Editor's note: This post is part of the Overheard on CNN.com series, a regular feature that examines interesting comments and thought-provoking conversations posted by the community.
You've probably seen those highway adoption signs emblazoned with the names of various local organizations. A North Georgia chapter of the Ku Klux Klan wants to adopt a one-mile stretch of Georgia State Route 515. The group is applying to receive state recognition for cleaning up litter in the Appalachian Mountains near the North Carolina border. The Georgia DOT is considering the matter, as are many of our readers.
KKK chapter wants to adopt stretch of Georgia highway
Some readers said the KKK just might have something there.
Techsupp0rt: "Agreeing with the KKK kinda leaves me feeling a bit dirty. They've got a point. If other racist organizations can do it, they should be able to as well. Treat all racists equally. You do gotta pick up the trash though."
This person would beg to differ.
Clabdurch:
"Dear KKK,
Thank your for your inquiry, but no, you KKKan't have it.
Signed,
The Southerners that are not proud of you."
Some of our readers got ideas.
agentxyz: "At least I'll know where to dump my trash"
Is the move legit?
sunlight99: "If the KKK wants to keep an area of road clean they just need to pick a spot and do it quietly as private citizens else people will drive for hundreds of miles to throw trash on the official KKK clean-up road. I can see the cars backed up for miles (with all sorts of state plates) as people shovel trash out of cars and trailers. They might even have to divide it into sections ... used cat litter goes here, piles of dog poop go there, dirty diapers down the road about 10 feet."
chuckrita: "They are just wanting to see their names on the adoption sign. It's a head game that seems to give them an ounce of legitimacy for all of the public to see. You would think that these people would start by cleaning up their front porches, removing old cars from their front yard and selling the giant stash of beer cans collected in the back yard."
Coastal0ne: "Exactly what I was thinking. People would make a point to trash that area of highway."
What about other groups that could pick up trash?
kendallpeak: "It would be nice if the government would require able-bodied welfare recipients to pick up the trash in order to receive welfare."
The following reader talked about a past incident - referenced in the story - involving the KKK in Missouri.
ktrav: "The KKK tried this in Missouri. There is nothing legal to stop them so they got their section of highway. In response, Missouri re-named that stretch of road 'The Rosa Parks Memorial Highway.' No more KKK. Simple but clever solution."
Many suggestions came in.
Wisewoodchuk: "They should give them a stretch of MLK Boulevard."
Another reader said the controversy smacks of hypocrisy.
chuckrita: "This is hilarious. They are offended by trash, 'that ain't right,' but are wholly down for racism, discrimination, stereotyping and brow beating."
Others talked about the different kinds of groups out there.
gdaym8: "I don't agree with the KKK, at all. But if they can have an NAACP they can have a KKK."
Aucausin: "The NAACP never lynched anybody. Any group that has ever participated in violent acts that were completely condoned by the organization should never be recognized by the government as anything but a terror threat."
DCCommuter: "The NAACP is not an all black group. It was founded to further integration and its members never went around at night setting fires and killing people. People who hate the NAACP hate the words they use, people who hate the KKK hate the murders, lynchings, church bombings and fires they set and inflicted."
Some said fair is fair.
lacertosus: "They have every right to adopt a highway. One's disagreement for what they stand for is not a factor."
David Railfan: "Actually, it IS a factor. The rules clearly state 'Any civic-minded organization ... is welcome to volunteer in the Georgia Adopt-A-Highway program.' The KKK, Black Panthers, etc., are NOT civic-minded. They are racist terrorist groups that need to be shut down and disbanded."
Maybe something else needs a wash.
psgmichigan: "Maybe they could start by cleaning the 'trash' from their hearts. The state of Georgia should not recognize a group such as this. Georgia has enough problems with diversity as it is."
Why shouldn't the KKK value the white race? One reader referred to a quotation from April Chambers, chapter secretary, who said, "We're not racists. We just want to be with white people. If that's a crime, then I don't know. It's all right to be black and Latino and proud, but you can't be white and proud. I don't understand it."
chef: "She has a point about white pride. The gays can have it, blacks can have it, Hispanics can have it (and I have no problem with that) but as soon as white people want to keep to their own it's racism. If you are white tell me when was the last time you were invited to one of their parties? Or to go to church with them? Or to go to their daughter's wedding? Or just to hang out. Any white people out there invited to join a black fraternity or sorority? We say you can't have it both ways, but they sure as hell do!"
This reader doesn't want to see any of it.
David Railfan: "I live and work in Blue Ridge, Georgia, right off Highway 515. I don't want to see 'adopted by the KKK' when I drive to work. If I do see this I will pull down every sign I see, and if I see them out there cleaning up I will throw trash at them. The KKK ARE nothing more than WHITE TRASH. They are ONLY doing this because more Latinos and African-Americans are starting to move into the area. So my message to the KKK is this. GROW UP and stop being A-holes! This is NOT your private world. We ALL live here. Don't like it? Go jump off a bridge."
DawgsFan: "Please read your comment and apply the same thought process as the last four sentences. Are their views wrong? If based on the historical heritage of the Klan, then yes. If they have 'evolved' into a whites rights group then so be it. As for taking down all the signs, that would be a misdemeanor offense punishable by jail time. I don't think it's worth the risk."
Another said the whole story is ironic.
NBG10: "There's a beautifully ironic scene here that you guys are missing, and best of all, it would be a poignant lesson for parents of families with young children who are driving by the road to teach their young children. Finally, a group of white-trash-spewing men picking up trash! The littered trash they pick up will be just like the trash that spews from their filthy mouths!"
