24 July, 2006

Asatru Prison Ranks Swell

Posted by alex in AmeriKwa, anthropology, Asatru & Odinism at 4:28 am | Permanent Link

White identity = protection in prison.

Paganism Gaining Popularity in Prison

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By KRISTEN GELINEAU Associated Press Writer

July 23,2006 | STAUNTON, Va. — A pagan religion that some experts say can be interpreted as encouraging violence is gaining popularity among prison inmates, one of whom is scheduled to be executed this week for killing a fellow prisoner at the foot of an altar.

Michael Lenz is scheduled to die Thursday for the death of Brent Parker, who was stabbed dozens of times at Augusta Correctional Center during a gathering of inmates devoted to Asatru, whose followers worship Norse gods. At his trial, Lenz testified that Parker had not been taking the religion seriously and had to die to protect the honor of the gods.

Other followers call the religion misunderstood and say most adherent inmates do not use it to further violent agendas.

Asatru has been gaining popularity among inmates, say religious leaders and prison experts who believe its roots in Viking mythology attract prisoners seeking power, protection and unity.

The gang culture in prison also contributes, said theologian Britt Minshall, a former police officer and Baltimore pastor who ministers to inmates. Some white inmates who felt threatened by black prison gangs formed their own gangs and sought out a belief system they felt would provide additional security, he said.

[Good example of the double standard. White claims against jew-protected coloreds are always treated by “reporters” as feelings rather than facts. Minority behavior is always translated into White perception. It never works the other way, quite the opposite: nigger hallucinations are treated as outright fact. But then, if the jews could cover up their race’s murder of several million whites in the Ukraine, papering over injustice against whites in prison is nothing, nothing at all. Lying is first nature to the jew, and our wonderful diverse free media nothing but arrant jewspin.]

It’s a way of grouping together for safety,” he said. “And you have to have a god in the middle of that to really keep you safe.”

Asatru is often referred to as Odinism, although some followers believe the two are separate religions. It is a polytheistic, pre-Christian faith native to Scandinavia whose adherents worship gods including Thor and Odin.

It emphasizes a connection with one’s ancestors and values honor, loyalty, generosity and truth.

An estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people in the United States consider themselves Asatruars or Odinists, said Stephen McNallen, director of the Asatru Folk Assembly, a leading Asatru group.

No national statistics are kept on how many inmates follow Asatru. But experts say its popularity enjoyed a boost from the Supreme Court, which last year sided with an Asatru inmate by upholding a federal law requiring state prisons to accommodate prisoners’ religious affiliations.

Asatru is often associated with white supremacy, although most Asatru leaders bristle at suggestions of such a relationship.

A 1999 FBI report on domestic terrorism described Odinism as a “white supremacist ideology that lends itself to violence.”

“What makes Odinists dangerous is the fact that many believe in the necessity of becoming martyrs for their cause,” the report said.

Such comments are typical of those who don’t understand Asatru, said Jane Ruck, who runs the National Prison Kindred Alliance and ministers to Asatru inmates. White supremacists make up only a small portion of Asatruars, and most inmates who follow the religion do not use it to push hate-filled, violent agendas, she said.

“There might be some white supremacists who consider themselves Asatruars, but they’re not (Asatruars) because they’re not following our beliefs,” Ruck said. “We don’t hate anybody; we just want to take pride in our heritage.”

Lenz and another inmate, fellow Asatruar Jeffrey Remington, stabbed Parker a combined 68 times with makeshift knives. Remington was also sentenced to death but committed suicide in 2004.

According to Art Jipson, who studies white racial extremism and directs the University of Dayton’s criminal justice studies program, Lenz’s belief that fatal force was warranted is not surprising.

“If he believes the fight was necessary, whether or not it was legal is the least of his concerns,” Jipson said. “If he’s a truly devout practicing Odinist or Asatruist, he’s doing what he must do. And it would be a shame — it would be a black mark on his soul, his spirit … for him to be cowardly and not to fight.”

That kind of warrior mentality can exacerbate the tense environment behind bars, said Mark Potok, a leader at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., which monitors hate groups.

“It’s a theology that celebrates raw physical power and domination, and that is why I think it is so popular among prison inmates,” Potok said. “The kind of inmate who might be attracted to this is a white man who is looking for justification for extreme violence, who is looking for an ideology which explains why he should be the boss.”

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On the Net:

Asatru Folk Assembly: http://www.runestone.org/


  • 10 Responses to “Asatru Prison Ranks Swell”

    1. random goy Says:

      of course the last word on the matter is from a chosen “expert”

    2. random goy Says:

      of course the last word on the matter is fed to the masses by a chosen “expert”.

    3. wayne h. Says:

      It is well known that black and mestizo gangs in the prisons will gang rape white inmates .The whites are outnumberd at least ten to one and will not organize to protect each other.The jewish law enforcement shows on TV make light of this to intimidate the white suspect regularly.The blacks organize into moslem gangs and mestizos are ms-13 or latin kings or bloods or crips or whatever. This is a natural response of whites to organize around a spiritual movement like Odinism or other pagan religions or the Aryan Brotherhood for protection the prison system refuses to provide.White inmates have been granted requests to be segregated from minorities for their own protection in some prisons.The prison officials tell the freed inmates to leave their experiences of abuse behind ,but how do you forget and forgive being gang raped for years ? I can imagine there are many white ex cons that would kill a nigger or mestizo without a second thought if they could get away with it.

