The words on the signs are written in chalk, so the message changes occasionally, though there is often an antisemitic agenda. On March 29th, the series of ten signs displayed this message:
JEW BANKSTERS
STOLE USA
THRU
FED RESV
+ USURY
GOD'S LAW
ON URUSY
& INTEREST
DEATH
A-FACT FOLKS
~ * ~
Despite this area's complicated history, I believe these hateful words do not reflect the opinions of most community members.
As awareness of the signs has grown, acts of resistance have occurred. An area minister sent a letter condemning the signs and calling for tolerance; other (anonymous) people have engaged in acts of civil disobedience, erasing and dismantling the signs.
~ * ~
As for me: I prefer organized (and legal) opposition.
I am mobilizing local residents who want to denounce this bigotry -- and raise awareness of the need for tolerance.
If you would like to be kept informed about this process -- or if you can help in any way -- please comment on this post.
Or, if you're more comfortable contacting me privately, please e-mail me: erin.klee@yahoo.com
15 comments:
I would be happy to write a letter or sign a petition if you have the information, Erin. Gregg and I are still both residents of IL under military rights.
Thank you, Lindsey. I appreciate that very much.
I'd like to encourage you to do both -- to write a letter and also sign a petition. (I'm writing a letter to the editor also -- and plan to submit it to the newspaper in the next couple of days.) And I'm working on the text for a petition and formulating a plan to distribute it. I'll post more information about the petition in about a week.
Again, thank you for your support.
~ Erin
PS: Contact information for the Pana News Palladium is below. (And if you do decide to write a letter, will you please also e-mail a copy to me? I'd like to post it online, so those who live outside the Pana area can read it and know that people in our community promote tolerance.)
Pana News-Palladium
205 S. Locust
Pana, IL 62557
E-mail: pananews@consolidated.net
Phone: 217.562.2111 or 1.888.880.6397
Fax: 217.562.3729
I was wondering about your Tolerance for the man who is putting out the signs. This is still America we do have a few FREEDOMS left don't we?
God bless this Man for speaking the trueth! Most if not all the big shot banksters are AshkeNAZI, who are not the children of Shem (I've never heard of sem). Read your Bible Erin.
Ever heard of the 1st amendment? This man/woman/family have the right to express their views the same as we do. If you don't like their views you have the right to express your displeasure in writing, as you have done. Be careful of asking for more laws. Eventually someone may take exception to your views and ask for laws to silence you. Eventually you have a tyranny. Why be afraid of freedom?
I understand you believe you're doing the right thing...and that the jews of today are God's chosen. You are wrong on both accounts. Instead of blindly following where the anti-Christ jews are leading you...do your own research independently...you will be greatly surprised at what you learn. I know because many years ago I used to think as you. You can begin by reading the book, "Missing Links Discovered in Assyrian Tablets by E. Raymond Capt...available from Artisan Sales/ P.O. Box 1497/ Thousand Oaks, CA. 91360
You need shut down your hate and address the isses on the signs. all you did was call him names and use time worn propaganda.
You have bad info, you better figure out who is semitic and who is not , Jews are from Japheth. the true Israelites--the Anglo/Saxon,Germanic,Scandinavian,and kindred people--the unmixed white Europeans are the semitic people . Semitic means the sons of Shem. The "sign man" Knows what he is talking about. Im sure he is a true Isrealite/Shemite.You owe him a massive apology, Erin Klee ! You better Damn well study your lesson less you make a real horses rear of yourself as I believe have you already.
I'm happy to have signed your petition. I hadn't realized that anti-sematism was so strong so close to my hometown. Clearly, the person who put up these signs believes in what he says, but he makes an incitation to violence in no uncertain terms. These signs explicitly call for the death of Jewish people based on religious conviction. That is FAR beyond the kind of discourse that is acceptable in our society.
Regarding these four anonymous posts that precede mine, I don't know if they were left by one writer or several, but it's clear from all of them that their writers have a profound misunderstanding of the goals of this petition. I can't address everything they write, but I feel that I have to put some of my thoughts down on this matter. It's sad that they see your petition as an infringement on freedoms and it's frustrating that some see it as religiously motivated.
