While students were busy basking in sun rays or just relaxing at their homes, Matt Hale’s World Church of the Creator was busy distributing hate literature in West Frankfort. Although members of the church may debate with anyone who labels their material as hateful, one thing is for sure the disease of white supremacy that runs through the veins of America still pumps strong.

It’s no surprise these people still exist. Since the beginning of time hate based on skin color, sex or just about any other characteristic imaginable has gripped the world. Every country in the world has had to deal with this issue in one way or another. I wish I could comment on the world situation, but I can only look at this issue through the eyes of an American.

America was founded in racism. It was what her first European settlers were trying to escape from, but it was exactly that which they practiced across the ocean. European settlers came from countries that were ruled by Divine Right. The church ruled every facet of life and those in power were supposedly put there by God Almighty Himself. Because they had this Divine Power, the leaders could do whatever they wanted to and justify their actions under God. (As a side note it is interesting to state that if you break down the word religion to its Latin roots it means to hold back.) Well, groups of people finally got together and said:Hey, this isn’t right. Let’s get out of here. They boarded their ships and set sail, eventually landing in what would become America. In order to establish themselves, wars would be fought, and issues debated. When all was said and done, we had America land of the free and home of the brave.

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It is rarely mentioned in the glorious salutations given to America that her settlers practiced the same hate and ignorance they were trying to escape. Europeans landed on soil that was already inhabited by the Native Americans and other indigenous people. The settlers looked on North America’s people, called them uncivilized, unchristian, and practicing a Divine Right, took the land as their own. America was invaded, and those standing in the way of the invasion were murdered. To sweeten the deal, settlers sold or brought slaves from Africa and other countries to build America into the superpower it is today.

Now, I don’t want to be misinterpreted that I feel all of white America is bad. America’s working class is a rainbow of struggle. Unfortunately, the stresses of the struggle have pitted us against each other. What I am trying to bring to light is that those in power, those that have written the rules have been white and have been rich. Their interests have been and will continue to be self-motivated. As class and color lines are once again being drawn, America is dangerously close to repeating history.

The racist attitudes that founded America have trickled down into the people to a point where we now attribute our ills to members of society that are different from us. Government and big business have capitalized on this and divided us.

The Chicago Tribune recently reported that hate groups are on the rise. Racism can not be accepted in any form, but with the continued existence of such groups as World Church of the Creator, white supremacy is the biggest continuing cause of America’s problems. The powers that be have made America a socially, morally, and value-less country.