After a much-publicized campaign against America’s leading source of information on U.S. charities, GuideStar, partnering with America’s most notorious uber-left smear machine, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), GuideStar has removed the “hate group” label from conservative and pro-freedom organizations (including ours, AFDI).
Last week, a coalition of conservative groups and organizations working in defense of freedom submitted a letter calling out America’s leading source of information on U.S. charities, GuideStar, on its libelous and defamatory use of the SPLC’s hate labels in smearing conservative organizations.
“Conservative Leader ‘Encouraged’ by Nonprofit Tracker’s Removal of ‘Hate Group’ Labels From Conservative Groups,” by Rachel del Guidice, Daily Signal, June 26, 2017:
The nation’s leading source of information on U.S. nonprofits has removed its use of a controversial “hate group” designation in listings for some well-known and broadly supported conservative nonprofits.
GuideStar, which calls itself a “neutral” aggregator of tax data on charities, recently incorporated the “hate group” labels produced by the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center, which inspired 41 conservative leaders to protest the move, asking GuideStar in a letter last week to remove the flagging.
Individuals who signed the letter referenced recent history and noted the “hate group” designation propagated by the Southern Poverty Law Center and adopted by GuideStar can have harmful implications.
Floyd Corkins, the man convicted of a 2012 attempt to massacre employees at the Family Research Council, was inspired by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s description of the Christian pro-family research organization as a hate group.
In an interview with the FBI, Corkins said a list on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s website motivated his attack.
The SPLC has acknowledged the connection.
GuideStar used an organization that incites murder and violence in the cause of leftist hate. This speaks to the morally inverted state of veracity and integrity in a left-dominated society.
Last week, a number of us working in defense of freedom submitted a letter calling out the compromised and complicit GuideStar.
The complaints prompted GuideStar to reverse its course. The company said it’s removing the labels “for the time being” beginning Monday, in part because of concerns raised about their objectivity but also because of the threats against employees.
Threats? None of our followers and members have ever killed or plotted violence against anyone, but members of SPLC, the very group whose defamation GuideStar cites, have killed and attempted to assassinate any number of us.
GuideStar announced its decision to remove the labels last week, two days after being sent a complaint letter signed by 41 people, largely representing conservative organizations, including Pamela Geller of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center describes as “one of America’s most notorious Islamophobes,” and Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association, a group the SPLC says is staunchly anti-LGBT.
“The ‘hate group’ list is nothing more than a political weapon targeting people it deems to be its political enemies,” the letter said. “The list is ad hoc, partisan, and agenda-driven.”
Letter: 2017.06.21_vfinal_signatures_LTR_Coalition to Guidestar-Harold Jacobs
We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, write to express our strong disagreement with Guidestar’s newly implemented policy that labels 46 American organizations as “hate groups.” Your designations are based on determinations made by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a hard-left activist organization. As such, SPLC’s aggressive political agenda pervades the construction of its “hate group” listings.
The SPLC has no bona fides to make such determinations. It is not a governmental organization using a rigorous criteria to create its lists, and it is not a scientifically oriented organization. The SPLC is merely another “progressive” political organization. It gained credibility attacking Klansmen, neo-Nazis, and skinheads – many of whom were engaged in violence. The SPLC is now trying to export the same tactics into areas of mainstream political discourse including debates about immigration and sexual-identity politics.
The “hate group” list is nothing more than a political weapon targeting people it deems to be its political enemies. The list is ad hoc, partisan, and agenda-driven.1 The SPLC doesn’t even pretend to identify groups on the political left that engage in “hate.” Mosques or Islamist groups that promote radical speech inciting anti-Semitism and actual violence are not listed by the SPLC even though many have been publicly identified after terrorist attacks. Radical, violent leftist environmentalists or speech suppressing thugs – like the rioting “antifa” movement – receive no mention from the SPLC.
Despite its denials to the contrary, this highly refined method of ostracism and dehumanization practiced by the SPLC isn’t just about verbal debate – it can foreseeably lead to violence. The SPLC’s primary goal is to achieve the political submission of its opponents, but its practice of sustained demonization in one’s community – which is what a “hate map” is all about – inflames passions of hatred and animus against its targets……
Read the whole thing here.
