The Rise and Fall of Morris Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center
Clint Lacy July 7 2003
I applaud a recent letter written by Robert Lloyd that appeared in the Southern Heritage News and Views Newsletter. In it he was stating that as a Southerner he was not going to "jump through hoops" to prove he was not a racist. He made the very valid point that it wouldn't matter to the media how many hoops he jumped through anyway because they were operating under a set agenda.
The media these days is not interested in truth or history. They are only interested in propaganda and re-writing history. In my opinion they have catered to people and organizations such as Morris Dees and The Southern Poverty Law Center, who have portrayed heritage supporters as racist. And who have dubbed us as "Neo - Confederates".
Make no mistake about it; there is a reason they added the "Neo" in front of "Confederates". They want to portray supporters of Southern Heritage as "Neo- Nazis". Their word association game has had some level of success.
I can recall many times in which I found myself responding to opinion post in our regional paper which compared the Confederate battle flag to that of the Neo- Nazis swastika. Many people who are uneducated or misinformed about the reasons the South fought in the War Between the States take people like Morris Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center at their word when they make their accusations.
If you go to the Southern Poverty Law Center's website you will find that they claim to:
"Combat hate, intolerance and discrimination through education and litigation". If Mr. Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center promote tolerance how come they have showed so much intolerance toward supporters of Southern Heritage?
How come they make unfair comparisons between symbols of southern heritage and Nazi Germany? Which I find quite ironic. I find their comparisons ironic because they like the regime of Nazi Germany have resorted to propaganda, not truth to carry out their agenda.
Southerners should take comfort in knowing that Morris Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center are no longer content with attacking Southerners heritage and symbols. No, now they are attacking our religion, Christianity.
Again referring to the SPLC's website, "After hearing arguments in early June, a three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on July 1 unanimously upheld U.S. District Court Judge Myron Thompson's Nov. 18th order. The decision came in a lawsuit filed by the Center in cooperation with Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the American Civil Liberties Union."
The same statement found on the SPLC's website also states that the key player in this "litigation" was none other than Morris Dees.
"The law is clear, and the evidence in this case was overwhelming," said Center chief trial counsel Morris Dees, who headed the Center's legal team in the case. "Chief Justice Moore clearly crossed the constitutional line that separates church and state. By hauling the monument into the judicial building, he intended to impose his own brand of Christianity on the state. This he cannot do."
The case was an important one for the Center. "We believe that Chief Justice Moore's conduct threatens the very values of tolerance and justice that form the core of the Center's mission," Dees said.
The main argument used by Dees and company has been the issue of Separation of Church and State.
First of all when the founding fathers of this country used the term of Separation of Church and State they wanted to prevent the government from forcing one type of religion on the people of the country. The founders also formed a government that was highly decentralized one in which the individual states served as the agents for the people in regards to the federal government.
The current issue of the 10 commandments being displayed on government property in the state of Alabama is not a Separation of Church and State issue. It is an issue of state's rights. If there is a problem within the state of Alabama regarding the display the 10 commandments, then the issue should be settled within the state. Not dictated by the federal government to the state.
If liberals like Morris Dees get their way, then the issue of Separation of Church and State will be handled in much the same way as communist China handles the issue. There will be no religion and everyone will worship the state.
Their idea of equality is income redistribution.
Their idea of opportunity is handouts.
The founders of this country wanted to form a government that was very decentralized. They were wise enough to know that government was not the answer. They were however; wise enough to know that freedom was the answer. They did not believe in hand outs or wealth redistribution. They believed in protecting states rights and rights of the individuals. They knew that this was the best way to give everyone, who wanted to succeed in life, the opportunity to do so, on their own merits.
On my way to work yesterday I was listening to the host of a local talk radio program blast the Southern Poverty Law Center for trying to impose the minority view of an issue on the majority.
You may ask yourself what good could come of all this? It's quite simple. Morris Dees and his organization have now stepped over the line in not only the Southern Community, but the entire Christian community as well. In doing this, he and his organization have discredited themselves to a large part of the population who used to find the Southern Poverty Law Center credible. |
