Conservatives fight back against Southern Poverty Law Center’s arbitrary ‘hate group’ label

[TomSea]

Conservatives fight back against Southern Poverty Law Center’s arbitrary ‘hate group’ label

By Valerie Richardson - The Washington Times - Thursday, June 29, 2017

As far as conservative organizations are concerned, being labeled a “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center isn’t just annoying — it’s dangerous.

Gunmen have twice targeted conservatives specifically cited by the SPLC for hate: Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, who was shot June 14 by a fan of the SPLC Facebook page, and the Family Research Council, whose security guard was wounded in 2012 by a man who said he found the FRC on the SPLC’s list of “anti-gay groups.”

So when GuideStar USA, a self-described “neutral” database of nonprofits, decided this year to slap the SPLC’s “hate group” tag on 46 groups, including the FRC, conservatives declared enough.

“Southern Poverty Law is an arm of the left,” said Jerry Boykin, FRC executive vice president, who joined 40 other conservative leaders in a June 21 letter to GuideStar. “To use their data is just incredible, particularly when the results can be exactly what we experienced at Family Research Council when we had a shooter.”

After initially standing by the SPLC tags, GuideStar CEO Jacob Harold agreed Tuesday to remove the designations, citing a commitment to objectivity as well as “concerns for our staff’s well-being.”

Continued: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jun/29/guidestar-removes-hate-group-tags-on-nonprofits/

[Smokin Joe]

The SPLC is a hate group. Unfortunately, for a very long time they have had the ear of Federal Agencies who investigate "hate groups" and "Radicals" and what might be described as potential "domestic terrorists". While there are a few lefties in that bunch, the overwhelming bias is against right winged groups, and unfortunately just to the right of center is lumped in with the likes of Stormfront and the KKK.

“We’re aware that the SPLC was among hundreds of groups that the man identified as the shooter ‘liked’ on Facebook,” Mr. Cohen said in his June 14 statement. “I want to be as clear as I can possibly be: The SPLC condemns all forms of violence.”

Mr. Harold described GuideStar as nonpartisan, but critics have questioned his political leanings. He was previously affiliated with the Rainforest Action Network and Greenpeace USA, and donated to President Obama’s campaign in 2011 before starting at GuideStar in 2012.

Mr. Harold posted a photo of himself on Twitter at the Jan. 21 Women’s March holding a sign that said, “It turns out that facts matter.”

“Which is perfectly OK as long as you don’t portray your organization as a neutral organization,” Mr. Boykin said, “and that’s what he’s trying to do.”