Anti-immigration activist helped Lino Lakes pass English-only ordinance

There is no legal definition of “hate group,” which is why even the FBI does not track “hate groups”.

“Hate group” is nothing more than a meaningless smear that the SPLC uses in its fund-raising propaganda to denigrate its perceived opponents without actually accusing them of any crimes. It’s a simple advertising ploy. http://wp.me/pCLYZ-K

Professional journalists and legitimate news organizations should not use the spurious and deliberately misleading term “hate group.”

The Better Business Bureau recently renewed its accreditation for Numbers USA and FAIR, which both met all 20 of the BBB’s “Standards for Charity Accountability,” whereas the SPLC has not done so for years, due to “…a lack of commitment to transparency.” (http://www.bbb.org/)

If the Minnesota Independent is serious about investigating “English Only” organizations, they ought to start with the experts at the SPLC, where NOT ONE of their top ten, highest paid executives is a minority, much less an immigrant. http://wp.me/pCLYZ-3r

The last “Whites only” sign in Montgomery hangs in the boardroom of the SPLC. Some “experts.”

I don’t know about this guy Richard Keefe in Virginia.

“A hate group is an organized group or movement that advocates hate, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or other designated sector of society.”

If he has an issue with the term “hate group,” it would follow that he would also rail against the Anti-Defamation League which like SPLC maintains a list of hate groups. He would also work to expose the anti-gay organizations who smear those who are LGBT and their allies as part of their cynical fundraising efforts to lavishly pay their executives among other things.

One also can take a look at the current SPLC leadership at http://www.splcenter.org/who-we-are/leadership. Not exactly as vanilla as Richard seems to indicate.

Bah on Richard.

Bah also on those in the Lino Lakes area who don’t like hearing or seeing languages other than English. Language acquisition skills are the greatest in children between ages 2 thru 6; parents in multi-lingual households should encourage their children to also become multi-lingual both inside and outside the home. Fluency in different languages is a huge advantage for those seeking jobs in today’s global economy.

The Deaf will continue to use ASL which has its own distinct grammar; I won’t be surprised if the City of Lino Lakes faces – and loses – a lawsuit brought upon by its refusal to provide a certified sign language interpeter upon request with the city employee citing this new ordinance. There’s also the matter of those who request city information in Braille.

“Fluency in different languages is a huge advantage for those seeking jobs in today’s global economy.”

Our national security even depends on many of us citizens being fluent in multiple languages. For instance, DADT routinely discharges foreign language specialists who are gay despite the severe shortage of qualified candidates. Where would we be if it weren’t for the Navajo Code Talkers in the Pacific Theater during World War II?

Wow, non-English speaking people in a restaurant. Isn’t eating while foreign a crime? A misdemeanor surely.

I’m with Eric. What do you care what people speak while they eat? Pff. Don’t like it? Don’t listen. Mind your own business, and enjoy your meal.

Lane,

That is a wonderful definition of “hate group.” Thank you for posting it.

I have just one question, however: Whose definition is it? The federal government’s? Your state government’s? Maybe your local city/town/village government’s?

Or is it just another arbitrary definition from a non-legal entity?

If I accuse Lane of being a car thief, I have to prove he stole a car. If I accuse Lane of burglary, I have to prove he entered a building without permission and removed an item without permission. If I accuse Lane of bigamy, I have to prove he was married to two people at the same time. Do you see a pattern here?

If the SPLC accuses Lane of belonging to a “hate group,” they don’t have to prove a thing.

Since there is no legal definition of “hate,” how can you charge someone with “advocating hate”? Arbitrarily, of course, and that’s exactly what the SPLC does to the tune of $31 MILLION donor dollars last year.

Don’t you get it? I have no idea if you are pro or anti abortion, but it doesn’t matter. Half the population will accuse you of “advocating hate” no matter which position you take, regardless of how legal it is to hold either position.

You may be smug and comfortable as long as the SPLC arbitrarily attacks groups with whom you disagree politically, but Lane, what happens when they go after YOUR group?

There’s nothing stopping them from deeming you part of a “hate group” tomorrow. THAT doesn’t bother you?

You accuse me of supporting “anti-gay” activists while defending the SPLC, well here are a few facts for you, Lane.

The Boy Scouts of America will not hire gays to be scout leaders “because they are too immoral.” Look up the BSA on the SPLC website and tell us what you find.

I’ll tell you… NOTHING. Despite this most blatant anti-gay attack from any group accepting federal funding, you won’t find word one about the BSA on the SPLC website because many of their mostly elderly donors were Scouts and calling your donor base “haters” is bad for business.

“Fighting hate” is all well and good until it cuts into the bottom line. http://wp.me/pCLYZ-1c

And Lane, in December 2009, two Ecuadorian immigrants, brothers, Romel and Jose Suchuzhanay, of Brooklyn, NY, were walking home from a bar late one night. It was a cold night and the brothers were quite drunk, so they walked home arm in arm to keep warm and to keep from falling over.

People in a passing car saw the Suchuzhanay brothers, realized they were Hispanic and mistakenly believed they were gay. The car stopped, several thugs got out and proceeded to beat Jose Suchuzhanay with a baseball bat.

