Free-speech roadblock

Some might say the Ku Klux Klan is really "cleaning up" its act. Sure, the Knights of the KKK still gallivant as a white supremacist group, but they're doing so much for the environment these days. \nAccording to The Associated Press, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the KKK could participate in Missouri's "Adopt-A-Highway" program, which allows volunteers to clean up roadside litter in exchange for signs that thank the organization for providing the service. \nWhat a bunch of mensches! Now if only they could kick that little hate crime habit. \nBefore anyone pats the Knights on the back, one should realize the organization has ulterior motives. Maybe some of them really care about roadside waste. It wouldn't surprise me if the KKK was more concerned about trash than non-white and non-Christian people, but I'd say it's pretty obvious this measure is just a way for them to make a statement about their presence. \nThey're saying, "We're here, we won't be silenced, and you can't stop us."\nImagine driving on your way to work past two signs — one at either end of the Klan's adopted segment — that read "Adopt-A-Highway Missouri Litter Control: Knights of the Ku Klux Klan Realm of Missouri." Nothing says "Good Morning!" like a daily reminder of lynching and torching. \nIn fact, why bother with words on the two signs when the Knights could just send their message the way they usually do: Bind the signs together and light them on fire. \nLuckily, memory lane is only a half mile long. \nThe Klan had brought Missouri to court on charges that the state had violated its First Amendment rights to free speech by barring their participation in the program. However, Missouri argued in its appeal that the state simply didn't want to give drivers "the mistaken impression that (it) has anything good to say about a horrific, racist group." \nAs an American who firmly believes in protecting the Bill of Rights, the Supreme Court's decision leaves me torn. On the one hand, I have to support the ruling because the First Amendment must protect every individual's and every group's right to assemble and express ideas, regardless of how inflammatory those ideas might be. On the other hand, whether or not that particular chapter of the KKK has committed violent acts against people, the organization as a whole condones hate crimes, and the government should not in any way commiserate with such a group. \nThe white supremacists are fighting for equal rights. Does anyone else hear hypocrisy? This group believes its members are racially and religiously superior to everyone else, and they only seem to be concerned about civil rights when it's their own freedom being threatened. \nIt's true that no American should deny another American freedom of speech, but outraged Missourians can play the same game the KKK is playing. If the KKK needs to "express itself," Missourians can express their right to scorn the organization publicly. \nThey could simply refuse to drive on the adopted highway at all, line the half mile with picketers and yell some very loud and obnoxious free speech. Why should they allow the KKK to get cozy just because it had one victory? \nLet's not forget that the KKK is an American terrorist group. Sometimes we fail to acknowledge that while we fight a global war against foreign terrorists, we have our own domestic terrorists to deal with. Would we stand for an al-Qaida adopted highway? The very idea of it seems grossly absurd. \nGroups that operate "under the radar" like the KKK are tolerated by the government until they are actually caught in the middle of a violent crime. We can't punish these organizations for hate crimes until they are committed, but we can voice our disdain for the ideas they represent. \nThrow trash. Lots of trash. Get their white hoods dirty.