Posted on 06/20/2018 2:28:26 AM PDT by Liz
No fewer than 60 organizations branded "hate groups" or otherwise attacked by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) are considering legal action against the left-wing smear factory, a Christian legal nonprofit leader confirmed to PJ Media on Tuesday. He suggested that the $3 million settlement and apology the SPLC gave to Maajid Nawaz and his Quilliam Foundation on Monday would encourage further legal action.
"We haven't filed anything against the SPLC, but I think a number of organizations have been considering filing lawsuits against the SPLC, because they have been doing to a lot of organizations exactly what they did to Maajid Nawaz that's part of the settlement," Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, told PJ Media on Tuesday.
Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit against the charity navigation organization GuideStar for defamation, after GuideStar adopted the SPLC's "hate group" list. That lawsuit is ongoing.
In 2016, the SPLC published its "Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists," listing Muslim reformer Maajid Nawaz, a practicing Muslim, as one such extremist. The left-wing group listed various reasons for including him, changing the reasons every so often, and even at one point mentioning that he had gone to a strip club for his bachelor party.
On Monday, SPLC President Richard Cohen extended his group's "sincerest apologies to Mr. Nawaz, Quilliam, and our readers for the error, and we wish Mr. Nawaz and Quilliam all the best." In settling the suit, the SPLC paid Nawaz's organization $3.375 million.
"This is a significant settlement," Staver told PJ Media. "3.375 million dollars, and it did not even go to litigation; it was a result of a demand letter."
Importantly, "the allegations that were at issue here were very similar to the allegations against the other groups," the Liberty Counsel chairman explained. "The SPLC promotes false propaganda, demonizes and labels groups they disagree with, and that labeling has economic as well as physical consequences." SPONSORED
The SPLC started as a group to oppose racist terrorism, and its first legal action targeted the Ku Klux Klan. In recent decades, the organization has begun marking mainstream organizations as "hate groups" on par with the KKK. Last year, 47 nonprofit leaders denounced the SPLC's "hate list" in an open letter to the media. The SPLC has admitted that its "hate group" list is based on "opinion." Staver insisted that the settlement with Nawaz "will encourage further legal action." He suggested that the settlement "helps our lawsuit against GuideStar" and may encourage organizations that were considering suing the SPLC to actually file the paperwork.
"There are probably about 60 organizations that we're talking to there's at least 60," Staver told PJ Media. He mentioned the group of 47 nonprofit leaders who denounced the SPLC last year, and said "that group has grown since then."
Furthermore, many of the "hate groups" attacked by the SPLC do not encourage hate or violence, but merely disagree with the left-wing organization's political views. Many like the Family Research Council (FRC), the Ruth Institute, and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) merely stand for marriage as between one man and one woman. The SPLC has twisted 30-year-old arguments to smear these groups, and in one egregious case the group actually quoted as hateful The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Other organizations attacked by the SPLC also told PJ Media they are "considering their options" regarding a lawsuit."Truthfully, I have not been following the activities of the SPLC too closely," Jennifer Roback Morse, founder and president of the Ruth Institute, an organization that lost its credit card processor, Vanco Payments, over the SPLC's "hate group" labeling last year, told PJ Media.
"Pursuing our mission is more important than attempting to take on the behemoth of the SPLC.""I must say, though, this apology to Mr. Nawaz has caused us to consider our options," Morse added, cryptically."We are reviewing all our legal options," J.P. Duffy, a spokesman for the Family Research Council, told PJ Media on Tuesday.
A spokesman for Prager University, another organization attacked by the SPLC, said that "at this point" the group had "no intention to sue," but they "reserve the right to change their mind as the situation evolves."
Jeremy Tedesco, Senior Counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), echoed this trend, saying his organization is "evaluating all our options," including a potential lawsuit."It's appalling and offensive for the Southern Poverty Law Center to compare peaceful organizations which condemn violence and racism with violent and racist groups just because it disagrees with their views," Tedesco told PJ Media. "That's what SPLC did in the case of Quilliam and its founder Maajid Nawaz, and that's what it has done with ADF and numerous other organizations and individuals."
"This situation confirms once again what commentators across the political spectrum have been saying for decades: SPLC has become a far-left organization that brands its political opponents as 'haters' and 'extremists' and has lost all credibility as a civil rights watchdog," the ADF senior counsel added. Tedesco defended the good name of Alliance Defending Freedom, which SPLC falsely maligns as a "hate group."
