Northeast PA White Supremacist Elected to GOP Committee May Have Philly Connections

[NNN0LHI]

http://blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com/phillynow/2012/06/04/northeast-pa-white-supremacist-elected-to-gop-committee-may-have-philly-connections/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=northeast-pa-white-supremacist-elected-to-gop-committee-may-have-philly-connections

Jun 4, 2012 by Randy LoBasso

The short story is this: A 42-year-old man named Steve Smith, of Pittston (Northeast PA) was elected to a four-year term on the Luzerne County Republican Committee. This is somewhat significant as far as local, insignificant elections go because Smith is the regional coordinator of a group called Keystone United, which, until 2009, was better known as the Keystone State Skinheads.

Since the April 24 vote, the results of which Smith soon posted to Internet forum White News Now, this news has gone viral, as far as Luzerne politics goes. So much so, the Luzerne County GOP 3rd District chairman Bob Kolankoski has had to formally acknowledge it. He told the Citizen’s Voice Smith is “a crack pot. He’s one guy. What can he do?”

Oddly, Smith was elected to the seat with a single write-in vote. There were no candidates and the local GOP did not want him on the ballot. Kolankoski said he does not know Smith and obviously does not approve of his supposed ideas.

Those ideas have been thoroughly vetted by anti-hate groups, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League. And make for a much longer story, a small portion of which will be detailed here:

Begun in 2001 in Harrisburg, Keystone United has been called “one of the largest and most active single-state skinhead crews in the country” and prides itself on being a sophisticated alternative to what they call skinhead stereotypes: “We wish to break the stereotypes of skinheads being alcoholic thugs and violent drug-addicted criminals,” the group’s written on their website. Like many skinhead and racist groups, they were fueled by taking in young adults throughout the state, often recruiting at hardcore and punk shows. Through 2008, they were the subject of at least 10 alleged violent incidents throughout Pennsylvania.

[MrScorpio]

1. These fuckers are always likely to run as Republicans

All Republicans who say they they're NOT racists ought to fix this asshole's little red wagon or shut just the fuck up when we rightfully accuse the entire GOP of being the racist party.

[Ian David]

2. Where I live, you need to have at least 8 write-in votes to win, IIRC. n/t

[Angry Dragon]

3. I do not see the problem, he should fit right in with them