South Carolina Ranks High In Number Of Hate Groups
Thursday, March 27, 2008
How do you follow up a lurid, spine-tingly headline like that? With a lurid, spine-tingly lead, natch:
Racism and hatred. A watch dog organization says South Carolina is near the top of the list.
In its latest report, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a non-profit organization out of Montgomery, AL, counted 45 active hate groups in South Carolina.
The state follows California, Texas and Florida.
Nicholas Chappell, of Laurens is a member of one group on the list: the KKK.
Eek! The KKK! Somebody save us!
The implication, of course, is that any gang of wretches designated as a "hate group" is like the KKK, and the reader can’t wait to see who they are. C’mon, now. The KKK? That withered, hollow scarecrow is capable of nothing these days but serve as a fundraising tool for the fearmongers at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which poses as the only group that can stop evil racists and champion tolerance — that is, if they can just get more donations to carry on their courageous work. Thanks to a compliant corporate media that backs the SPLC’s every PR and fundraising effort, decrepit and dopey groups like the KKK are hyped up to appear dire and dreadful. The result is that your average muddlehead will panic at the spectre of racist organizations spreading like wildfire, and desperately grab for the checkbook.
And it’s worked — SPLC researcher Ken Silverstein has issued this update on the SPLC’s finances since his last exposé: "In five years, the SPLC’s treasury had grown by a further $48 million, bringing its total assets to $168 million."
That’s why the SPLC tosses more “racism” charges than the Three Stooges threw pies. It pays. Here’s just one example of how careless and unfounded their condemnations are: the American Enterprise Institute, which featured President George W. Bush as its key speaker a few years back, was slammed by the SPLC as one of a “growing” number of think tanks allegedly mainstreaming ideas that are “racist, bigoted, unfair, or just plain mean-spirited.”
Wouldn’t you think the corporate media would’ve learned its lesson by now? They should’ve.
But the real kicker here is the blatant hypocrisy of this organization of self-righteous crusaders. The article ends with a definition of a hate group:
The Southern Poverty Law Center says the number of hate groups in the United States jumped by more than 200 in just seven years.
According to the center, some of the groups also target religious beliefs, sexual preference and political views.
How did the Center decide which groups made the list?
It’s
All have beliefs or practices that target an entire class of people.
Oh — so denouncing an entire class for its alleged sins makes you a hate group? Then how do you explain this sweeping generalization from the SPLC web site?
“As a white Southerner for eight generations, my heritage is the Confederate past,” says Yale history professor Glenda Gilmore. “My ancestors fought for the Confederacy and owned slaves. But I know that my heritage is based on hate, on the hatred that grew from owning other human beings and fighting one’s countrymen for the right to own those human beings.”
Apparently, the SPLC is so busy exposing the prejudices of others that they’ve blinded themselves to their own biases. And articles like this are part of the problem. For proof, check out how the piece ends:
To read the complete report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, and learn more about how the Center is teaching tolerance, click this link:
http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/intrep.jsp
To see a map of South Carolina and the number of hate groups listed compared to the rest of the country, click here.
For more on the League of the South’s statement on racism, click this link:
http://dixienet.org/New%20Site/statementonracism.shtml
Two links to the bullying SPLC, and one for the victimized League of the South. And of course, the writer tosses in one more cream puff to help the cause by reminding us that the SPLC’s purpose is "teaching tolerance."
Sure it is.
On The Web: http://www.dixienet.org/rebellion/2008/03/south-carolina-ranks-high-in-number-of.html
