On June 7, three men linked to the Aryan Brotherhood and Ku Klux Klan allegedly beat 49-year-old James Byrd until he was unconscious, chained him to the bumper of their pickup truck and dragged him more than 2 miles down a country road near Jasper, Texas.

Police investigators used glowing paint to mark words such as “head” and “dentures” at the locations where his body parts were found, miles apart from one another.

In response to anger directed at the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacist group plans to hold a peaceful rally outside the county courthouse in Jasper next week as part of an effort to do damage control and disavow any connection with the suspects in the murder.

A group of 10 to 12 Klansmen is anticipated at the rally. The Jasper County sheriff’s department plans to put on extra security for the Klan rally, but predicted the Klan members would not march.

According to Darrell Flinn, imperial wizard of the Knights of the White Kamellia, one of the two KKK factions planning the event, “(The killing was) a senseless act. An unnecessary act. A tragedy.”

The tone of the phrase “unnecessary act” implies something insidious and ugly.

The goals of the Ku Klux Klan have always been clear, and Flinn’s claim that the Klan uses only non-violent means to “protect white rights, preserve white history and secure a better place for the right race…” is not only false — it’s downright repugnant.

This response from the Klan and the inappropriate rally are clearly part of a more sinister effort to make the Klan appear to be a less radical group.

It’s all too easy for these Klansmen to stand around and use words like “tragedy” after the deed is done, when they know the Klan is responsible for breeding the hatred that caused this death.

Flinn’s statements to the press and this “peaceful” rally are carefully crafted to send a clear message to people who might sympathize with the KKK.

What Flinn is really saying is this: “You don’t have to get your hands dirty to get involved with the Klan anymore. All you have to do is join and help us spread the message. The hatred that follows will do the work for us.”

An unnecessary act — words from the mouth of a hateful hypocrite.