Oh, the irony is sweet.

Thursday, March 08, 2001

Oh, the irony is sweet.

Once an Aryan Nations training ground, a ranch in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, will soon be an educational center for human rights.

It’s a rather pleasing turn of events.

Last year, Victoria Keenan and her son, Jason, won a $6.3 million lawsuit against Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler and his organization. Their victory bankrupted the hate group, forcing the sale of the 20-acre compound. Keenan and her son sued the group after they were chased, shot at and terrorized by Aryan Nations security guards in 1998.

An Internet millionaire will purchase the compound for $250,000 and turn it into an educational center for human rights.

Greg Carr, founder and former chairman of the Internet service Prodigy, said the church on the grounds will be converted to a museum displaying the "artifacts of hatred left behind by the Aryan Nations." The rest of the buildings will be torn down to make way for classrooms that will feature the history and message of various human rights movements.

Carr, an Idaho native, has a history of investing in human rights organizations in the state, offering $500,000 to the Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial in Boise in 1999 and $500,000 to the Idaho Human Rights Education Center last year.

It’s suiting that property that once housed hate will soon teach compassion and acceptance. Indeed, justice has been served.