Due diligence is always best...

[misanthrope]

...especially when dealing with hatred like this.

(snip)
Most election-related threats have so far been little more than juvenile pranks. But the political marginalization of certain Southern whites, economic distress in rural areas, and a White House occupant who symbolizes a multiethnic United States could combine to produce a backlash against what some have heralded as the dawn of a postracial America. In some parts of the South, there's even talk of secession.
(snip)

(snip)
But postelection, at least two white nationalist websites – Stormfront and the Council of Conservative Citizens – report their servers have crashed because of heavy traffic. The League of the South, a secessionist group, says Web hits jumped from 50,000 a month to 300,000 since Nov. 4, and its phones are ringing off the hook.
(snip)

Thank God for Morris Dees.

[gateley]

1. Morris Dees can't handle this alone -- and he usually gets involved AFTER

someone has been wronged/hurt.

I (maybe naively) think that much of this fear/hatred will die down after these folks see Obama in office and realize he's NOT going to do all the horrible things they believe he will, and in fact actually benefit from some of his actions and policies.

[misanthrope]

2. My allusion to Dees...

...was more for him starting an organization that stays on top of these things and disseminates it to the world above the protestations of those who would rather ignore it until it's too late.

Some of them very well might calm down, but it's best to keep an eye on them and be wary for this type behavior. It's still out there in sufficient numbers to be dangerous under the right circumstances.

[gateley]

3. Understood - I think I just over-reacted because he's one lone voice who's

been fighting so hard for so long. So yes, I agree -- Thank god for Dees!

And i also agree that we can't just assume that they'll calm down -- that's actually just my hope and fantasy. I feel that the powers that be are pretty much sensitive to and on top of it, as much as is possible.

Growing up during the 60's, and seeing all the progress we've made, I never dreamed that there would still be so much racism in 2008! What really blew me away a few years back, was that young people -- who would be the age of my children if I'd had any -- were racist. Where did they learn that hate?

[misanthrope]

4. "Where'd they learn it?"...

...I'll give you one guess.

Racism is like a family heirloom in some cases. I run into people everyday who make my skin crawl with their ignorance and a good number of them are younger than me.

I heard a bunch of yahoos refer to Michelle Obama as "Blackie O" the other day. They looked to be in their early 30s.

[gateley]

5. A family heirloom -- well put.

I first became aware of it in Seattle, of all places! I NEVER learned racism growing up there, which is why it knocked me over. Their parents would have been my contemporaries -- and holding up the peace sign and saying "peace" and "love one another".

Sigh.