By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--October 19, 2015
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"Homegrown violent extremists can be motivated by any viewpoint on the full spectrum of hate — anti-government views, racism, bigotry, anarchy, and other despicable beliefs," Carlin said in his speech at George Washington University in a discussion co-hosted by the SPLC. "When it comes to hate and intolerance, no single ideology governs." “Carlin was asked about the value of the SPLC’s work in helping the DOJ deal with the threat of domestic terrorist extremism. “I can say based on our briefings that, as I said in my opening remarks, we very much think that the domestic terrorism threat is a real and present threat that demands to be addressed in new, creative ways,” he said, emphasizing that “Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups in this space are very important.” “The SPLC’s website features a “hate map” that lists the Christian and conservative Family Research Council (FRC) as a “hate group” because of its defense of traditional marriage. “The SPLC’s “hate map” was cited by convicted domestic terrorist Floyd Lee Corkins in his decision to attack the FRC in 2012 when he shot and wounded a security guard before being subdued. “We recognize that, over the past few years, more people have died in this country in attacks by domestic extremists than in attacks associated with international terrorist groups,” Carlin said in his remarks. “SPLC’s Intelligence Project Director, Heidi Beirich, participated with Carlin in GW’s discussion of domestic terrorism. “CNSNews.com asked Beirich about their designation of the Family Research Council as a hate group. “I think there’s a common misunderstanding about the way you get on our Hate List. We post groups on the basis of ideology, not whether they’re violent or not,” she replied. “Of course, some of the groups are particularly violent, the Skinheads, Neo-Nazis, and what not,” she continued. “Others are simply pushing propaganda that we consider hateful. For example, there’s an organization called American Renaissance, it puts out reams and reams of information about why black people are inferior. It lies, basically, so black people are dumber, they’re psychopathic, they’re more violent.” “In the same way groups like the Family Research Council and the American Family Association do that but what they’re putting out is anti-gay material, so gay people are pedophiles, or molesters, or whatever the case may be, and that’s why they’re on the list and that’s the direct analogy,” she said. “Look, our list is, we’re a nonprofit, we put out a list every year, we have relationships with people in federal law enforcement but we’re a completely separate entity and we put our material out to the entire public, right?” Beirich replied when CNSNews.com asked how these listings might affect SPLC aiding in domestic terrorism investigations. “So it’s there to be seen,” she said. “So it’s not like we’re somehow, the Southern Poverty Law Center’s controlling domestic terrorism investigations. It’s clearly not the case. It’s public information, it’s our opinion that it’s hateful, and that’s basically it.” “During his interrogation by FBI officials, domestic terrorist Floyd Lee Corkins said he learned about the Family Research Council (FRC) being a supposedly “anti-gay” site by looking at the SPLC’s web site. When Corkins was arrested, there were 50 rounds of ammunition in his backpack and 15 Chik-fil-a sandwiches. “Corkins had planned to kill as many people as he could at the FRC and smear Chik-fil-a sandwichs in the faces of the victims. “In the court’s “Statement of Offense” outlining Corkins’ crimes, it states, “He committed the shooting for political reasons. He had identified the FRC as an anti-gay organization on the Southern Poverty Law Center Website.”Here’s listing dissident citizens David Cameron style: “David Cameron today unveils a £5 million drive to help root out the ‘poison’ of extremist ideology in British communities. (Daily Mail, Oct. 18, 2015)
“On the eve of the launch of the Government’s long-awaited counter-extremism strategy – billed as a plan to create a ‘national coalition’ against radicalisation – the Prime Minister said the money for local campaigns and charities would help prevent the ‘seed of hatred being planted in people’s minds’. “The strategy is expected to include closer working between internet firms and police to remove online propaganda, employing systems used to combat child abuse images. “There is also set to be a crackdown on extremism in prisons and universities, as well as incentives for schools to ensure pupils are better integrated. “Mr Cameron, who used his Tory conference speech this month to deliver a blistering attack on ‘passive tolerance’ of extremism, said: ‘We need to systematically confront and challenge extremism and the ideologies that underpin it, exposing the lies and the destructive consequences it leaves in its wake. We have to stop it at the start – stop this seed of hatred even being planted in people’s minds and cut off the oxygen it needs to grow.’ “Mr Cameron said his new strategy would show that the Government had a comprehensive approach to ‘tackle this poison’. “Downing Street said the £5 million would be used this year to ‘build a national network of grassroots organisations’.”
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