For a number of years, there has been very justifiable media and other public focus on the pervasively violent Nazi-type hate groups [Aryan Nations, Identity "church" ] clustered in their camps and compounds in North Idaho -- Hayden Lake setting, etc. These outfits have been losing ground significantly in the past few years -- aging leaders, factionalism, public exposure, legal attacks, very much the mobilization of decent people in the region, etc. -- but still, of course, continue to pose a definite threat. However, other hate enterprises are moving into Idaho at this point [ National Alliance etc] to set up their covens, distribute and broadcast racist and anti-Semitic and homophobic material -- and this will invariably lead to more anti-people actions and outright violence. These developments are causal -- moving to "light new fires" -- but they are also symptomatic, i.e., finding lots of old but fertile soil: the much-publicized hate stuff in North Idaho has always taken the focus away from the far, far more entrenched prejudice/discrimination situation that pervades much of Idaho [not all of its people and institutions, certainly, but many indeed.] This more "traditional" and "old timey" and relatively pervasive grassroots dimension can certainly involve some local and state police operations which are inherently and historically very anti-civil libertarian -- and which, despite sometime pious disclaimer, certainly have racist and related attitudes and practices. Unemployment and sub-employment, especially among teenagers and young adults, is an obvious socio-economic ill for everyone -- but when this involves Anglos, in a racist etc. setting, it spells serious trouble -- as it has in other comparable situations such as that involving thousands of farmers and ranchers losing their land in the Northern Plains. Good people in Idaho -- and they are not scarce -- have their work cut out for them. Avowed socialists and other healthy-minded left radicals and genuine civil rights and civil liberties activists generally -- and we are still rather scarce at this point -- have much basic trail-blazing to do! Hunter Gray [Hunterbear] Hunter Gray www.hunterbear.org _______________________________________________ Leninist-International mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