You won’t find anything about this two-fer Hispanic/Gay attack on the SPLC website for the simple reason that the thugs who murdered Jose Suchuzhanay were black, and the SPLC does not report on non-white perps. http://wp.me/pCLYZ-2O

THESE are your heroes? Ask the Suchuzhanay family what they think of the SPLC.

And finally, Lane, the link you posted shows five very White SPLC millionaires and Lecia Brooks. A quick look at pages 7-8 of the SPLC’s IRS Form 990, their tax return, so to speak, shows that Ms. Brooks is not among the ten top paid SPLC executives.
http://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/downloads/resource/SPLC_990_2008.pdf

The lowest paid person on the list makes $73,400, so it is safe to assume that Ms. Brooks makes less than that. (The highest paid millionaires split the first million donor-dollars between them each year.)

Lane, I gave you the link to their Form 990, Google the names, like I did, and show us all a picture of any one of the top ten execs who is a minority. Just one. How hard can that be to do?

Here’s the photos I came up with. http://wp.me/pCLYZ-3r

I’ve cited all of my sources, Lane. Maybe you can get around to doing the same.

“I’m tired of going to restaurants and hearing all the new families not speaking English. They speak whatever the native tongue is to their kids, and there doesn’t seem to be any teaching the young kids in their families English!”

To criticize strangers this way and make assumptions and aspersions without knowing any facts is an exercise in intolerance born of xenophobia.

I would like to see how long it would take the resolution supporters to learn a working knowledge of a foreign language, then teach it to their kids, read a menu or election ballot, understand a contract or a written law, … you get the point.

Now try doing it while immersed in a hostile environment that actively deters assimilation.

This resolution is a self-defeating display of prejudice. Just what I would expect from Bachmann’s district.

Richard, thank you for proving my point about your being so obsessed with SPLC to the point that the world according to you is through the SPLC lens and nothing else.

As Richard pointed out, there is no legal definition for “hate group.” Consequently, any listing of a group as a hate group will always be controversial.

As part of its judgement call to list a group as a hate group or not, SPLC relies on investigations.

There is an embedded link in the article to the SPLC investigative report on John Tanton’s Federation for American Immigration Reform: http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2007/winter/the-teflon-nativists.

I would be far more interested if Richard’s focus is coming up with a legal definition for “hate group.” Otherwise attacking SPLC because he doesn’t agree with its politics isn’t of much interest to me especially given that I am not a stranger to ongoing hatred and discrimination as a man who is both Deaf and gay.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if in the quest for that legal definition, Richard ends up relying in part on the legal expertise that can be found at SPLC?

“As Richard pointed out, there is no legal definition for “hate group.” Consequently, any listing of a group as a hate group will always be controversial.”

Lane, you and I are in complete agreement on this statement. In fact, you’ve touched on the heart of the whole reason why I even bother to comment on these things.

“Hate group” will always be controversial until there is one, single legal definition. Otherwise, it is completely subjective and meaningless, which is precisely why the media should not use it. And THAT is the whole point of the exercise as far as I’m concerned.

The SPLC is a private fund-raising group with no more authority to designate “hate groups” than does the SPCA.

It’s nothing more than a public relations ploy the SPLC uses to frighten its donors.

Does anyone believe that the Oscar for Best Picture always goes to THE best picture? No. The Oscars, the Emmies, Miss America, these are nothing more than publicity stunts, and are no different than the SPLC’s “hate group” ploy.

Ask ten people to pick the Best Picture and they’ll pick one title. Ask ten other people and you’ll get another title. Ask ten people to name a “hate group” and you’ll get ten answers. It’s all subjective.

The SPLC would lump anyone who believes in immigration reform into a “hate group,” and that would include a lot of readers of this paper. Having a difference of opinion on a political or legal issue is not “hate,” no matter how much the SPLC wants it to be.

As for the SPLC’s research methods, they’re not as rigorous as you might believe.

On July 6, 2009, SPLC public relations guru, Mark Potok admits to Postcrescent.com that his “Intelligence Report,” the keystone to all SPLC claims and fund raising, “…relies on media, citizen and law enforcement reports, and does not include original reporting by SPLC staff.”

In April, 2009, Mr. Potok told SanLuisObispo.com that “…inclusion on the ["hate group"] list might come from a minor presence, such as a post office box.” http://wp.me/pCLYZ-K

Mr. Potok, who has no legal or law enforcement background, is paid $146,000 donor-dollars a year to run a glorified news clipping service. His “reports” are publicity stunts designed to garner donations. http://wp.me/pCLYZ-C

Like porn, hate groups/hate crimes is but another example of “I know it when I see it.”

I wouldn’t discount credible media, citizen and law enforcement reports nor would I minimize how hurtful, intolerant words either spoken or printed – even if couched as a political or legal opinion – can lead to harm to the targeted populations. Hurtful words and actions must be exposed and dealt with somehow – which is what SPLC tries to do.

Again, the fact that Richard seems to focus exclusively on SPLC instead of all such groups that maintain lists of hate groups gives me pause. I’d rather listen to a professional with an extensive background in the psychology of discrimination, intolerance and hatred critique SPLC and other such groups on their own merits.

Do try to have a nice day, Richard.

That the SPLC is a financial scam organization which practices racial tokenism is obvious and should be even if you are not a racial minority member like I am.

I did notice the appearance of racial tokenism there; however, I would need to know much more than what the leadership page or the 2008 Form 990 say to properly assess this.

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