Printed in the Providence Journal


Issue of the week: "KKK-tastrophe"
by Seth Brown


There are billions of organizations
In which zealots urge participation
  Some proclaim a religion
  Or a god-given vision
While the worst support discrimination.

They believe that the world only needs
Residents of their own race and creed.
  A group should be elite
  If it wants to compete
But it's merit, not race, they should heed.

Still, we find those who mock this advice
And use bigoted speech to entice
  All their members to blame
  Anyone not the same
For Earth being less than paradise.

A master of this propaganda
Was Hitler, the Nazi commander.
  Pointing to a scapegoat
  Got him most of the vote;
He found hatred to which he could pander.

Celebrating the Aryan gestalt
Required someone else to be at fault.
  Can't blame good German men,
  Blame Jews and Gypsies when
The economy grinds to a halt.

Now in Russia this trend does arise
Nazis cheering blond hair and blue eyes.
  From Goring and Goebbels
  They have picked up these foibles
Of teaching their kids to despise.

Clubs of hatred just won't go away
And they still are a problem today.
  Groups like skinheads are bad
  But the worst that we've had
Is most probably the KKK.

KKK stands for the Ku Klux Klan,
White supremacy is their main plan.
  Those who participate
  Often propagate hate
If you aren't a white, straight, Christian man.

Nathan Forrest began years ago
Leading men dressed in sheets white as snow.
  As their Grand Wizard boss,
  He would help burn a cross.
(Did they buy their gas from Texaco?)

Later on, command fell to Sam Bowers
With Imperial Wizard full powers
  And now people are saying
  He committed a slaying
Of one man with a firebomb shower.

David Duke led just two decades back
As Grand Wizard of this racist pack.
  In the governor's run
  He lost when it was done,
A relief to all those who are black.

KKK invents odd words like "Kleagle",
Posts like "Dragon" and "Wizard" sound regal.
  It's a make-believe land
  To hide leaders who planned
Some activities that are illegal.

The Knights of the Klan misbehave
Shunning all virtues olden knights gave
  Replacing truth and valor
  With merit by pallor.
The true knights would turn in their grave.

Yet we must face this terrible quagmire
To withstand the "Invisible Empire".
  Vile acts must be banned
  As we all take a stand
That we will not let racist crimes transpire.


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