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Arthur,
Mark Potok is a former senior fellow at the SPLC and served as the editor-in-chief of SPLC’s biannual publication, Intelligence Report, and its regular investigative reports.
At the 2007 Michigan Alliance Against Hate Crimes Conference, Potok bragged about the SPLC “hate list,” declaring, “We really try and tackle these groups. Let me say that our aim, and sometimes the press describes us as monitoring hate groups, so I want to say plainly that our aim in life is to destroy these groups, to completely destroy them.”
The fact is, Potok and the SPLC’s hateful rhetoric stir up individuals to harm law-abiding people, as did Floyd Corkins, who wanted to commit mass murder.
STOP the SPLC’s dangerous “hate list” LIES. Support our legal fund today!
On August 15, 2012, a heavily armed Floyd Corkins barged into the headquarters of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. In addition to guns and ammo, Corkins carried with him a bag of Chick-fil-A sandwiches, intending to stuff them in the mouths of the FRC employees he planned to kill that day. Praise God, a brave security guard stopped Corkins’ rampage, but took a bullet in the process.
Corkins later confessed to the FBI that his murderous plan was motivated by the so-called “Hate Map” on the SPLC website that listed FRC as a “hate group.” In 2013, Corkins was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
On June 14, 2017, James Hodgkinson took aim at the Republicans practicing for the annual congressional baseball game. Hodgkinson had traveled from his suburban Illinois home weeks before, living in his van while prowling Washington, D.C., to “case out” the best scenario in which to kill as many Republican officeholders as possible.
On the day of the shooting, Hodgkinson shot more than 70 rounds, putting a congressional staffer, a Republican lobbyist, a Capitol Police officer, and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) in critical condition. Again, praise God, none died from Hodgkinson’s rampage … but it was a close call for each of the above who spent weeks, and in some cases, months, to recover. To this day, Rep. Scalise walks with a pronounced limp due to his injuries.
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Police officers shot and killed Hodgkinson at the scene. Handwritten notes found in Hodgkinson’s pockets revealed the deranged man had a long list of Republicans he planned to kill that day, including Representatives Scalise, Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Trent Franks (R-AZ), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Mo Brooks (R-AL) — ALL of whom had previously been vilified.
However, the SPLC has never been held accountable for the false “hate” label that fueled James Hodgkinson’s and Floyd Corkins’ mass murder attempts. Liberty Counsel aims to change that.
Liberty Counsel is suing the SPLC.
Liberty Counsel has joined the legal team representing The Dustin Inman Society (DIS) and its founder and president, D.A. King, which the SPLC has falsely painted as an “anti-immigrant” hate group.
DIS was formed in 2000, after an illegal immigrant’s recklessly driven vehicle hit and killed 16-year-old Dustin Inman and paralyzed his mother. The organization was founded to “end illegal immigration, illegal employment, and the illegal administration and granting of Public Benefits and services through the equal application of existing laws” in the state of Georgia.
The SPLC designated the DIS as an “anti-immigrant hate group” in its annual Intelligence Report published in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, and classified it as a “hate group” in its annual Intelligence Report and Hate Maps published in 2019, 2020, and 2021. The SPLC also stated that D.A. King “focuses on vilifying all immigrants.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
The SPLC’s stated motivation is to “destroy” groups with which it disagrees, and it accomplishes this objective by falsely labeling nonviolent organizations as “hate groups.” But as can be witnessed by the victims of the FRC and congressional Republican baseball team, the SPLC hate list has only served to destroy innocent lives.
To falsely label nonviolent people or organizations with whom you disagree as “haters” or “hate groups” is irresponsible, dangerous, and deadly. The SPLC’s lies and disparagement must end. It is time to STOP the SPLC lies.
We seek justice and we continue to fight in courtrooms across the country and at the U.S. Supreme Court for the right to life, religious liberty, and the natural family. We won all four of the cases we argued or briefed before the High Court in 2022, and two cases before the High Court this year … and we aren’t done winning yet!
Your generous donation today, which will be DOUBLED IN IMPACT by a special Challenge Grant, will help us continue making a positive difference in our nation’s legal and public policy arenas. Please, give generously today!
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Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel
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Sources:
Bedard, Paul. “Support for Southern Poverty Law Center Links Scalise, Family Research Council Shooters.” Washington Examiner, June 14, 2017. Washingtonexaminer.com/support-for-southern-poverty-law-center-links-scalise-family-research-council-shooters.
“Liberty Counsel Represents Immigration Policy Group against SPLC.” Liberty Counsel, July 10, 2023. Lc.org/newsroom/details/071023-liberty-counsel-represents-immigration-policy-group-against-splc.
“Mission Statement.” New Dustin Inman Society. Accessed July 10, 2023. Newdustininmansociety.org/mission-statement/.
“SPLC.” Southern Poverty Law Center. Accessed July 18, 2023. Splcenter.org/.
“SPLC’s “Hate List” Label Will Face Legal Scrutiny.” Liberty Counsel, July 18, 2023. Lc.org/newsroom/details/071823-splcs-hate-list-label-will-face-legal-scrutiny.
“The Congressional Shooter: A Behavioral Review of James Hodgkinson.” Department of Homeland Security. United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, October 2, 2017. Secretservice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/2020-06/Hodgkinson.pdf.
“Who Was Dustin Inman?” New Dustin Inman Society. Accessed July 10, 2023. Newdustininmansociety.org/who-was-dustin-inman/.
Liberty Counsel is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
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