    4. Lokuum Says:

      Ah, yes. Prison. The only place in America where a fellow can find a little culture.

    5. JB Says:

      Art Jipson

      http://artssciences.udayton.edu/CriminalJusticeStudies/ShowProfile.asp?u=2433KL3DFH2&t=Faculty

      Dr. Arthur Jipson is an Associate Professor of Sociology. He received his Ph.D. from Bowling Green State University. He joined the faculty in 2001 and received tenure in the department in 2004. Dr. Jipson’s areas of special interest are white racial extremism, social movements and collective behavior, white collar crime, fraud, and corporate crime, sociological and criminological theory, unions and labor movements, Internet community, and the sociology of popular music.

      Jipson:
      My purpose is not to create students who think like me, instead my goal is to help students critically analyze the material by interacting with other learners (including myself as a life long learner), examining different contexts, and feeling free to discuss and dialog inside and outside of the classroom. [b]For example, I used a video of a Dr. Seuss cartoon, The Sneetches, to raise the issue of labeling others and the consequences of those labels in a way that was not demeaning or heavy handed.[/b]

      “I use a Dr.Seuss cartoon to make sure I don’t offend any of the little children attending my classes. “

    6. Aryan Lord Says:

      You will observe that it is Odinism or Asatru that racially conscious Aryans in prison turn to for moral support and as form of protection against negro fellow-prisoners and NOT christinsanity!

    7. Sickle Cell Anemia Says:

      Aryan Lord is right. The “Christian groups” in the joint are chock full of niggers and spics as well. Who the fuck wants to belong to same “religion” that a bunch of shitskins belong to…I hope Asatru and Odinism gain followings “on the outside” eventually. I projectile vomit when I see some brain dead white Baptist holding hands with some bubble-lipped boog or when some white Catholic is sharing a pew with a Spic. WAKE UP WHITE MAN and rediscover your pagan roots.

    8. Zuul88 Says:

      California Prisons are racially segregated(at least in the two-man cells.) As a convict who has done a couple years over-all, being in a “gang” is the only way to exist. There are two different groups Skins and Woods. Whites are automatically a wood when your get in. You can be christian but they exist outside the shpere. White survival in prison means that you fight any non-whites if ANY white gets into trouble, Period. Whites deal with whites. There are rules for dealing with other races. Mainly DON’T!!! Prison is hell in other states where there are no “gangs.” Survival means protecting each other. That is why we are losing all over the world not enough of us are fighting together. It is changing though, every year more and more are coming to our cause.
      White Pride World Wide
      Nathan

    9. CELTO-GERMANIC Says:

      I’ve been to jail 3 times. Prison is a whole other story. However, while I was in jail one time, two blacks were purportedly stabbed by other blacks in the general population area the day after I got a cell. The first three days were hell, the general holding area was full of niggers and two sorry looking white drunks. Not much backup. On day one, after one particular nigger made his pacing rounds with his pants hanging down, trying to push his ass at my face, I knew it was time to die. I didn’t care. I’m not a big guy, or particularly violent. I can’t describe it, but I knew if I didn’t make a show, all the niggers in there were going to rape me. As he walked by the 2nd time in his taunting ape like manner, I lost it- I stood up and everything went purple. I got right in his face and told him if he came by me again I would kill him. I’ve never said it since or before- and meant it. I had to stare into those bloodshot ape eyes and telegraph with all clarity that I would. And right at that moment I didn’t know how I was going to do that. All the rage of growing up a white minority coalesced in that moment. I would bite, wrestle punch, and tear-I was ready to fight dirty and explode into raw violence in that moment. I pictured myself as a starving wolf, which, I kind of was. The nigger must have believed me as he mumbled some sambo-jambo and kept his distance completely. Strangely enough, two of the other blacks made small talk with me for the next two days. I did so out of survival as it was not an ideal moment to proclaim ‘heil hitler’. The reason I think they talked to me was that, as niggers are animals, they only gave me respect because I acted like an animal. Once I got a cel, luckily, it was with a TV station manager (irish) who divulged he moved a lot of weed and coke and was in for drunk driving! It turned out I got LUCKY. He was a criminal, but at least he was white- and I was in for selling weed myself. When I got out, of course we did some business. As it was, all the niggers knew who he was and knew he liked me- so I was left alone. At night, in the cel next to ours, I had to listen to the two niggers next door fagging out rather noisily. I’ve been to jail- ALL NIGGERS ARE HOMOS- even in jail! they didn’t even have the desperation of a prison sentence- you can only max out jail at two years. I’ve cleaned up my act since then (20 years ago) and recognize many of the pitfalls a less than disciplined mind can succumb to. I hope some other aryan boys read this and either stay crime free- or start pumping weights, learn krav maga and DON’T be a nice guy when you get in there. I wish I had known of Asatru, as I would have prayed to Odin at that moment for strength.

    10. mike kostecki Says:

      I did 9 years in illinois prisons and let me tell you since 1997 most of the whites are cowards in there. I tried countless times to get whites to band together again, but to no avail. I visited the hole quite a few times by sticking up for cowards of my race because “defend the weak”. I’m out now and will I do it again if I ever go again? Your damn right I will. Hopefully by leading by example it will change a fellow white brother gather his roots and be a white man!!!