Bill White, Appalachian State University, and Images on the Son of Confederate Vets

Last Thursday, February 3, I spoke to 200 plus people at a lecture held at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Now, Boone, NC, is 558 miles from my house here in Pennsylvania, in other words a eleven hour drive thru the Appalachia Mountains. While driving down route 81 past the Roanoke exit I couldn't help but think of Bill White and his possible plans for Roanoke, Virginia. Bill White and his racist website have been called the Matt Drudge of Internet hate, I think of him more as “the Dear Crabby” of racism. If Bill White isn’t gossiping, he is name-calling or boohooing about somebody. Many people have a tendency to laugh him off, we shouldn't.

If Bill White continues to buy properties and evict people of color, moving in whites only, after awhile Bill White will have a local political base and voice to draw from and to build on. Bill White will have many supporters in that region of the country. Many anti-government people (extreme right-wingers ), Christian Identity people, Confederate Revisionists to name a few.

In Germany over the last few years, neo-Nazis have taken over whole blocks of housing tenements kicking out foreigners (non whites )and moved in supporters , the neo-Nazis call these “liberated zones .“ Is this what Bill White is doing in Roanoke, setting up his own little “liberated zone” in Roanoke?

Now, my visit to Appalachian State University was interesting -- after I finished with Q&A, people come up to me personally to make comments or ask more questions. Generally, if it is a bigot who comes up close, it is to yell or make comments; it is a white male.

At Appalachian State a woman came up and started talking about her friends in the “movement” naming names and so forth. We talked about many things my life in the racist movement & her life in the racist movement, but she did say something interesting: she feels that because of the number of women who have joined and are joining racist groups, “the movement has become more feminize.” She then made a couple of points to support that position, saying that the more radical groups aren't growing or succeeding now but groups like the Euro-Americans, David Duke and the National Alliance are growing, succeeding and becoming softer.

And finally, I was looking at the Sons of Confederate Veterans website last night -- seems that might be having some image problems soon, check out their page. See if you can pick it out, we might have the opportunity to do some internet activist stuff. More tomorrow...

~~ Floyd Cochran

Welcome to Floyd Cochran's Blog

This blog is a place for Floyd Cochran, a former ranking member -- and Director of Propaganda -- for the neo-nazi group Aryan Nation, to post his thoughts.

Since leaving the self-defined "Christian" Aryan Nation, Floyd has been working to counter the message that hate groups bring to our communities. Floyd offers a glimpse into the "Christian Identity" movement and how racist organizations operate and cooperate. Floyd also discusses what people can do to prevent the spread of hatred and to counter the messages of racism and homophobia.

Floyd is the director of the Education and Vigilance Network and has appeared on ABC's "Day One," NBC's "Dateline," the Fox network's "Face the Hate" and NPR's "All Things Considered." He has spoken at numerous high schools and colleges throughout the United States.

We welcome Floyd to his own blog, a place where he can stand up and speak out.