End of an Era...thank God

Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler, dubbed by many as the "elder statesman of American hate," has died at the age of 86. The time of death is unknown but according to Kootenai County Sheriff Capt. Ben Wolfinger, Butler died in his sleep and in regards to the cause of death, "Everything appears to be natural," Wolfinger said.

Butler, a longtime admirer of Adolf Hitler and white supremacist religious teaching, had moved to Idaho in the early 1970s, claiming later that he was impressed by its high percentage of white residents. To the dismay of many residents, the region became known as a place hospitable to white supremacist groups.

Butler’s church held that whites were the true children of God, that Jews were the offspring of Satan and that blacks and other minorities were inferior. (from MSNBC.com)

Unfortunately, the Aryan Nations still has a compound near Hayden Lake and new leader Ray Redfeairn vows to continue the campaign of hate and bigotry.