MassResistance declared "hate group" by extremist pro-homosexual "Southern Poverty Law Center"

Several other pro-family groups around the country also named

March 2, 2009

It's a common theme of the left, going back to the Saul Alinsky tactics in the 1930s, to demonize your enemies if they become effective. This was adopted by the homosexual movement. In their classic manifesto After the Ball, Marshall Kirk & Hunter Masden advised activists to compare people with traditional values to the Ku Klux Klan (which lynched blacks).

For the second year in a row, the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has declared MassResistance, along with other pro-family / Christian / traditional values groups around the country, as "hate groups". In most cases, the "crime" is publicly disagreeing with the homosexual agenda. There are no specific reasons given, besides a general label.

Other groups include the Illinois Family Institute (IFI), Traditional Values Coalition (TVC), Scott Lively's Abiding Truth Ministries, the Family Research Institute, and the Chalcedon Foundation. Along with MassResistance, SPLC's reason for declaring them hate groups is that they're "Anti-Gay".

(Actually, SPLC is angry because they're effective. MassResistance, IFI, Traditional Values Coalition, and the Chalcedon Foundation expose the homosexual agenda to a national audience. Family Research Institute does studies on the dangers of homosexual behavior. SPLC particularly despises Scott Lively's book, The Pink Swastika, which documents homosexuality in Nazi Germany.)

A number of other Christian ministries are listed, labeled as "General Hate". Several Catholic groups are labeled "Radical Traditionalist Catholic" and thus declared hate groups.

SPLC is also big in promoting and defending illegal immigration -- and attacking groups opposed to it. Thus, illegal immigrant watchdog groups across the country are listed, labeled as "Anti-Immigrant."

Young Americans for Freedom at Michigan State University is listed under "General Hate", apparently because they hosted Rep.Tom Tancredo for a speech on illegal immigration. But as reported on The O'Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes, it was the fascist left that disrupted the event and assaulted participants. But none of the attacking groups apparently qualifies as a "hate group".

Classic propaganda technique - guilt by (perceived) association

The SPLC website gives a very slick presentation that an unsophisticated person would easily fall for. It starts by talking about tolerance, and how "hate" is infecting America.

Then SPLC lists, state by state, hundreds of hate groups. Ku Klux Klan groups, White Supremist groups, etc. It's scary to see. And right among those, SPLC lists MassResistance, Abiding Truth Ministries, and others. It makes it look like we're just like those groups. It's very effective. Classic Saul Alinsky.

But look closely. In Massachusetts SPLC lists 11 other "hate groups" besides MassResistance and CCFILE. Most of those groups have frightening names, including "Neo-Nazi", "Ku Klux Klan", "General Hate" types. But we've never heard of any of them (except the Nation of Islam, which hasn't been in the news for years). For example, have you ever heard of North East White Pride, or United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan? Neither have we. They seem to have web sites, but beyond that do they exist at all? Have they ever done anything?

And it's the same in other states. They list 84 groups in California. Nobody there has ever heard of most of them. But they sure have pretty scary names. Something's fishy.

That's SPLC's tactic: List pro-family groups among dozens of Nazi-sounding groups to give the appearance of "guilt by association."

Another thing that gives it away is SPLC's list of actual "hate incidents" across the country. The list isn't very long, and most of the incidents they list are of the "teenagers writing graffiti" or "flyers passed out" type of thing. Probably just lifted from newspaper reports.

Publicity campaign to demonize pro-family groups

To underscore their true intent -- demonizing pro-family groups -- SPLC sent press releases of their "findings" to newspapers around the country to make sure that their (pro-family) groups got exposure in the press as "hate groups". MassResistance and the Rizoli brothers got a call from the MetroWest Daily News. Scott Lively got a call from a local paper in California, where Abiding Truth Ministries is located.

Here's the article that appeared in MetroWest Daily News about MassResistance and CCFILE. Note that only 2 of the groups listed in Massachusetts were actually discussed in the article. We suspect that's because the other 11 probably don't exist.

Phony definition of "hate group"

What constitutes a "hate group"?  We couldn't find it on the SPLC website. But in the MetroWest Daily News article referenced above, the SPLC spokesman told the reporter:

[A] hate group is one that "in its platforms or statements says that a whole other group of people is less by virtue . . . These are people who attack other groups of people based on their group characteristics." 

But that's a rather exotic definition of "hate", certainly not found in any dictionary. This absurd use of the word "hate" makes the word essentially meaningless.

Suppose Republicans say that Democrats are "less by virtue" because of their liberal characteristics.  Or smoking advocates who demean smokers. Or alcohol safety groups that demean drunk drivers. Does that make them "hate" groups? Don't people have the right to demean others who do bad or destructive things?

As we're quoted in the article, "We demean people that do bad things or destructive things. We're a pro-family group and we expose things that the gay movement does."  The SPLC is simply inventing a reason to intimidate their political opposition. This is a cheap and convenient smear tactic by the SPLC.

No specific reasons given - just general labels

Interestingly, they do not list any specific things that we (or anybody else) did that's "hateful".  SPLC just gives general labels such as "Anti-Gay", "General Hate",  "Anti-Immigrant", "Radical Traditionalist Catholic", or "Neo-Nazi". But what did any of these groups actually do?  If SPLC is going to make these charges -- and sends out press releases to newspapers about them -- shouldn't these charges be backed up with facts? And shouldn't these groups be given a chance to defend themselves?  MassResistance is certainly willing to publicly defend everything we do or say.

Why are there no left-wing or homosexual hate groups listed?

As usual, it's all hypocrisy. Remember the hideous, disgusting attacks on churches (especially Mormon churches) by homosexual groups after the Proposition 8 election, in California and around the country? See links here. They were well organized and truly hateful. Why aren't any of those homosexual groups on the list?

What about the other attacks on churches in Massachusetts we've documented over the last few years by homosexual groups? See links here. What about the horrible anti-Catholic venom that regularly appears in homosexual newspapers like Bay Windows? Does that count?

And we could certainly go through the hundreds of extremely hateful homosexual websites on the net and count up far more "hate groups" than SPLC lists.

SPLC very condecending and arrogant when challenged

We posed these questions to Mark Potok, SPLC's official "Minister of Hate," in a lengthy telephone conversation and subsequent email last year. He declined to give a reason. Like most leftist radicals, he seems to be driven by anger and arrogantly stands by his actions.

This "hate group" stunt is simply meant intimidate and silence their opposition. And there's something un-American about that kind of tactic. Clearly, groups like SPLC consider the truth to be their biggest enemy. But it won't work with us.

SPLC is training police forces!

One more thing. A particularly frightening outrage is that the SPLC uses their "tolerance" subterfuge to conduct training of a number of law enforcement agencies, according to their web site. This needs to be investigated, exposed, and stopped.