiana. They literally ran the state in the 1920's owning politicians to the governor's office until a huge scandel hit their leader...A rape, tortue and murder scandel.
And even in 1973 when I lived in Elkhart briefly ttheir was an attempted cross burning at a small RV factory in a mixed industrial and residential neighborhood I was living in at the time. I say attempted because the couldn't get the cross on fire. It was only one half block from where I was living.
Some friends and I actually took the cross down and drove it in to the Elkhart Truth, the local newspaper. They didn't even care to write a story about it.
That was more than a demonstration. It was an attempted act of domestic terrorism for you see the company had an integrated workforce, and the KKK didn't like that.
I applaud you though Kevin for wanting to throw rocks at Goliath and wish you all the best in those regards.
----- Original Message -----
*From:* Kevin LaRose <mailto:kl1964@xxxxxxxxxx>
*To:* blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Sent:* Wednesday, August 24, 2016 3:24 PM
*Subject:* [blind-democracy] KKK is Not OK!
Yesterday I learned that the KKK is planning to hold a rally at
our county courthouse next month. Needless to say, I was beyond
outraged. I want to figure out some way to get my posterior down
there to protest their very existence. I have been unpleasantly
surprised by the very muted response to this event locally.
Reactions I have seen range from garden variety indifference to
curiosity. Some people just want to go watch it as spectators! I
guess that shouldn't surprise me, voyeuristic society that we
have become. But still, where is the outrage? I can't go along
with those who say just ignore them. In my mind ignoring is
tantamount to acquiescence, and that's just wrong. One thing's
for sure, the KKK activity is causing me to rethink my stance of
not voting for Hillary. After all, the KKK is AOK with Trump.
Kevin LaRose
Anderson, IN
Email: kl1964@xxxxxxxxxx
