Superb piece by Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies about how the Southern Poverty Law Center attempts to delegitimize and marginalize groups that simply don’t share its hard-Left politics by classifying them as “hate groups” alongside the Ku Klux Klan and the like. The establishment media eagerly plays along by treating the SPLC as if it were a neutral, disinterested observer.
I’m impressed that Krikorian got this published in the Washington Post. I’m sure the Post would never publish anything I sent them: I am, after all, an SPLC-designated “hate group leader.”
“How labeling my organization a hate group shuts down public debate,” by Mark Krikorian, Washington Post, March 17, 2017:
Are you now, or have you ever been, a “hate group”?
This is the question at the heart of an attempt to delegitimize and suppress views regarding immigration held by a large share of the American public.
Since 2007, the Southern Poverty Law Center has methodically added mainstream organizations critical of current immigration policy to its blacklist of “hate groups,” including the Federation for American Immigration Reform, the Immigration Reform Law Institute and Californians for Population Stabilization, among others. In February, my own organization, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), got its turn.
The wickedness of the SPLC’s blacklist lies in the fact that it conflates groups that really do preach hatred, such as the Ku Klux Klan and Nation of Islam, with ones that simply do not share the SPLC’s political preferences. The obvious goal is to marginalize the organizations in this second category by bullying reporters into avoiding them, scaring away writers and researchers from working for them, and limiting invitations for them to discuss their work….
Equating a group that has such a track record of engagement in the public policy debate with, for instance, the Holy Nation of Odin has nothing to do with warning the public of “hate.” The SPLC’s true purpose can only be to deprive the American people of points of view they need to hear to make informed and intelligent collective decisions.
Of course, political combatants call each other names all the time; I’ve succumbed myself on occasion. But the SPLC stands apart; it’s backed by a quarter-billion-dollar war chest, successful branding by SPLC co-founder and direct-marketing impresario Morris Dees, and a pose of disinterestedness and neutrality that has gained it credibility with many in the media and law enforcement.
Yet the SPLC’s protestations of neutrality are false. It is an integral part of the immigration-expansion coalition, as even the briefest look at the “Immigrant Justice” page on its website will confirm. Regardless, the SPLC’s smearing of political opponents continues to be reported as news; hours after publication of the latest SPLC blacklist, the New Yorker retailed the “hate group” charge against CIS.
My goal is not to plead to be taken off the SPLC’s blacklist, but to condemn the blacklist itself and the willingness of news organizations to participate in this silencing campaign by using the blacklist label in their stories. This attempt to narrow public debate is harmful to our civic life. Widely held concerns among the citizenry don’t just go away because gatekeepers of public debate decide not to allow them to be aired. As the cliche has it, this is why you have President Trump. And further attempts at suppression will yield worse.
mortimer says
SPLC is an Alinsyite group that demonizes the free speech of non-Leftists and promotes censorship of views that impede communism. Period. That is the essence of Alinsky’s method: to use NAME-CALLING and REPETITION in place of reason, logic and facts. They know most people will not do the research that will expose the GROSS MANIPÜLATIONS of the Left.
SPLC is simply a Trotskyist group in sheep’s clothing. They are moving towards the destruction of everything European so that rootless peoples can be absorbed into bland faceless nameless communism.
Pastor C says
Some of us are not so easily deceived. We can, easily, identify the satanic tools and tactics of Alinsky 101 as employed by the SPLC (along with a host of other Marxist/Communist organizations).
But we’re not their real audience. They understand the masses are blissfully-unaware of who Saul Alinsky is/was and the demonic methods/tactics he taught, and employed, to foment chaos and rebellion against Judeo-Christian civilization.
Westman says
After receiving a donation appeal from the SPLC and reading their vitriolic diatribe against POTUS, complete with a picture of Trump, it became obvious that the SPLC is a seditious organization without an ounce of fealty to the nation. It’s simply an amoral screeching hammer for the radical left that preaches hatred against conservatives and meritocracy.
Isn’t hatred of Meritocracy at the base of most far-left demands?
I am reminded of a biblical verse(yes, some Agnostics know the Bible), “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” John10:1
The Left always clamors for more government OPM to pay for social projects and the legislators, equally high on OPM, are only too happy to oblige. No one seems to notice that the majority are intended to bypass meritocracy or that most end in failure when the recipients fail to perform.
no_one says
Hatred of meritocrasy is a communist thing. For them it it was important who is a member of their party and who is not. Party members were promoted without being very smart. That was a disaster.
vladkoval says
http://thediplomat.com/2017/03/central-asia-and-islamic-state-the-russian-connection/
Central Asia and Islamic State: The Russian Connection
Angemon says
Yup.
don vito says
Did anyone see the SPLC article on Planned Parenthood working with illegal immigrants? Talk about hate! /s
No Fear says
Is it legal to declare any group a “hate group”? What type of proof do you need to make such a declaration?
Myron J. Poltroonian says
“Legal” be Damned. When the powers that be allow it to happen, anything is “Legal”. For example: “Proof? We say so, that’s your ‘Proof’! What more do you need? We started out with the best of intentions, gained credibility, and now are unassailable. How dare you question our conclusions! Are you a ‘Subversive’ or one of their sympathizers?” (Read Orwell, Huxley, Bradbury, Heinlein, Rand, etc. for further edification.
UNCLE VLADDI says
See our saga of getting banned for simply showing FACTS to the SPLC, here:
http://islamexposed.blogspot.ca/2017/03/splc-censorship_13.html#AssWhollery
Dajjal says
Unk’s link is to an header designating a section containing 13 screen shots of comments by dennizens of Hate Watch. Click the first screen shot, then pick the others at the bottom of the page. You will find them enlarged and legible that way.
The sections containing my comments and Unk’s are above that section designated with named anchors which do not manifest,. each of those sections has its own text link in the first page of the post.
Unk’s first innocuous cmnt. was never published, the Mod. sat on it for the duration. You can see it in the post,. All of our cmnts. were met with derisive insults & logical fallacies.