Arsonists For Jesus

Somebody in the state of Alabama really seems to be on fire for the Lord, and would appear to want to spread the love, in a very real way. So much so that two arsonists, on one occasion, almost fell victim to their own devices, finding themselves locked in one of the last rural Alabama churches they set fire to, before luckily somehow smashing their way through the back door. They managed to escape just in the knick of time, but not before being spotted. As in an earlier fire, they were described as two white men, in their twenties or thirties, driving a dark colored SUV. The only other clues left behind, at least the only ones that have been released, is a footprint on the door they managed to kick down in making good the said escape. Any other clues they may or may not have left behind are being kept secret, according to law enforcement personnel, in order to insure they are able to apprehend the right suspects.

The most curious thing about this whole affair is that most if not all fires have seemingly been centered at the area of the chuch where the preacher stands and delivers his sermons. Once started in this area, the flames genrally spread and engulf the entirety of the church, leaving some to be totally destroyed, while a handful of others have been put out in time to escape total destruction, while yet, for the most part, sustaining serious damage.

The first five or so were all in one county in the center of the state. Since then, the arsonists have branched out into other, somewhat adjoining counties. At last count there have been a total of about ten over the course of the last month or so. It has generally been denied that there is a racial component to the arsons, as it has been pointed out that some of the churches, at least, were of mixed congregations, while certainly some have been of predominantly black congregations. Nevertheless, those of mixed congregations seem to have a white majority.

There have been calls now for Bush to get involved, similar to the manner in which Clinton during his presidency, when a similar set of circumstances took place, though in a wider spread area taking in a vaiety of Southenr states, put together a task force to investigate the church arsons, in these instances of churches of all or predominantly black congregations. After some time, the arsons came ot a stop. Well,now it appeas they have started up again.

What the Alabama officials in this case don’t seem to get is that, factually, the United States government has no jurisdiction in these matters, so long as there is-officially-no racial motive for the arsons. A racial motive, of course, would make it a potential civil rights violation, therefore making it a prosecutable offense under the U.S. Constitution. A mere arson, even a series of them, even of churches, limits it to the purview of the state of Alabama.

So, is it racially motivated, or is it not? I tend to think that it is, though I certainly have no proof of that. The fact that a good many of the churches have predominantly white congregations,however, with a small number of blacks, doesn’t dispel that notion in my mind, if anything in fact it strengthens it. So why not call it what it seems to obviously be? Is it a fear of stirring up old animosities. If this is the case, it should be recognized that sometimes this just cannot be avoided, particularly when the perpetrators of crimes such as this have themselves an overabundance of animus. If it is this same old cancer that has returned, as cancers oftimes do, denial will no more remove it now than it ever hoped to in the past. No, such a resurgence has to be faced head on. As sickening and debilitating as the treatment may inadverdantly be, avoiding the issue is far worse, and will only serve to hasten and intensify the metastisis.

So what is the real evidence pointing in this direction? Without making a judgement call as to the validity of that argument, one has to look at the obvious possibility, and reach a sound analysis. Racism, in point of fact, has been marginalized to the point that it is fast becoming an unwelcome partner within the ranks of the Republican Party. The migration from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party began in eanest in the nineteen sixties, and continued on through the seventies and eighties. It levelled out along that time, but over the course of the last decade, the Republicans have tried to make serious inroads, albeit with limited success, in reaching out to the black community, as well as other minorities. True racists are more and more finding themseles left out in the cold. They were used to great effect in the late sixties, and during the seventies and eighties, as part of Richard Nixons and Ronald Reagans so-called Southern Strategy.

But something happenned in the course of the loss of the stranglehold the Democrats typically held over the South, especially the Deep South. As the Republican Party became more and more competitive, the region started to advance in myriads of ways, and though they still have a long ways to go in certain areas, particularly in regards to education, they have on average improved vastly in overall increase in living standards and in the prospect for opportunity. This is the ultimate result anytime there is a strong two party system in any state or region, as is true on a national level. A one party domination, by either party, is an encouragemnt to corruption, and to backwardness. A strong, healthy, and competitive two party system leads to improvements, as both parties come to recognize they have to try harder, work better, to earn the peoples trust.

Domination by a single party over an extended period of time, such as was the case here in Kentucky for so long , is a perfect advertisement agaisnt such one party systems such as communism. A strong, vibrant,and healthy two party system is the American way, and should be to the benefit of all Americans. Unfortunatley, there are those who don’t wish to share the American Dream, those who are anchored to the glories of a bygone past that never truly existed, yet dwells like an insidious virus in their hearts and souls. But a strong and competitive two party system has to grow and advance as well in outreach, else one party or the other becomes stagnant, and eventually falls to the wayside like a useless limb. So it is only natural that the Republican Party should eventually reach out to minorities, offer them their vision of the American Dream.

And there is resentment, and resistance, from both sides. From the left and the minority leaders who would prefer to hold on to their power and influence with the black, in this case, community, and equally from the right, the extreme right, the racially oriented quadrant of American society that has all but gone the way of the dinosaur. Such as this might be their last stand. They realize that their voices will pale in to insignificance if relegated to such minority status as offerred by such minority parties as the Knights Party, or the so-called Constitution Party. Nor can they hope for much sympathy from such better known third parties as the Libertarians or The Reform Party. And, to their horror,they have doubtless noted recent inclinations of certain racialist elements to sudden drift frighteningly more toward a mainstream philosophy.

So what else is there to do but take this last desperate stand, this protest against those they feel have betrayed them and betrayed white America, what they consider white Christian America. A reminder that those preachers who should be on fire for Christ have become lukewarm, have become what you might call sell outs, to the forces of multi-culturalism and secular humanism. They want to rekindle that old flame in the hearts of white Americans, at least white Southern Americans.

In conclusion, let me state emphatically, I do not believe this to be the work of the Ku Klux Klan. Having visited their site recently in the course of conducting research for the writing of a novel, I noted that they vehemently warn any members and potential future members against violence or engaging in any illegal activity. Until proven otherwise, I take them at their word on this, if at least for no other reasons than the practical ones involved. This might well, however, be the work of a small splinter group of the Klan or other racialist motivated individuals. Whatever the case, the possibility certainly warrants investigation by Federal in addition to State authorities. In that regard, a joint task force would certainly be appropriate, in my view. But the state authorities in the meantime have to recognize,and consider, the possibilities, and everything htat is at stake.

So far there have been no loss of lives, nor any injuries. Yet, some of these churches, including ones that were totally destroyed, go back well into the eighteen hundreds. There is a cultural legacy and history at stake, as well as a spiritual one. The likelihood that some parishioners may take it on themselves to stand guard at these churches in order to spare them the possible destruction, cannot be discounted. And, in that case, there comes along the potential for violence, and for murder.

For that reason, and due to the potential that this is indeed a civil rights matter, the Feds should be brought into the investigation, as soon as possible.