Mississippians Eager for Ku Klux Klan Vanity Plates

Remember, it's about heritage, not hate. And needless to say, Jesus would approve.

A fight is brewing in Mississippi over a proposal to issue specialty license plates honoring Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was an early leader of the Ku Klux Klan.

The Mississippi Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans wants to sponsor a series of state-issued license plates to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which it calls the "War Between the States." The group proposes a different design each year between now and 2015, with Forrest slated for 2014.

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Forrest, a Tennessee native, is revered by some as a military genius and reviled by others for leading the 1864 massacre of black Union troops at Fort Pillow, Tenn. Forrest was a Klan grand wizard in Tennessee after the war.

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"If Christian redemption means anything — and we all want redemption, I think — [Forrest] redeemed himself in his own time, in his own actions, in his own words," [Sons of Confederate Veterans member Greg] Stewart said. "We should respect that."

[ABC]