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KKK stages rally at Civil War battlefield
AP via Yahoo News ^ | 06/10/2006 | STEPHEN MANNING

Posted on 06/11/2006 2:21:27 AM PDT by kenth

SHARPSBURG, Md. - Members of the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups rallied Saturday at the Antietam National Battlefield, believed to be the first time a group was given permission to demonstrate at the site of the bloodiest day of the Civil War.

About 30 people, some in white robes and others in the military-style clothing and swastika armbands of the National Socialist Movement of America, stood next to a farmhouse on the battlefield. Some delivered speeches attacking immigrants, blacks and other minority groups.

About 200 federal, state and local officers watched to ensure peace and to act as a buffer between the Klan and about 30 counter-demonstrators.

Antietam carries powerful symbolism, said Gordon Young of the Ku Klux Klan.

"As the Klan, we are the ghosts of our Confederate brothers and sisters who died here," Young said.

The protest was the third by extremist groups at national parks in the past three years. Two years ago, the National Socialist Movement demonstrated at Valley Forge, Pa., and the same group rallied last year at Colonial Park in Williamsburg, Va.

"The Supreme Court has ruled consistently that national parks in particular are places of freedom of expression," said park superintendent John Howard.

Said Jeffrey Margolies, a counter-demonstrator from the Jewish motorcycle group Semites on Bikes: "It's disgusting that they would come to sacred ground."

Union and Confederate forces clashed Sept. 17, 1862, on farmland about 40 miles outside Washington during Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North. More than 3,600 men on both sides died that day, and more than 19,000 were wounded or went missing, according to the park service.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; US: Maryland
KEYWORDS: antietam; kkk
Didn't see this posted, saw a post a while back about this event going to happen.
1 posted on 06/11/2006 2:21:31 AM PDT by kenth
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To: kenth
About 30 people

The MSM forgot to say "massive rally" in the headline.

2 posted on 06/11/2006 2:32:56 AM PDT by HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath (Jesus always reads His knee-mail. (Hall of Fame Hit-N-Run poster))
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To: kenth

was senator byrd the guest speaker?
one never knows what's under those white sheets.


3 posted on 06/11/2006 2:58:22 AM PDT by JohnLongIsland
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To: HisKingdomWillAbolishSinDeath

They also forgot to label them "right wingers".


4 posted on 06/11/2006 2:58:53 AM PDT by kenth
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To: kenth

To tell the truth, they were probably confused. KKK "right wingers" on one side, and Jewish "right wingers" on the other. No doubt the poor soul couldn't figure out which group was more appropriately dubbed a right winger.


5 posted on 06/11/2006 3:09:02 AM PDT by Renderofveils
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To: kenth

Elwood: Illinois Nazis.
Jake: I hate Illinois Nazis.


6 posted on 06/11/2006 3:10:27 AM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: kenth
"the Jewish motorcycle group Semites on Bikes"

I love it!

7 posted on 06/11/2006 3:13:58 AM PDT by guitar4jesus (Black Conservative . . . I think, I vote!)
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To: kenth

Sounds like there were more cops there than Klansmen.


8 posted on 06/11/2006 4:41:41 AM PDT by sgtbono2002
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To: kenth

They fail to note that the democrat party was the party of the KKK when the great Republican Party led the battle against slavery.


9 posted on 06/11/2006 5:51:50 AM PDT by tkathy (The "can do" party can fix anything. The "do-nothing" party always makes things worse.)
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To: kenth

Was "Clayton Bixby" (Dave Chapelle) the keynote speaker ?


10 posted on 06/11/2006 6:09:43 AM PDT by HarmlessLovableFuzzball
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To: HarmlessLovableFuzzball

LOL...


11 posted on 06/11/2006 6:11:50 AM PDT by Fruitbat (I)
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To: kenth
LOL... or “ ...the conservative, right-wing group”.
12 posted on 06/11/2006 6:12:08 AM PDT by johnny7 (“And what's Fonzie like? Come on Yolanda... what's Fonzie like?!”)
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To: JohnLongIsland
was senator byrd the guest speaker?

one never knows what's under those white sheets.

There'd have been more people there if Sheets Byrd had been the keynote speaker at the event. There'd likely have been a good 40 or 50 after factoring in Kennedy, Hillary, Pelosi, et al.

13 posted on 06/11/2006 6:13:01 AM PDT by Fruitbat (I)
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To: kenth
As the Klan, we are the ghosts of our Confederate brothers and sisters who died here,"

As the Klan they're modern day dumbf***s.

14 posted on 06/11/2006 6:13:01 AM PDT by csvset ("It was like the hand of G_d slapping down and smashing everything." ~ JDAM strikes Taliban)
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Comment #15 Removed by Moderator

To: Renderofveils

Hey, it's the National Socialists Movement.

Socialists are democrats. MSM are democrats.

They had no clue on how to report this.


16 posted on 06/11/2006 6:18:34 AM PDT by JoeSixPack1
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To: kenth
As a Southerner, proud of my heritage and history, this makes me sick. This just perpetuates the stereotypical image that some will have about the South and its heritage. The KKK needs to fade away.

___________________________________________________________

Here I am at 'Burnside Bridge' next to Antietam Creek, on a trip with my father in '04 ......


17 posted on 06/11/2006 6:20:27 AM PDT by Jackknife ( "It's not a real party 'til somebody breaks something.")
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