EJ and JB took their kids to a KKK rally

Was talking about one thing then another with hubbie one day. A topic came up of some people who had been convicted many years ago.

Then the topic got to the fact that there had been a KKK ralley in the small town where my Mom used to live. Mom and I had been through there a couple hours before, not knowing what was going on. We saw lots of cops around and wondered what was going on, but kind of forgot about it until that night when we saw on the news that there had been a KKK march through the town.

I then mentioned that it was so sad that lots of little kids are indoctrinated into this.

When I told hubbie about this, he told me that he had been to a "cross burning" in the next county by the KKK when he was a little kid. I said "I bet you were scared." No, his parent had brought him and his sister to it. I was shocked and asked why. He said he thought that they just wanted to know, that everyone went. His Mom, JB and her hubbie EJ broght them because they wanted to go!!!!

His Dad, EJ was one of the biggest racists who I ever know. But I had no idea that he went that far. He said that EJ and JB were never in the KKK. I asked him if he knew anybody who was and he said that he didn't know of anyone.

But it was not exactly common knowledge and not something that everyone wanted to go to. I kind of think I know when it was. My Grandma and Great-Aunt lived about 20 miles from the EJ and JB. I remember them being scared because the "Ku Klux" was around. I remember them looking out the windows and keeping the doors locked. I was a little kid then, so Hubbie would have been too.

Now this was about 30 years ago and true it was "a different time." Still, I cannot imagine that my parents would have ever taken me to anything like that, no matter what their political views would have been. I had been trying to put the EJ and JB nightmare behind me since they are now both dead. I used to feel guilty for not thinking that they have gone to heaven, but the other way. This has added a whole new level of possible disillusionment to my thinking. Not sure if it's disillusionment or validation. Something in between. I knew that they were lazy white trash and racist. I just did not realize to this level. I am glad that hubbie grew past all of that.