We could all use some hope at the moment, so I wanted to share a (very unexpected) message I just received.
People can change.
And we can’t afford to forget that, especially right now.
That particular kill list cost me nearly everything, quite literally.
I’m a lot angrier at the non-Nazis who punished me for risking my life than I am at the Nazis that made it.
And I’m thankful to the person who wrote this apology, and immensely thankful they got out.
I’m actually a bit emotional now, given what that kill list did to my life, so I’m going to log off.
But:
I’m so grateful for the desperately needed reminder that what we do is worth the personal toll and high cost. Someone broke free - and that’s the best gift I could get.
Never trust a neo-Nazi claiming overnight ‘reformed’ while facing legal charges, especially those who use that claim for sweet, sweet ‘deradicalization’ money.
Another tell:
True ‘formers’ don’t expect you to believe or accept them, and don’t seek rewards for doing the work.
Thankfully, Tom Metzger died in 2020. Great day at our house. He was one of the worst human beings imaginable.
Lest you think skinheads aren’t still a thing, to cite just one example: the perpetrator of the Oak Creek massacre at a Sikh temple was a Hammerskin (and a veteran).
Tom Metzger also - see the infiltration thread lower down on the timeline - was one of the white supremacist leaders who advocated infiltration as strategy.
He ordered boys to avoid tattoos, join law enforcement, the military, law, etc.