[GOPJ]

The SPLC was founded in 1971 - after all the milestones of the Civil Rights movement were historical facts. They were basically a liberal think tank in the beginning. They didn't file their first anti-Klan lawsuit until 1979 when Dees and Levin realized how much money there was to be made in tort law.

I assumed they had been active when "active" was dangerous - that usually elicits some respect on my part - but '71? That's a joke. Thanks for clearing this up. (In the 60's Bond did his part - I'll give him that...)

[wideawake]

According to their most recent financial report, they have $189 million in funds, raised $31 million in 2009 and spent approximately $4 million on "management".

They have 18 full-time employees. That works out to $205,000 per employee - but only five or six are lawyers, and non-profit lawyers in the rural South probably do not get paid more than $60-70K. Likely less.

I'm guessing the whole payroll - not including Dees and one or two top-ranked buddies - is significantly less than $1 million.

That leaves upward of $3 million, the lion's share of which likely goes to Dees.

And I highly doubt that his meals, his travels, his car, his medical expenses or pretty much anything else is not expensed to the SPLC.

He is living the high life, funded by donations - and a large chunk of those donations probably come from poor, working class churchgoing African-American ladies from the deep South who respond generously to his inflammatory mailers.