Of all of the worthy organizations.. the “ACLU”, “People for the American Way”, the “National Organization of Women”, “Media Matters”, “MoveOn”, “People for the Separation of Church and State” and a spate of many others… outfits that are doing the hard work so many of us believe in and whose agendas we all support…
The “Southern Poverty Law Center” somehow, inexplicably, all of a sudden, has become the object of a considerable amount of ire.
The perplexing problem is that a great deal of this vitriol isn’t emanating solely from those “usual suspects”.. the ones we would naturally expect it to be coming from… not just those ‘organizations’ who have been successfully taken to task by the SPLC..
The United Klans of America, Aryan Nation, White Revolution, the American National Socialist Party, the Institute for Historical Review.. just about every hate group imaginable INCLUDING African American and Latino Groups…
The TRUE quandary is why on earth those (whom at least PURPORT to be advocates of human rights and civil liberties) have also been piling upon the SPLC recently…
Unapologetically and deliberately spreading the same untruthful propaganda (sometimes verbatim) right out of the playbooks of the ultra-right “National Policy Institute” or “Free Republic”… the “National Review”, the “American Family Association”, “Focus on the Family”… people like Lew Rockwell, Andrew Breitbart, Michael Savage, David Duke … the list of unapologetic racists, bigots, supremacy advocates and hate groups is endless.
Self-proclaimed “Libertarians” spreading lies about them, about their mission, about the people who do the important work there.
They have been called “essentially nothing but a politically biased lobbying group” (an outright lie)…They have been accused of being staffed by “corporate lawyers whose primary goal is fundraising” (an outright lie)…
Libelous prattle that “if some right wing ‘extremists group made sizable donations on a regular quarterly basis, you’d probably see these threats just magically disappear” (an outright lie)…
Charged with actually “writing the Department of Homeland Security report” (an out right lie)…. the very report that RIGHTFULLY warned of the rise of violent domestic extremist militias and their infiltration into the the US Military”…
Sorry.. but those who constantly spew these prevarications have their own agenda.. and it is not the truth.
One can conjecture what might motivate them… maybe a smattering of their denial as to the nature of their own prejudices.. of their own bigotry… perhaps even a manifestation of their self-loathing.. or the hysterical blindness that comes from the perpetual fear they try to hide as to the dangers that these groups truly present.
The TRUTH is that race hatred in the United States has gotten exponentially worse since the election of President Obama.
It is obviously not limited to the deep south by any means…. the only real differences being that bigots in the South seem to be more content to wear it on their sleeves, almost as a matter of ‘pride’… a badge of honor.
The racism in the rest of the country is much more insidious. It’s kept hidden, uses euphemistic language and “code words” cloaked in half-truths and obtuse ‘historical references’… and therefore it is far more dangerous.
The resurgence of all of the tried-and-true, established hate groups like the Klan and the Nazis.. not to mention the staggering growth in the number of new ones like the ‘militias’ and ‘Patriot Movements’ as well as the influx of white supremacists into the military and many State legislatures (see: Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, etc), the “Nativist” Organizations, the roving goon-squads such as the “Minutemen” and other vigilante groups…
All at a rate not seen since the Reconstruction…
And it is everywhere and it is out of control…. and it is inexplicably being cheered on by a depraved cadre of shills and dupes.. some calling themselves “Patriots”.. others “Libertarians”… all of whom insist on enabling their march back in time for whatever disparate reasons that they might hold.And the SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER is one of the few organizations whose SOLE PURPOSE is to FIGHT THEM at EVERY FRONT.
They are dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. Using litigation, education and other forms of advocacy, they work toward the day when the ideals of equal justice and equal opportunity will be a reality.
They employ a three-pronged strategy to battle racial and social injustice:
They track the activities of hate groups and domestic terrorists across America…
They launch innovative lawsuits that seek to destroy networks of radical extremists..
They use the courts and other forms of advocacy to win systemic reforms on behalf of victims of bigotry and discrimination.
They provide educators with free resources that teach school children to reject hate, embrace diversity and respect differences.
MONITORING HATE AND EXTREMISM:http://www.splcenter.org/…
JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS:
JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN AT RISK:
LGBT RIGHTS:
TEACHING TOLERANCE:
Here are just SOME of their LANDMARK CASES:
REAL RESULTS FOR REAL PEOPLE… not just the bunch of bitter blather being belched by a battery of procrastinating pessimists preaching their putrescent puddles of porcine putzdribble.
If there is only one organization that you are able to support (other than the ACLU), the Southern Poverty Law Center should be that organization.
One of the things that BIG MONEY buys is long range planning by folks employed to develop effective strategies for doing the will of their masters.
