As it turned out--Joe Franklin was no stranger to this kind of cowardly violence. After being arrested for the Salt Lake City murders, cops from around the country started connecting the dots and figured out that Franklin had done this sort of thing before--including the 1980 near-fatal shooting of former Urban League President Vernon Jordan in a Fort Wayne parking lot one night. It was clear from my interactions with him that Joe Franklin saw himself as sort of a one-man, heavenly-ordained, and racially motivated lynch squad.

I was recently reminded of Franklin while reading the hateful comments of a 19th century American religious leader who was also ranting and raving about the evils of "race mixing"--just the kind of crap I heard come out of the mouth of serial killing punk named Joseph Paul Franklin.
It never ceases to amaze me how people can so easily justify hatred and violence with religious beliefs. For Joseph Paul Franklin it provided the justification to hide in weeds and snipe at black men For a guy like polygamous prophet Warren Jeffs it provides justification to oppress and violate women and children.
Now I've got to confess--I'm not the most religious man in the world--but I'm pretty damn sure that ain't what God wants....mw