The Young, The Innocent, and K-street Shuffle

Kiwi asks: Nate, wasn't Nathaniel Bedford Forrest the founder of the KKK? Do you really support their ideals & activities?

Bluckle up Dorothy.. Cause Kansas.... Is goin' bye-bye.


I know I know... The Sky's Blue, Water's Wet, and The Klan is evil. Everyone knows these things. Well today we're gonna talk about what your not told. First of all the Ku Klux Klan is not the group that Forrest was involved with. In fact... the original Klan wasn't even called the Ku Klux Klan. It was called Kuklos Klan... or "Family Circle". Its also a point of fact that Forrest didn't even form it. It was formed by six former Confederate soldiers in Pulaski Tennessee, who wanted to restart the war. Forrest was not a founder. He was simply the first Grand Dragon.

Ok.. but that's still just as bad right?

Well... no. No its not. Because the Klan of the 1860's bears no resemblence to the Klan of today. For example... the Kuklos Klan never burned crosses. Didn't happen. The cross burning was something new that came along in 1915 when the Ku Klux Klan was formed by a damned yankee from Peoria Illinios. That particular yankee came to georgia and burned a huge cross on top of Stone Mountain in a Klan ceremony, and thus the tradition was born.

The original Klan was not a racist organization, at least no more than any other organization of the time. It was primarily about restarting the war... or at least dealing with the chaos of the "reconstruction". Please note the image to the left... and particular the color of those swinging. Those are carpetbaggers... not freed slaves. Please also note the donkey... the symbol of the democratic party... which if you'll recall, was the party of the South, and lead the secession movement. That cartoon showed up in a newspaper during what yankees call the reconstruction.

Fact is... Bedford Forrest was by no means a racist man. He was a business man, and in fact, he was the first to promote a black soldier to rank of officer. Find any black officers in the Yankee army?

When Forrest joined the Klan, many of his ex-soldiers came with him, include some blacks. That'll confuse some folks... I guarentee it.

Forrest also disbanded the KuKlos Klan in 1871, when it was determined by its leadership that its activities were giving the yankee army further excuse to stay in the South.

I could write on this for days.. but it wouldn't make sense unless you first understand the reconstruction... and as far as my writing goes... we haven't even gotten to the war yet.