There’s a bit of a funny meme passing around right now, and it has to do with a position taken by the Ku Klux Klan of Arkansas, in this screenshot:

The “joke” here is that members of the Westboro Baptist Church have been so vile, that the Klan is even disavowing them.

Lost in all of the irony about Hate Groups and Unpopular Protests are the three letters I omitted above: LLC.

Limited Liability Corporation.

Is this a case of the Klan trying to appear legitimate? (That’s the answer you get from their site, which I will not link to.)

If and when choose to go to court, we stand on an equal footing with our detractors, we cannot be dismissed for lack of legal standing or credibility. This is the type of thinking our detractors have feared the most! The Ku Klux Klan, LLC. is leading the way with bold innovative thinking all the while respecting the beauty and purpose of Klankraft and building on the legacy left us by all those who have gone before, remaining a positive force for good! Yes it does cost more and take more time to do things right the first time, but as the work is done it is a lasting work that will stand the test.

Likely, that air of legitimacy is not the motivation.

It is more likely an unintended consequence of the way in which the Klan was systematically taken down by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC simply took the Klan leaders to court, and sued them into oblivion.

The LLC (Limited Liability Corporation) is thus a financial move, to allow Klansmen to avoid future civil damages that would bankrupt them.

I’m willing to bet that Morris Dees and his legal team are none too pleased to see various Klan organizations resurfacing, and using what amounts to a financial dodge as a way to tout their legitimacy and enhance their messaging.

History is more fun to study through the lens of Unintended Consequences.