I feel I must respond to Roger more directly. He's left strong and concerning messages regarding your petition. There are so many problems with the signs. But perhaps I should start with the ones that are easiest to say, and least passionate. The issues with our Federal reserve are Economic issues and any attempt to reconcile them Racially will inevitably fail to find any real solution, and result in fearful scapegoating. But beyond that, it's frightening that Roger would believe the issue at hand was the ethnic background of the Jewish people rather than theseincitations to violence. Roger's posts carry an element that sounds like white-supremacism which is the most concerning quality. One of my significant fears for Illinois, ever since I learned about the history of the KKK in Illinois, has been that white-supremacism would become the albatross around our necks. I don't want to be fighting this fight in Illinois my whole life. I want have children that can learn about Racism, anti-sematism and white-supremacism ONLY in Illinois history.
I want to end by addressing the concerns of free speech. Only a tolerant society where you don't have to be afraid of people with violent convictions is one where freedom is possible. By contrast, any society which permits the use of bigotry as a means of scapegoating and fear-mongering is not capable of freedom. Least of all freedom of speech.
I love how there are comments that refer to free speech/expression and 1st amendment rights. All I know is that in my life, I have prayed in mosques, so this comment is coming from someone of a muslim background, and I find this kind of propaganda/hate intolerable as a human being. Excuse me if I'm not interested in protecting the rights of an individual or individuals who would advocate anything that would lead to violations of worst kind. Forgive me, but I'm not interested in protecting the rights of those who would spread hate - the moment you advocate anything that would cause such blatant harm to another, you are in the process of forfeiting your rights. I find those signs a pathetic example of exercising the right to free speech. If you are going to pay attention to one aspect of your constitution, why not pay attention to the ones that speak to equality, or the rights to be free from persecution? (how convienient an amnesia)
Hate is still hate, at the end of the day, legal arguments aside. Last time I looked, evil came in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds. Blaming 'The Jews' is such a pathetic cliche at this point, it would be laughable if it wasn't so sinister. If I was in that community, and I supported those signs, or turned a blind eye to them, I would be ashamed of myself.
They must come down. Period.
- rahim
Erin, I think it's crucial that you've documented these. In times of economic distress, folks pick out an ethnic identity to scapegoat, rather than making the bolder move to question the bosses and the business class. This sits very well with the latter, but, by the same token, other folks will respond to this activity, pointing out its reactionary nature and working against it. I absolutely guarantee that those who work against this sort of nationalist chauvinism will not go away. Reactionaries, however, are and will remain paper tigers.
Letter to the editor if anyone would like to echo similar sentiments (or opposing views obviously) for the local paper:
Dear Editor,
It has come to my attention that locally a set of signs has been erected by a citizen along Route 51 using hatred and a call for violence towards Jewish members of the community. I find the situation appalling in what is otherwise a tight-knit community where knowing and helping your neighbor is otherwise common.
While the first amendment gives the right to free speech, it also protects those being spoken about from persecution in our country. Blaming any one sect in our country for any misfortune would be extremely dangerous and echos the battles that have been fought in the past wars of our country and could set a dangerous precident in thinking that any one race or religious sect could be more worthy than that of another such as what happened during WWII's concentration camps.
I plead with the owner of the property to please remove the signs. Do not seek to further divide a country with inciting remarks based on a stereotype. Focus on resolving your issues peacefully with those whom you have conflict with.
Lindsey Gruen
People, get it right,"sign man" never wrote of hate really he wrote of love for his true Israelite brethern,and Jews are not of Shem. More importantly ,he wrote of FORBBIDEN TRUTH, now do ya get it.... The FED. is 8--11 forgien Jew banks --they are a private corp. controlling the natons money--if you control the nation's money ,you control the nation. We got the best politicians money can buy,and they are bought!! More than a few of us around here have studied our lesson for 22+ years we know more than just the little that we write about. Get Charles Weisman's book WHO IS ESAU-EDOM, from Weisman Publications,11751 W. Riverhills Dr. #107D, Burnsville, MN, 55337.....its a very good beginning. I had bad info too 22 yr. ago -- its has been a long road. You will not learn this in any school nor are these TRUTHS in any Library . For nearly 100 yrs those places have been gleanned of these truths.
It just never dies, does it? I'm a Mason. Every now and then I come across someone who thinks that Masons control everything. The same kind of prejudice Jews get, Masons get, only being a Mason is a matter of choice, and it has nothing to do with what one's name is or how one looks. Anyway, I look at my almost entirely elderly brother Masons, and think that, right, these are the people who are running the world. Just a wee bit of rationality would make such charges ridiculous.
The signs speak the truth. . What's anti semitic about it
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