Last week, we wrote about John Tanton—the Michigan-based man who in many ways founded the modern anti-immigration movement.
This week there is more news concerning Tanton and his Petoskey, Michigan-based organizations. The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that after years of running his anti-immigration network, Tanton is stepping back.
The organization reports that a man named K.C. McAlpin has moved to Petoskey to run the most racist of Tanton’s organizations: The Social Contract Press. The Social Contract Press distributes a number of anti-immigration books and publishes the journal The Social Contract that regularly runs contributions from white supremacists.
The journal’s most recent issue was a special feature on “The Menace of Islam.” While racist statements on the pages of a racist publication are nothing new, The Social Contract’s focus on Islam is a change from their usual targeting of immigration in the Americas. In the introduction to the issue Wayne Lutton (a man with involvement in the larger white supremacist movement) declares:
“What benefit do Americans derive from having Muslims settle here? The costs have far outweighed any benefits in terms of terrorism, violent crime, and other social costs. What evidence is there that Muslim “integration” is possible? It seems clear to us that it is (past) time to halt Muslim immigration to the United States.”
In a defense of the magazine’s call for such a ban (and a response to critics), K.C. McAlpin writes (“A reply to critics of The Social Contract’s call for a ban on Muslim Immigration to the U.S.”):
“A ban on Muslim immigration, therefore, is not only constitutional, but a practical and necessary way to defend ourselves against the growing threat of homegrown terrorism the U.S. faces in the 21st Century.”
While Tanton may be moving on, it is clear that Petoskey, Michigan will remain home to racist views as long as The Social Contract Press continues operating out of the city.
