By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
It has been more 44 years since an assassin’s bullet gunned down The American Dreamer, Dr. Martin Luther king, Jr., in Memphis. Much has changes in the wake of Dr. King’s death – the election of Barack Obama as the first Black president of the United States comes instantly to mind.
However, in too many other respects, things remain unchanged. For instance, the very motives that prompted James Earl Ray to cold-hardly stalk his victim and pull the trigger. Most unfortunately, the lethal triumvirate of hatred, ignorance and fear continue to haunt the American landscape – spawning tragedy and heartbreak.
As more information comes to light, it appears that Wade Michael Page, the Sikh Temple shooter, was well indoctrinated into the dangerous mindset of White supremacist’s beliefs.
As far back as 1995, with his body already covered with tattoos, Page spoke of the need for securing a homeland for White people and referred to all non- Whites as “dirt people.” Moreover, Page served in the Army at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in the mid- 1990s during a time when the White supremacist subculture thrived on that military installation. Page would subsequently leave the military in 1998 with a general discharge, a cut below honorable and was considered ineligible for reenlistment.
One could argue the fact that the Army’s decision to essentially drop Page from its selected psychological operations team as being significant, and might even suggest that it suspected the existence of some mental health issues.
In hindsight, Page’s foray into the abyss of Aryan Supremacy in many ways is textbook typical. However, the very demons (hatred,ignorance and fear) which drove him to commit this heinous act at the Sikh temple are unfortunately all too common and remain much too prevalent.
We, as a nation, must learn to be less xenophobic in our perspective — and more tolerant of our ethnic, cultural and religious differences that bind us as a country.