The TakeOver of the Tea Party by Dick Armey’s “Freedom Works” which is funded by half a dozen foundations linked to the the powers behind the thrones in the Corporatocracy is a template for similar takeovers in other groups. Money makes it all possible.
A number of Libertarian Groups have fallen under the influence of those who rule with and are ruled by the DOLLAR. Like many in the TP crowd, they are unaware of who is pulling the strings.
Money’s message to Libertarians re. SPLC is threefold:
a) The SPLC is aligned with the Liberals, the Progressives, the Democrats…..it must be up to no good.
b) The SPLC has critiqued a number of institutions and organizations associates with conservative/rightist thinking which is (at least in tone) simpatico with the libertarians.
c) The SPLC operates under a paradigm of constitutional purpose and construction which is anathema to the libertarians whose “strict” constitutionalism is aligned with the words of the conservatives.
Long range planning.
The Southern Poverty Law Center, in my opinion, is doing the work of the angels here on Earth. They are an invaluable resource for tracking the hate groups in our nation and assisting in court cases when needed. And they do their work in the open and inside the law–which really gets the goat of the groups they track. These groups hate having to comply with laws that make society better for the rest of us, but prevent them from doing what they want to do–like discriminate. No doubt they miss the good old days when they could lynch an “uppity n*$$er” and let the rest of the black community know their place.
The Obama Administration did not make racism worse. Fox News and the multitude of AM radio talk show hosts and a proliferation of hate and conservative web sites gave those who were already prone to be racist a public forum and permission to air their views. Too many involved in conservative politics and causes have seen the racists as useful idiots to add fuel to the opposition against Our President.
Thankfully we and groups like the SPLC can see right through this charade.
Hi BSM!
“…not just the bunch of bitter blather being belched by a battery of procrastinating pessimists preaching their putrescent puddles of porcine putzdribble.”
Now, that is a quote to remember! What a command of the King’s English!! 🙂
Seriously though, thanks for the article! The attacks seem to be coming from all quarters…left, right and center! Everything we Dems hold holy is under seige! Only by getting the word out can we fight it!
That’s some alliteration there ain’t it?
Very good article.
You said, “The TRUTH is that race hatred in the United States has gotten exponentially worse since the election of President Obama.”
Oh, I don’t know if I agree with your statement, BlueStateMan. I’m old school and I don’t think racism is any worst now than before President Obama was elected. I think people have become emboldened. Many black people will tell you they notice changes in attitudes of some whites depending upon who seems to have political power. I have witnesses first hand an arrogance among some whites when Republicans are in control. This whole “OMG, racism still exists or is worst now” reminds of the same mentality of people who were “shocked” that such poverty existed in the US. They were just totally unaware of said poverty until pictures of the people drowning, starving and being gunned down on bridges in the 9th Ward in New Orleans. Black folks live with racism everyday in some form or another. It may be as subtle as a white woman clutching her handbag on an elevator when a black guy gets on; black men finding it difficult to catch cabs at night; black men and women being followed around in stores, especially upscale stores; stares and glances when you vacation at some resort and “you” aren’t suppose to be there. I could go on and on. I’m not saying that racism is what it was in the in the 70’s and before. But I believe in laying it out there as I see it. And racism is alive and well in this country. I am so disgusted at the treatment of President Obama and the total silence of most of the Professional Left, the CBC and the media. As far as I’m concerned if you’re silent you’re in agreement with the disrespect. I agree more and more with George Clooney when he said we have the smartest President, the nicest man and they (Repubs) are making it as difficult as possible for him to govern. So yeah, I’m really cynical at this point. Unless I see and hear those with access to the media speak on the racism, my mentality will retrogress back to the 70’s. I also, believe that there is a real possibly that even though many white folks would like to vote for President Obama again, they don’t want the experience of having a black man in the White House.
I think that with the advent of political correctness in language, came a form of racism that merely went “underground.” I think we still have about the same number of racists that we’ve almost always had, but now they just aren’t as overt about it as they once were. Except for the real hardcore fanatics like the different “white power” groups.
BSM
Thank you for this article. We must continue to expose the hate and ignorance in this country. Dorothy Rissman nailed it, PBO brought all this out. We can watch a movie and Hollywood puts in a black president but the real thing is just too much for some people. I don’t care how many times the Tea Party wants to deny, they are racist. I grew up with a father who is from the (almost) south, North Carolina and I never once heard him speak against black people. He taught us all to be open minded and to respect every person’s right to live and be free. I never knew racism in the home I grew up in but was plenty exposed outside our home. Ar first it was a startling contrast but I soon learned how to deal with it because I knew I could always discuss it with my parents.