"With eight wins in the last seven years at the U.S. Supreme Court and hundreds of victories for free speech at America's public universities, ADF is one of the nation's most respected and successful legal advocates, working to preserve our fundamental freedoms of speech, religion, and conscience for people from all walks of life," he said.
I hope the groups defamed by SPLC sue the organization out of existence.
It’s long past time for the right to fight back, in all venues. The left has gotten away with bullying and destroying people for too long.
Thank you.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has almost $500 million in assets.
https://www.weeklystandard.com/jeryl-bier/endowment-of-southern-poverty-law-center-nears-500-million
Amen.
GREAT NEWS!!!!
Obama Declares War On Extremism Are You An Extremist / FR Posted 1/13/15 by seekandfind
A list of 72 types of Americans that are considered to be extremists or potential terrorists in official U.S. government documents. This list will really give you a good idea of what Barack Obama means when he uses the word extremist. Each of these 72 items is linked (at web site). As you can see, this list potentially includes most of the country
1. Those that talk about individual liberties
2. Those that advocate for states rights
3. Those that want to make the world a better place
4. The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule
5. Those that are interested in defeating the Communists
6. Those that believe that the interests of ones own nation are separate from the interests of other nations or the common interest of all nations
7. Anyone that holds a political ideology that considers the state to be unnecessary, harmful,or undesirable
8. Anyone that possesses an intolerance toward other religions
9. Those that take action to fight against the exploitation of the environment and/or animals
10. Anti-Gay
11. Anti-Immigrant
12. Anti-Muslim
13. The Patriot Movement
14. Opposition to equal rights for gays and lesbians
15. Members of the Family Research Council
16. Members of the American Family Association
17. Those that believe that Mexico, Canada and the United States are secretly planning to merge into a European Union-like entity that will be known as the North
American Union
18. Members of the American Border Patrol/American Patrol
19. Members of the Federation for American Immigration Reform
20. Members of the Tennessee Freedom Coalition
21. Members of the Christian Action Network
22. Anyone that is opposed to the New World Order
23. Anyone that is engaged in conspiracy theorizing
24. Anyone that is opposed to Agenda 21
25. Anyone that is concerned about FEMA camps
26. Anyone that fears impending gun control or weapons confiscations
27. The militia movement
28. The sovereign citizen movement
29. Those that dont think they should have to pay taxes
30. Anyone that complains about bias
31. Anyone that believes in government conspiracies to the point of paranoia
32. Anyone that is frustrated with mainstream ideologies
33. Anyone that visits extremist websites/blogs
34. Anyone that establishes website/blog to display extremist views
35. Anyone that attends rallies for extremist causes
36. Anyone that exhibits extreme religious intolerance
37. Anyone that is personally connected with a grievance
38. Anyone that suddenly acquires weapons
39. Anyone that organizes protests inspired by extremist ideology
40. Militia or unorganized militia
41. General right-wing extremist
42. Citizens that have bumper stickers that are patriotic or anti-U.N.
43. Those that refer to an Army of God
44. Those that are fiercely nationalistic (as opposed to universal and international in orientation)
45. Those that are anti-global
46. Those that are suspicious of centralized federal authority
47. Those that are reverent of individual liberty
48. Those that believe in conspiracy theories
49. Those that have a belief that ones personal and/or national way of life is under attack
50. Those that possess a belief in the need to be prepared for an attack either by participating in paramilitary preparations and training or survivalism
51. Those that would impose strict religious tenets or laws on society (fundamentalists)
52. Those that would insert religion into the political sphere
53. Anyone that would seek to politicize religion
54. Those that have supported political movements for autonomy
55. Anyone that is anti-abortion
56. Anyone that is anti-Catholic
57. Anyone that is anti-nuclear
58. Rightwing extremists
59. Returning veterans
60. Those concerned about illegal immigration
61. Those that believe in the right to bear arms
62. Anyone that is engaged in ammunition stockpiling
63. Anyone that exhibits fear of Communist regimes
64. Anti-abortion activists
65. Those that are against illegal immigration
66. Those that talk about the New World Order in a derogatory manner
67. Those that have a negative view of the United Nations
68. Those that are opposed to the collection of federal income taxes
69. Those that supported former presidential candidates Ron Paul, Chuck Baldwin and Bob Barr
70. Those that display the Gadsden Flag (Dont Tread On Me)
71. Those that believe in end times prophecies
72. Evangelical Christians
That is why alarm bells should go off whenever the aSPLC and other lefties speak of the need to crack down on extremism.
