Dear Editor:
In his cartoon published in the June 25 edition of the News Tribune, Jim Dyke tries to steer readers away from the racial motivation of Dylann Roof's murders in the Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C. Dyke wants to blame violent and offensive music lyrics, raunchy and violent movies, and violent television as the influences behind Roof's heinous acts.
Instead of intentionally avoiding the reality of Roof's racially motivated killings, Dyke should read Roof's racist manifesto and acknowledge the actual influences on Roof - white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups and the Missouri-based, far-right Council of Conservative Citizens and its president Earl Holt.
Dyke should read Roof's own words of hatred and racial bigotry. Words such as "Ngers are stupid and violent" and "I chose Charleston because it ... had the highest ratio of blacks to Whites in the country."
Dyke should look at Roof's own pictures. Pictures of Roof holding a Confederate flag and a pistol in one photo, and burning the American flag in another. Pictures of Roof wearing the number 88 on a T-shirt and writing the number 88 in the sand - 88 being white supremacist code for "Heil Hitler."
There is no indication whatsoever that Roof was influenced by violent music, movies, or television. Dyke performs a disservice to this community by implying the blame for Roof's killings lies with pop culture instead of Roof's actual motivation - racial hatred and white supremacy.
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