KKK and Jesse Jackson at the Same Event

[MichaelFJF]

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<TD width=501>AUGUSTA, Ga. -- A Ku Klux Klan group has asked for a permit to demonstrate in support of Augusta National Golf Club's right to an all-male membership, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday. "We intend on making speeches and picketing for the right of the Augusta National Club to include only members of their choice regardless of race, religion, sex or creed,'' said J.J. Harper, identified by the newspaper as the imperial wizard of the American White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Augusta National spokesman Glenn Greenspan distanced the club from the group that made the permit request Thursday. "As a result of the controversy created by political activists, a number of organizations, some of them extreme, have sought to voice their political views,'' Greenspan said. "Anyone who knows anything about Augusta National Golf Club or its members knows this is not something the club would welcome or encourage.'' The golf club has been under pressure from Martha Burk, chairwoman of the National Council of Women's Organizations, to admit a woman. Burk has said she will seek a permit to demonstrate during the Masters tournament in April. "(Augusta National) should not be shocked by the KKK's endorsement,'' Burk told the newspaper. "They have behaved in a manner that attracts this type of support. They are going to have a real circus if this goes on. "If I was Augusta National, I would spare my golfers, my members, my patrons, the city and citizens of Augusta, and the tournament all the trouble by simply opening membership immediately to women or announcing a plan to do so in a reasonable amount of time.'' The Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition has requested an application for a permit to demonstrate in support of Burk at the Masters in April. Col. Gary Powell of the Augusta-Richmond County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday he had received permit requests from Jackson's group and from an unidentified man from Maine who supports Augusta National.

A group called "WAMB,'' or Women Against Martha Burk, wants to demonstrate in support of the club in downtown Augusta on April 6, the Sunday before the Masters.
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Whooooodoggies - it's gonna get interesting. M</TD>


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[O'Mara]

This is funny. If I were one of the Augusta high rollers, I'd want to distance myself as far away from the Klan as possible.

How do you explain to a bunch guys who dress up in bed sheets and ignorantly hate peopleof any race other than their own, that you do not want their support?

 

[MichaelFJF]

We ARE talkin' Georgia here. As much as I love golf and all of its traditions, you don't think there might be any dual membership stuff going on do you? M

PS I would love to see the photographers angling for the perfect shot of Jackson in the same frame as hooded sheets though.

 

[Dewjunkie]

One good thing about all this is that Augusta National is picking up the tab for broadcasting to save their former sponsorers any grief from NOW, PUSH, and any other anacronym wielding group. This means to us golf fans UNINTERRUPTED coverage of The Masters. Sweet.

The worst part of this all is that Augusta was already considering allowing women to join before Burke sent Hootie Johnson a letter. Had he tossed her letter in the trash and carried on with business, most of this could have been avoided. But, in true, down South, good ol' boy "ain't nobody gonna tells me what to do" style, he went public to bicker with Burke. If I were a member, I'd be looking to oust Johnson for the black eye his exploits are giving the club.