Mainstream Media: The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Partner in Slime

Stooping to a new low, even by Southern Poverty Law Center’s standards, the SPLC recently smeared well-regarded family-values organizations as ‘hate groups’ for championing faith-based moral views, including opposition to gay marriage and support for the military’s DADT policy.

The Family Research Council (FRC) was among the insulted parties and decided to fight back, using the modern tools of intellectual warfare.

On December 15th the organization launched StartDebatingStopHating.com, a website and newspaper ad (the latter appearing in Politico and the Washington Examiner) that denounced the speech-chilling “character assassination” tactics of the SPLC, while supporting the “vigorous” and “responsible” exercise of free speech. Those who sign an online petition show their solidarity with the FRC, American Family Association, Concerned Women for America, and others who are protecting the traditional family. Many heavy hitters signed the full-page ad including Michele Bachmann, Jim DeMint, Tim Pawlenty, Phyllis Schlafly, Frank Gaffney, Alveda King, and David Limbaugh.

{snip} But in recent years the SPLC has become known for its aggressive campaign of slamming mainstream conservatives and independent thinkers by likening their views to, say, those of the National Knights of the KKK. In addition to the FRC, the SPLC has slimed Iowa Congressman Steve King, Indian-born writer Dinesh D’Souza, African-American law professor Carol Swain, and prominent immigration enforcement leaders and writers, to name a few. Even the films “Gods and Generals” and “The Lord of the Rings” are suspect. {snip}

If that isn’t ridiculous enough, consider that Richard Cohen, SPLC president even wrote a letter to CNN’s president, last year, asking that newscaster Lou Dobbs be ‘removed’ from the airwaves, because Dobbs was promoting “racist conspiracy theories” (i.e. daring to have an open discussion about President Obama’s citizenship bonafides).

{snip} The SPLC also opposes the Arizona immigration law and can’t be bothered to stick up for Americans who have been victimized by the heinous actions of repeat offender criminal illegal aliens or transnational gangbangers.

Then there’s the money. With its net assets of nearly $200 million, Harper’s has colorfully described the organization as having more wealth than the “annual GDP of the Marshall Islands.” {snip}

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