While over 800,000 furloughed government workers took the bulk of today's "shutdown" hit (even if that means record high traffic and ad revenues for the world's porn websites) in the form of compensation (that is merely delayed) one of the parties impacted by the first government shutdown in 17 years was none other than the Ku Klux Klan. Reuters reports [5]that a KKK rally was one of the first casualties of the U.S. government shutdown on Tuesday when National Parks officials told the white supremacist group the event would have to be canceled. The KKK had been granted a permit for what it dubbed a First Amendment demonstration on Saturday at Gettysburg National Military Park, but park officials said it could not take place because all National Parks have been closed. "Because of the federal government shutdown, Gettysburg National Military Park has rescinded all permits for special events, including the October 5 First Amendment demonstration," the park said in a statement.
The surreality continues [5]:
Park officials had previously defended the decision to allow the KKK event, saying the group was entitled to the free speech protections afforded by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
"As custodians of land owned by the American people, the National Park Service has a responsibility to make the land available for exercising those rights," a statement from the parks said.
One truly can't make this up.
But as long as the KKK sold the VIX and were long the S&P today in the last minutes of trading, we are confident they will get over this minor snub of their "first amendment" rights. Because there is nothing quite like feeling the warm glow of a little Fed-created "wealth effect" when unable to express one's encompassing love for all human brethren of all colors and ethnicities.