SOURCE: Southern Poverty Law Center Web Site https://www.splcenter.org/
SOURCE: Southern Poverty Law Center Web Site https://www.splcenter.org/
WHOSE HERITAGE?—A Report on Public Symbols of the Confederacy
LINK-—Read the report about the 1,728 monuments, place names and other symbols still in place honoring the Confederacy.
It’s time to lose the lost cause. We’re sending lawmakers letters requesting the removal of all Jefferson Davis symbols
LINK Sign the petition
Tips for educators Across the United States, there are statues and memorials that illustrate complex lessons of muddled history and regional pride.
LINK-—Read more from Teaching Tolerance
take them on. help dismantle one small plank of the Deep State, which has had a devastating effect on free speech.
SOURCE: Southern Poverty Law Center Web Site https://www.splcenter.org/
What is SPLCs hate map?
Each year since 1990, the SPLC has published an annual census of hate groups operating within the United States. The number is one barometer of the level of hate activity in the country.
How do I read the hate map?
The SPLC hate map depicts the approximate locations of hate group chapters. The location of a chapter in no way implies that local government officials or residents endorse the beliefs of the group. Quite often, they dont know it is there. This years hate map is also available in text format sorted by state and by ideology, and in CSV format. Data from previous years is available for download in Excel format.
What does statewide mean?
Some hate groups have chapters that meet in different cities across a state. And, in some cases, these groups have not designated a specific location as their headquarters. When this occurs, the SPLC lists the chapter as statewide and marks the location as the geographic center of the state.
What is a hate group?
The SPLC defines a hate group as an organization that based on its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.
What is a black nationalist group?
Black nationalist groups have always been a reaction to white racism. These groups are typified by their anti-Semitic, anti-LGBT, anti-white rhetoric and conspiracy theories. They should not be confused with mainstream black activist groups such as Black Lives Matter and others that work to eliminate systemic racism in American society and its institutions.
Liz, didn’t founder Morris Dees once own a$50,000,000. house along with a private jet? The interior shots of the mansion was opulent.
I hope they bankrupt that bunch of no goods. It would be great to see the SPLC lose their poverty palace they have there in Montgomery.
I wonder if the SPLC was actually created by one of the Federal alphabet agencies.
Yes, this speaks volumes to the way I view the US government.
Morris Dees co-founded the SPLC in 1971 following a successful business and law career. He started a direct mail sales company specializing in book publishing while still a student at the University of Alabama, where he also obtained a law degree.
After launching a law practice in Montgomery in 1960, he won a series of groundbreaking civil rights cases that helped integrate government and public institutions. He also served as finance director for former President Jimmy Carters campaign in 1976 and for Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern in 1972.
Known for his innovative lawsuits that crippled some of Americas most notorious white supremacist hate groups, he has received more than 20 honorary degrees and numerous awards. Those include Trial Lawyer of the Year from Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award from the National Education Association and The Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice.
He was named one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal in 2006. In addition, the University of Alabama Law School and the New York law firm Skadden, Arps jointly created the annual Morris Dees Justice Award to honor a lawyer devoted to public service work.
Dees has written three books: A Season For Justice, his autobiography; Hate on Trial: The Case Against Americas Most Dangerous Neo-Nazi; and Gathering Storm: Americas Militia Threat. In 1991, NBC aired a made-for-TV movie called Line of Fire about Dees and his landmark legal victories against the Ku Klux Klan.
Soros will keep them well funded but it would be cool to see more settlements.
Did FR make the list?
It would be a great source of funds for JR!
>>A list of 72 types of Americans that are considered to be extremists or potential terrorists in official U.S. government documents. This list will really give you a good idea of what Barack Obama means when he uses the word extremist. Each of these 72 items is linked (at web site). As you can see, this list potentially includes most of the country
...
2. Those that advocate for states rights
Unless it has to do with enabling illegal immigration. Then States’ Rights RULE, baby!
Poverty Palace in Montgomery
Deep pockets
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.