Ku Klux Klan Supports All-Male Masters Golf Club

Reuters ^ | 2-28-03 | Anon

[Pharmboy]

ATLANTA (Reuters) - The Ku Klux Klan is seeking a permit to demonstrate its support for the Augusta National Golf Club's all-male membership policy during April's Masters golf tournament, authorities said on Friday.

Col. Gary Powell of the Richmond County Sheriff's Department said he received an e-mail from a branch of the white supremacist group based in Georgia requesting an application for a permit to picket during the prestigious event at Augusta, Georgia.

The group's intent "is to support the right of Augusta National to choose their members regardless of race, religion, sex or creed," Powell said.

Augusta National has come under severe criticism for its policy of not allowing women members. The issue came to public attention last year when Martha Burk, head of the National Council of Women's Organizations, wrote a letter to the golf club urging it to admit a woman by this year's Masters.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper on Friday quoted J.J. Harper, whom it identified as imperial wizard of the American White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan based in southern Georgia, as saying the group decided to seek a permit after "hearing on the radio on Wednesday that the civil rights leader Jesse Jackson wanted to come to Augusta" to demonstrate.

Jackson has been a vocal critic of Augusta National's all-male policy. Powell confirmed that Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition group had also sought an application for a permit to protest during the tournament.

The club, which has vigorously defended its right to decide its own membership, released a statement suggesting it did not welcome the Ku Klux Klan's support.

"As a result of the controversy created by political activists, a number of organizations, some of them extreme, have sought to voice their political views," spokesman Glenn Greenspan said.

"Anyone who knows anything about Augusta National Golf Club or its members knows this is not something the club would welcome or encourage."

The Masters is held in Augusta, 145 miles west of Atlanta, and runs from April 10 to 13. Tiger Woods is the defending champion.

[Pharmboy]

I still support Augusta's right to define their own membership even if they do have the Klan's support.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I wonder how much it would cost to get the KKK to support Tommy Dashle?

[Blue Scourge]

Hmmm, begins looking through wallet...probably don't have enough but I was gonna try to get the clan to endorse the democratic national convention. Oh well.

[ScholarWarrior]

You have got to be kidding. Doesn't the Klan have anything better to do?

Can'e we come up with something creative for these knucklewalkers to do that would be positive?

How about having them protest in front of the Senate in favor of the Democrat filibuster of Estrada?

[Joe Hadenuf]

KKK? They are not quite a big, earth shaking issue....

[goodieD]

I agree with Augusta's decision as well..but this kind of endorsement can't help its case.

[Commander8]

Let me guess.....Reuters is airing the KKK position on the Augusta National Golf Club's fight for freedom of association to ruin the Golf Club's position and make the NOW look like progressive crusaders for social justice.
Am I right?

[Servant of the Nine]

Patricia Ireland must be paying them to do this.

So9

[TADSLOS]

What's the handicap for a guy playing golf from inside a sheet?

[hattend]

I was going to make similar comments. I wonder if there is a Vast Feminazi Left Wing Conspiracy (VFLMC) behind this.

Augusta doesn't need this "help".

[billorites]

When I was a kid I attended a summer camp whose initials were KKK.

No connection to the Klan, but a very nice old boys camp.

Hated having to explain to everyone why KKK was on all our equipment. Most infelicitous.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Martha Burk needs to get a fricking life! Now the stupid Klan had to stick their noses into this whole circus....JUST GREAT

Like Post #8 stated, Burk and her feminist ilk are now going to be portrayed as moral crusaders while the good folks at Augusta are viewed as racist hillbillies. But it's these damn feminist busybodies who ain't got nothing better to do than to munch on each other's carpet and complain about men that makes my blood boil.

[amused]

Hated having to explain to everyone why KKK was on all our equipment. Most infelicitous

Reminds me of the Simpsons bit with the Krusty Komedy Klassic at the Apollo Theater,

[Balata]

Maybe Agusta could just put up a tent covering the protest area and call it a circus.

[Balata]

What's the handicap for a guy playing golf from inside a sheet?

I don't know, but don't they have a history of beating little white things with clubs?

(I'm talkin about balls, golf balls.)

[ez]

Uh oh, looks like a rift developing amongst the Democrats.

[par4]

Augusta National has come under severe criticism for its policy of not allowing women members.

Once again, Reuters finds a way to make Augusta National appear racist. I believe (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) that their policy excludes noone. Instead, members are invited to join based on criteria established by the members themselves. Since how members are chosen is a better kept secret than the formula for Coke, it is possible that a woman or women have been invited to join but have declined.

Regardless, it's a private club. When Lucille Roberts health clubs invite men to join call me and I'll reconsider my position. Until then, NOW and the rest of the idiots making this an issue can kiss my hairy male (insert body part here).

[ez]

As blacks make up about 30 % of abortion victims while blacks make up about 13 % of the population, the KKK probably supports Planned Parenthood, NOW and full abortion rights. For that matter, the Klan probably has a difficult time in figuring whether they should vote for pro-choice Democrats who are also pro-quota. It's a strange world indeed.

It's not strange, the KKK has always been Democrat.

[rdwtic]

A couple of years ago, the union city employees demanded that Wallingford, Connecticut add MLK's birthday to their list of 12 paid holidays. The city manager said "OK! which existing holiday would you like to give up in return?" Needless to say the answer was "NONE! We want another paid Holiday." The town was, of course, painted as a hot bed of racist sentiment in the press, without the manager's proposal of an exchange getting much play. The debate went on for a couple of weeks, until Lo and behold, three morons in white sheets showed up backing the city's position. Guess what? The union got their extra day off. Now, this is Connecticut, and heretofore no one had ever heard of a Klan presence in the state. My guess is, the union paid a couple of drunks at some ginmill to play Grand wizard for the day. By the way, no one was ever able to locate the Klan guys (truly,the invisible empire). As the Klan has never, to my knowlege, been involved in women's issues, I would not be surprised if that's what's happening here. It'll be big on the network news shows tonight, and no crack network reporter will see if the theory offered above may be valid.