What's your take? Have you ever adopted a highway? Share your opinion in the comments area below and in the latest stories on CNN.com. Or sound off on video via CNN iReport.
You can read another edition of Overheard on CNN.com about space planes on CNN's Light Years blog.
Compiled by the CNN.com moderation staff. Some comments edited for length or clarity.
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Trash picking up trash. How appropriate.
I am in the kkk out of Missouri, Funny how people r so blind, dont u think that u r judging the klan because of some acts of what u just heard about on TV,? just because some members go out and do things doesnt mean thats what the kkk is all about. .....Maybe u all should read up about whats going on these days with klan,,Georgia is wrong they will loose this, I am not part of the group that adopted the hwy before here in missouri, I am with the Traditionalist American Knights...and yes it was wrong of them to not keep up with the hwy, but i do believe the group there in Georgia has been cleaning this part of the hwy for a few months now, and no one cares that the NAACP has there name on signs. and the black panthers do also, have u all heard the things they say about killing white babies and mothers??? sounds like u people r the haters and racist,
I say give them the highway. The crimes most of you continue to reference were committed several decades ago, probably by the current member's parents and grandparents. Now don't get me wrong, I believe that ignorance is the rule in groups such as the KKK, and don't agree with anything that they stand for. However, it is their right as American citizens to believe whatever kind of foolishness they want to and also to express their twisted opinions as much as they wish, no matter how wrong we believe them to be. Everyone is so concerned with someone being offended anymore that we have lost some of what originally made our country so great. I say give em the highway, what's the worst that can happen? Sure, it will offend some folks, but at the end of the day, so what? We'll have one more clean stretch of highway in north Georgia, and that seems like a positive thing to me, no matter who's doing the cleaning.
I agree with you 100%, couldn't have said it better.
well at least they(the klan) are trying to "klean" up their act!
I think this just says that their are universal values that exist, no matter what your political or social beliefs may be.
Maybe they just want to turn over a new leaf.
Why doesn't the NAACP adopt a highway?
It is a hate group, they should not be able to adopt a hwy.
I agree they are a disgusting group that reinforce old prejudices, but if they are not violent can you really stop any group from saying their opinions or taking part in civic duty without advertising their agenda? (As in a highway sponsor sign that only states the name of the organization that is the sponsor)
The were allowed to do it in Missouri. Near Potosi, where 3000 live. I think it has to do with publicity more than save the earth.
It'll be a never-ending cycle. If they're there to pick up the trash, and they ARE the trash, how's it ever gonna get clean?
I am inclined to agree with the commentors that mentioned the double standard. Having pride in whatever group you want to be associated with but as soon as it has to do with "white" then it's racist. It's mind boggling.
We have Black universities and schools, We have "La Raza", we have "Gay Pride" things, we have frats and sorority houses that cater to one group or another but as soon as we have a "white" something then it's racist.
I have to say I disagree with all of it (including any white groups that may pop up). This is how socialists and communists divide and conquer us. This is why we have "Women's studies" in schools and teach "gay history". They do a good job of keeping us from figuring out that we're all humans that we're all the same people. That a black person and a white person are both capable human beings. That Hispanics and gays don't need "special" help, they are not stupid or "subhuman".
How about instead of having the NAACP, we have the NAAP (the National Association for the Advancement of People)? How about instead of having "Women's studies", we just have anthropology? How about instead of Gay History we just have history classes and when someone studied just happens to be gay (Alexander the Great, for instance), then so be it?
Even in this current political climate journalists ask and politicians respond to, "What about the "blank"-American group?", as if having a strong economy or jobs is only for white people and blacks, hispanics, ect aren't quite "good enough" to worry about silly things like that.
I'm sick of it. People are people, we all need jobs, we all need equal rights, we all need to be represented. This goes out to you journalists and liberals out there... stop dividing us.
Stop deviding us. Unless its by political view point. Then Brian here is all for it. If its a black liberal then its ok to seperate him into a diffrent group. Not a black conservitive though.We are all people...cept those Dems...
They should not be allowed to adopt the highway. The kkk is a terrorist organization with blood on its hands. You cannot erase murder of men women and children by picking up trash on the highway. If you sincerely want to pick up trash so bad, create a separate organization.
When a murderer is convicted of multiple heinous crimes, the sentence is life in prison (or death). An organization such as the klan and anything branded as such should recieve the same sentence, and not be given a chance to rebrand itself. If the people in that organization today truly have a completely different mindset from the lunatics who committed unforgettable sins in the name of the kkk, they should make their own organization.
If 50 years from now, al qaeda decided they wanted to pick up trash on the highway, they should similarly be denied. Personally neither should be allowed to have an organization in the U.S.
For those who were born yesterday and have selective memory of American history, the NAACP was formed to counter racism against Black people. The klan was created to perpetuate racism against Black people. An organization that has a history of fighting violence and discrimination is not in any way comparable to a terrorist organization.
I am confused about the KKK being alowed to exist without being branded a terrorist organization. They are no different from those that try to blow up airlines and buildings. The KKK is about destroying races other than white were other terrorist organizations are after Americans.
leave trash where it belongs ...with trash
Welcome KKK,
At last you guys thought of cleaning a highway. This is a good sign and a forerunner of thoughts that open a path to clean your dirty minds with unclean ideas about other human beings.
Any one else hear panic and terror in these non-white and self hating whites posts?