There's a reason these folks have all been designated hate groups. It's because of their willingness to defame at the drop of a hat. Using lies as a matter of policy. And, sadly, they're very good at it.
And now the Traditional Values Coalition, a group even nuttier than the Family Research Council, is not only claiming that the guy who got arrested at the Family Research Council was coming for them next, but TVC is now claiming - falsely (as if I had to tell you that) - that the Southern Poverty Law Center threatened them with violence.
Then they go and quote something the SPLC said that doesn't even vaguely mention any violence happening to TVC at all. Zero. It's really quite appalling. And typical. From a group that specializes in defamation. I'm going to quote TVC's fundraising email at length. Keep in mind as you read it that for the first time in memory, rather than an anti-gay harming someone gay, for the first time I can think of, someone "maybe gay" tried to harm some folks on the right.
One time. A guy with a gun made a seemingly half-assed effort to do something at the FRC, and the TVC is now talking about how we simply must help them take the country back from left-wing violence.
Yes, the epidemic of left-wing violence involves one single incident of some guy who we have no idea what his politics are, or orientation for that matter, or religion, shooting a security guard in the arm. That's it. A terrible thing being shot in the arm. But hardly an epidemic of left wing violence. Need any more explanation as to why these groups are labeled "hate groups"?
Now read TVC's email - I'm leaving out the fundraising part because I don't plan on helping them:
From: "Andrea Lafferty" grassroots@traditionalvalues.orgUh, no it didn't. SPLC was clearly, on its face, talking about "gay men and lesbians" being "victimized by violent hate crimes." And, if anything, SPLC suggesting that TVC's lies about gays might inspire violence against gays.
Date: August 20, 2012
Subject: TVC Target of Shooter
Reply-To: "Andrea Lafferty" grassroots@traditionalvalues.org
It's been 5 days since the FRC shooting, and the alarming news that Traditional Values Coalition was next still hasn't quite sunk in with staff.
...but I do want to let our steadfast TVC supporters know that we are all OK.
Here are the facts as we have them so far:
The day after the shooting, the FBI stopped by the office. FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force visited the office the next day to interview staff and called me personally Friday morning while I was on travel.
In an off-the-record conversation with law enforcement personnel, I was informed this psychopath had our address in his front pocket and that "if he had gotten out of FRC alive he was headed to TVC's office next."
Immediately, I contacted the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and confirmed the unthinkable: Traditional Values Coalition was a target.
TVC asked the U.S. Justice Department for increased security, not knowing whether or not the shooter had acted independently or was part of a larger terror cell (as is typical in many cases of domestic terrorism).
After being transferred to the U.S. Attorney for the Washington D.C. area, we were blown off and told to contact D.C. police.
Just like that.
This isn't the first time this has happened where TVC has been the victim of serious threats and the FBI has refused to act.
Now if this had someone sending bacon to a mosque, a "hate crime" would have been reported and the Justice Department would have immediately dispatched an army of attorneys and established an immediate surveillance perimeter.
But this wasn't a mosque.
Or an abortion clinic.
Or a gay nightclub.
...this was Traditional Values Coalition. Once again, Christians take a back seat.
Is this is to be expected from an Obama Administration and a U.S. Justice Department that has been overtly hostile to Christian organizations? Sadly yes, America. We've come to that point now.
The scariest part? TVC can't afford security guards. The only thing that prevented this event from becoming a tragedy was the fact that Floyd Lee Corkins II didn't target TVC first.
What's causing this left-wing violence against Christian groups? The Southern Poverty Law Center.
For years, SPLC has listed mainstream Christian groups such as Traditional Values Coalition as "hate groups" for standing up for marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman, and exposing SPLC for comparing Baptists and Pentacostals with white supremacists.
Because we've stood up for Christian values in the public square, Traditional Values Coalition and a host of other Christian groups have had to tolerate being listed has hate groups on par with the Aryan Nation and the Ku Klux Klan.
The only two organizations in Washington the SPLC designated as "hate groups" on their list? Family Research Council and Traditional Values Coalition.
In fact, the SPLC knew that their designation of TVC (and others) as "hate groups" would inspire the sort of violence we saw on Wednesday. In a December 16th, 2010 letter to this office, the SPLC's J. Richard Cohen leveled this threat:
"You might disagree with our hate group designations. But it's hard for us to believe that you would "stand in solidarity," as the December 15th statement says, with organizations that knowingly spread demeaning lies like the ones we've outlined above. FBI data demonstrate that gay men and lesbians are, by far, the most likely group to be victimized by violent hate crimes. Spreading demonizing propaganda about them obviously does not help the situation."
What situation? Violence.
The implication? That this "violence" would be revisited upon Christian groups, organizations and charities.
It happened just like the SPLC promised it would, didn't it?
(emphasis added)
There was no implication whatsoever that "this 'violence' would be revisited upon Christian groups." That's just an utter lie. And it's a pretty bad one, considering TVC was dumb enough to quote the "proof" of the supposed threat, which proves that TVC is lying.
Seriously shameless people.
I'd also like to take exception to Ms. Lafferty constantly reference to Christians, as though this was an anti-Christian crime. First off, they're not Christian groups. These guys are political lobbyists and activists. We've seen no evidence so far that suggests that the "shooter" was out to kill "Christians." None.
Oh but it goes on:
Now you see why Christian groups have been so concerned."Targeted" Chick-fil-A? Uh, so now voicing opposition to a corporation that donates millions to far right politics, and holding peaceful protests in front of its place of business, is akin to "terrorism"? Right, Andrea. Second, she says that Chick-fil-A suffered "left-wing violence"? When did that happen? But she says it right there in her email, that first they used violence against Chick-fil-A and "now" the violence is coming for FRC and TVC.
First they targeted Chick-fil-A for standing up for marriage. Now left-wing violence is coming for organizations like Family Research Council and Traditional Values Coalition.
Obama was right: “If they bring a knife to a fight, we bring a gun.”
They brought a gun last Wednesday.
We can only match it with prayers.
Prayers, and a redoubling of our efforts to take this great nation of ours back from left-wing violence.
Again, what violence was that, Andrea?
And I'm sorry, but that last line is utterly laughable - take this great nation of ours back from left-wing violence? A guy walked into an office and shot a security guard in the arm. A terrible thing, but not exactly on par with September 11, the regular mass shootings we have, usually by some right wing nut, the abortion clinic bombings and shootings (again by religious right nuts), the gay-bashings (by anti-gay nuts), or even the weekly homicides we have in every American city.
One incident of a single security guard getting shot in the arm is now a nationwide problem of left-wing violence. Except you'll note that Andrea doesn't mention any other examples of left-wing violence she's taking our country back from. Only one. And the violence was a man being shot in the arm.
Once again, they ask why they've been labeled hate groups.
