Sounds like rattle of a timely demise Our View: Followers of the old Aryan Nations still make noises, but the implications are markedly different now.

D.F. Oliveria - For the editorial board

No one expected the publicity hounds in the old Aryan Nations to slink off quietly to northwestern Montana or other points with their tails between their legs.

And they're not.

Even without a home to call their own, they know how to make headlines and remain all-around pests. We'd love to ignore these Sad Sacks. But it's hard to do so when they plan to be busy again this year holding their annual hatefest in Farragut State Park and marching in Coeur d'Alene, Sandpoint and Rathdrum. It's also hard to ignore their demand to bear loaded arms during the Coeur d'Alene march July 7, which Idaho law may allow -- even if the city parade ordinance and common sense wouldn't.

All the noise and trouble Richard Butler and his remnant are making, however, won't hide one compelling fact -- the racists have all but lost the battle for Idaho's soul.

Consider: Their compound now is owned by Greg Carr, a wealthy Idaho Falls native who plans to transform it into a center for civil rights education. Active human rights organizations exist throughout the state to deal with the Aryan Nations in its death throes and with other racists. And lawmakers have approved two key pieces of minority legislation during the 2001 session.

The region is indebted to Carr, a former Prodigy Inc. chairman who has used his great wealth and passion for social justice to become a force for good in the Gem State. His $250,000 purchase of the Aryan Nations compound last week was just his latest contribution in Idaho's battle against racism. He also donated $500,000 of the $1.6 million cost to build the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise and funded a five-year human rights campaign for the Association of Idaho Cities.

Significantly, Carr turned to Tony Stewart of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations to head a committee that will oversee the new human rights center. Stewart has fought for human rights locally for the last quarter century. He has written the script on how to deal with racists -- literally. Local government officials would be wise to follow Carr's lead and seek advice from Stewart and other human rights veterans when bigots come calling.

Other signs that the Gem State has turned the corner in promoting tolerance include this Legislature's votes to make Idaho the first Western state to recognize Juneteenth National Freedom Day, an African-American holiday, and to set a decent minimum wage for farm laborers. It's easy to lose track of this progress as a result of the nasty racial comments about blacks, Hispanics, Jews and American Indians made recently by some Idaho political leaders.

So, let Butler's followers make noise and grab a few more headlines. Their 15 minutes of fame are almost gone.

D.F. Oliveria/For the editorial board

-- David Whitelaw (im@the.REZ), March 14, 2001