by Nick Gier
“Hate burns a hole in the heart.” — anonymous
In 1973, Richard Butler moved his neo-Nazi organization Aryan Nations to Hayden Lake, Idaho. Butler preached a thoroughly perverted version of the story of Adam and Eve. The Aryan race descends from Abel, but his “half” brother Cain was the result of Satan having sex with Eve. From Cain came all the non-white races (including the Jews) and they, Butler declared, “are not merely inferior but must be destroyed.”
Aryan Nations Forced to Close Compound
On July 1, 1998, Victoria Keenan and her son Jason were stopped by three Aryan Nations’ security guards as they passed by the compound. Keenan sped off but the guards fired at her car and ran her off the road. They interrogated her but finally let her go—saluting “Heil Hitler” before they returned to their truck.
Keenan filed a police report and the ensuing investigation led to a suit by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Keenans won a $6.3 million award that forced the Aryans Nations into bankruptcy. The buildings were dismantled and it is now a park devoted to peace and human rights.
Hate Groups Back Again in North Idaho
In response to the Aryan Nations’ threat, former Gov. Cecil Andrus coined the slogan “Idaho Is Too Great for Hate,” and it appeared on road signs all over the state. Andrus would have been dismayed to learn that Northern Idaho is again the home of at least a dozen hate groups, including the Patriot Front, the People’s Rights Network, and the Panhandle Patriots. About two dozen Idaho Legislators have joined Facebook groups associated with these organizations.
On June 11, 2022, 31 members of the Patriot Front were arrested as they were on their way to disrupt a Pride celebration in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. They were all packed into a U-Haul truck and police found riot gear including shields and a smoke grenade. One year later, five from the group were convicted of charges of conspiracy to riot.
Recent Hate Incidents in North Idaho
In March of this year Coeur d’Alene was hit by two incidents of racial harassment. Women basketball players from Utah were accosted by a man hurling racial epithets driving by their hotel. Students at an Indian school were also subject to racial harassment. These incidents follow a national pattern: in 2023 hate crimes are up 2% while over violent crime was down 3%.
Later in May, men shouted “kill Blacks” at mixed race soccer players from Nelson, British Columbia who were at a tournament in Coeur d’Alene. Prosecutors declined to bring charges in each of these incidents because hate speech is protected by the First Amendment.
In Coeur d’Alene there is a new law making hate speech a crime, but Tony Stewart of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations clarified that “a threat of violence using hate speech isn’t protected by the First Amendment, but proving an intent to harm can be difficult.” An earlier case in the city was prosecuted successfully because the accused told a person of color “to leave town or be killed.”
Trump: Master of Lies and Hate
Let me now turn to Donald J. Trump: a master of lies and hate speech. He has spewed hatred for Mexicans, Blacks, and Muslims, but today I want to focus on the people of Haiti, one of his favorite “shithole” countries.
In a 2007 meeting then President Trump declared that no Haitians should be allowed into the country even though they were eligible for the Visa Lottery System. The reason Trump gave for keeping Haitians out was that they “all have AIDS.”
Haiti was in fact hit hard by the AIDS epidemic, but its infection rate was never more than 2%—far lower than most African countries. The infection rate in Southern Africa, for example, ranges from 11% to 28%. No Haitian migrants had AIDS?
“Trump Makes Me Sick”
At a 2018 White House meeting Trump again condemned people from Haiti, and this time the backlash was widespread. Haitian immigrant Farah Larrieux responded: “This is a racial campaign against immigrants. This makes me sick.”
U.N. human rights office spokesman Robert Colville told reporters that Trump’s remarks are “shocking and shameful” and they “legitimize the targeting of people based on who they are. This could potentially damage and disrupt the lives of many people.”
Vile Charges about Springfield, Ohio
Colville’s predictions, sadly, have come true in Springfield, Ohio. In the September 10th debate with Vice-President Kamala Harris hurled a vile charge at Haitian immigrants living in Springfield: “They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats.”
City officials repeatedly denied these reports, and GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, calling the accusations “garbage,” ordered state troopers to secure schools that had received bomb threats. The Haitians fear for their lives and some are considering leaving the city.
No Increase in AIDS or TB
After the September 10th presidential debate JD Vance claimed that “communicable diseases like HIV and TB (tuberculosis) have skyrocketed in Springfield.” Clark County reported that “from 2021 to 2022, HIV cases rose by one, while the county’s preliminary 2023 data showed a one-year, 16-case increase.” Public health experts said that “TB and HIV changes were not statistically significant.” Furthermore, the county does not report the national origin of the patients.
Trump: “Get them all out”
In an op-ed in The New York Times, DeWine wrote that “Springfield is having a resurgence in manufacturing. Some of that is thanks to the dramatic influx of Haitian migrants. They are there legally. They are there to work.” Regrettably, DeWine still supports Trump for president.
Trump said that the mayor of Springfield is a very nice person, but instead of saying we’re getting them all out, he says, ‘we’re hiring teachers to teach them English.’ What the hell is wrong with our country?”
Nothing is wrong with a country such as Germany, which, with the influx of about 400,000 Syrian children, hired 8,500 new teachers trained to teach them German. Germany has a low birth rate and they need new workers to strengthen their sagging economy. Trump’s plan to deport millions of undocumented migrants would destroy our economy.
Let’s work hard to make sure that the Master of Lies and Hate does not occupy the White House again.
Nick Gier of Moscow taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. This column was inspired by Rex Huppke’s article in USA Today “Goldman Sachs Says Comrade Kamala is Better for the Economy.” Read more of Gier’s articles at nfgier.com and for those on Trump search “Trump” at the same site. Email him at ngier006∂gmail.com.