I just do not understand this hate, I really don’t.
Hi Sue! I can assure you that North Carolina IS south! Not “almost” south! Granted it is not as bad as Mississippi or Alabama, but we definitely have our share of bigots and racists! We still have our “yahoos” with rebel flags on their pickup trucks. In fact, there are lots of those. There is a segment of the population who would still continue fighting the civil war if they could!
A little light at the end of the tunnel…the state DID go for the President, and he seems to be polling well even now.
Cheers for making us aware of this BSM.
Shocking but not surprising if that makes sense.
SPLC is the most non-partisan and unbiased organisations in the land. Unless you are about hate. They don’t care what edge of the political spectrum the hate comes from because the warn against it all.
I’ve said before and this convinces me even further that Libertarian is code for ‘we want times to be like when the country started and only (straight Christian) white men can vote and own property’. The “straight Christian” is a new edition. This is where their absurd version of patriotism comes into their world view because of course in the late 18th century and early 19th century the US was a backwater country because it was a Libertarian paradise with no law and order, stable economic system, no roads, no voting for woman, no freedom for African Americans, no sanitation, no fire fighters, no medical care, no ect… That’s why people died in their mid-forties for the most part.
My wife appreciated the article very much as well because we are both big supporters of SPLC.
And THAT is why I don’t like being called a Libertarian.
You can always call yourself a populist.
Nah. I think it’s arrogant to call yourself a populist.
I can almost guarantee most of the population wouldn’t go for my ideas.
I think, if people classified me, I would be a Libertine.
Anarchist! Free thinker! Lots of other terms.
You said once you don’t like people telling other what to do. I heartily advise you NOT take up square or contra dancing. They have callers. My fave pin seen on a dancer:
“No damn caller’s going to tell ME what to do!”
Might not be your thing, eh?
HA! We had to square dance in P.E. when I was a kid. i didn’t take to kindly to it. 🙂
Figured. LOL!!!
My O My! Tragic but illuminating. Lots to study and take in. You speak the truth. I love the gray headed man with glasses who is often interviewed about racism.
I guess PBO stepped on a trip wire when he was elected. No more need to hide the racism. They cannot stand the fact that the president is a black man. The ugliness is absolutely stunning.
You nailed it with the following–The racism in the rest of the country is much more insidious. It’s kept hidden, uses euphemistic language and “code words” cloaked in half-truths and obtuse ‘historical references’… and therefore it is far more dangerous.
That’s Mark Potok. I have collaborated with him, and he’s quite amazing. I work on anti-hate crimes things – they can be trusted to look into almost anything.
The Libertarians revealed their hand in Rand Paul’s amazing statement that civil rights laws would have been fine if they had NOT extended to private property meaning businesses. Except there is no defense of private property in the Constitution that would give them an exemption, nor is that part of Common Law. Your home is exempt, but once you open “to the public” you cannot shut part of that public out. They HATE that. Tough.
I can’t remember where I read it, but someone posted a long list of Ron Paul’s racist, homophobic, and misogynist statements, and it was quite shocking. Libertarians have HAD the reputation of being supportive of women’s right to choose, of GLBT rights and relationships, of many other individual acts. So what we now see is a father and son who are only PARTLY Libertarian – for themselves and their ilk. Not for you or me.
So of course they and their ilk hate SPLC. They had gotten used under Bush to kind of hating anyone they wanted, and they don’t like being told they can – just can’t ACT on it. What is to me just as distressing is the disregard “The Young Turks” and those “lefties” also have for all hate crimes legislation since they say it “punishes thought”. Nope. Punishes illegal acts. ALL crimes go to motive, so unless they claim NO crime can look to motive, then this is just ignorant babble. But they are reinforcing Breitbart, the Pauls, and all those who think they should be free to hate. In fact they ARE free to hate. They are not free to do HARM to those whom they hate.
Seems simple enough to me.
CL, I am so impressed! Is there anything that you have not done in working for civil rights, labor, or anything else? I wish I had your experience! I happen to really like Mark Potoc, having seen him any number of times on Keith Olbermann’s show before he left MSNBC. It is hard to understand why anyone would object to the work of the organization…oh, I forgot! The President’s black!
I have heard teabaggers deny the racism, but IMO, there is no denying it after the ugly signs at their rallies. The people with the signs are not the problem though. The problem comes from the groups that the SPLC follows that work in the background. Let’s hope they are able to continue to expose the evil!
My late sister was a huge supporter of the SPLC until her death. I was not really aware of her involvement until her name appeared in their newsletter recently. I am proud of her activity and made a promised to continue to donate to them in her name.