We fought the lies and the smear. And we won.
The SPLC should be relegated to the dustbin of history like their intellectual inspiration: Goebbels. The networks and major newspapers should follow GuideStar’s lead on this and sever all ties with this vile hate machine. If not for the mainstream media the SPLC would be where it belongs, on the outer fringe of decent society. Like the KKK.
Linde Barrera says
Hooray for Pamela Geller! She is a total truth-teller and not a hate-monger. But in certain circles, the truth is known as hate speech. WTH? And the only good thing I can say about the SPLC is that they sued the KKK. But as butter they did that, the SPLC maligned itself with Islamic organizations that only tell half the truth about Islam, not the total truth. After all, what thinking person wants to admit that their religion teaches them “To cast terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, and strike them in their necks. Kill them.” Quran verse 8:12.
Linde Barrera says
Correction: But as soon as they did that….
Sam says
What a crime to call my heroine Pam Geller a hater in the first place and then take her off the hate list and we should consider this a victory for us freedom lovers? What a strange world we live in. The SPLC should kiss Pam’s hand for waking up Americans against evil Islam.
SPLC IS THE ENEMY OF AMERICA
mccode says
SPLC, the self-appointed arbiter of PC righteousness.
They need to get a life and a clue. But that won’t happen.
Lydia says
Their strategy will go like this:
They will camp on the whole race issue, and from there extend to gender issues.
They use the platform of ‘civil rights,’ and fighting ‘discrimination’ like in cases of desegregation and protests by Martin Luther King. All of that was good, of course racism is bad. But then they build an extension to the rainbow agenda using all the gender related issues. Anyone who does not align with that is labeled as a hate group member. Of course, Christians cannot condone the sin of homosexuality. That is in both the New and Old Testaments. We don’t throw stones at them or anything, but we can’t ‘go along with them’ in a sense of baking gay wedding cakes, etc. That is our religion, if we follow Biblical Orthodox Christianity that includes the moral laws of God. For that resistance, we will be slammed just like in the holocaust. But we must stand firm because that is what we are called to do. It is the equivalent of wearing a jacket with a yellow cross on it. I already have one which I wear just for sarcasm at certain times, but with honor and not with shame. I see these things unfolding and know what lies ahead for several reasons, so mark my words folks.
Jack Holan says
Pamela, I sure I’m not alone. Thank you for your endless energy, tenacious attitude on behalf of all us &1st Generation Post Shoah,, persistence and your courage. Let’s keep our name clean. I don’t believe any of needed to threaten these folks. We have enough to focus on.
Matthieu Baudin says
Well done. Successfully calling them to account.
gravenimage says
Pamela Geller: GuideStar Removes SPLC “Hate List” Label from AFDI, 40 Conservative Orgs
………………………..
Great news!
davej says
“Partly due to threats to our employees” – a total lie and weasel speech from a group long known for being weasels. They just couldn’t maintain their lie any longer.
John Lloyd Scharf says
FOR ME, this was the most important fact in your whole piece:
“In an interview with the FBI, Corkins said a list on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s website motivated his attack….The SPLC has acknowledged the connection.”
ConnectingDots says
This is great news, but I just checked the AmazonSmile program again, and AmazonSmile still recognizes neither “AFDI” nor “American Freedom Defense Initiative” (due to earlier blacklisting).
In contrast, “Southern Poverty Law Center, Inc.” (SPLC) is a recognized AmazonSmile charity.
Carolyne says
It seems to me that most violence against innocent people is perpetrated by Muslims and far left idiots such as the shooter who almost killed a Republican Congressman a couple of weeks ago. I never hear of conservative groups encouraging violence or a lone conservative commuting murder for political reasons. The simp!e truth is that we don’t do that and I doubt anyone had their life threatened over this, at least by a conservative. A fascist perhaps who didn’t like this action by GuideStar, if anyone, would do that. Its their modus operandi.
davej says
Apologies for character assassination and false information will be forthcoming?
The SPLC is itself a hate group and deserves no respect or credence.