The Southern Poverty Law Center is at it again, demonizing free speech and constitutional ideas. On February 23rd, the SPLC released a report entitled, “US Hate Groups Top 1,000” wherein they lump neo-Nazi skinheads, violent extremists and “constitutional patriots” into the same category. The Poverty Center loves to use media buzzwords in order to get their own hate speech heard, using terms like militia, conspiracy theories and ‘radical right’ to whip the pundits into a frenzy.
Mainstream politicians have promoted many of the ideas and conspiracy theories important to these groups. Last April, for example, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed S.B. 1070, the harshest state anti-immigrant law in the country, setting off a flood of proposals for similar laws. State legislators also have offered proposals that would roll back birthright citizenship, bar judges from considering Islamic law in state courtrooms, institute an alternative currency, and even allow a state to disregard federal laws and regulations.
Meanwhile, there are growing signs that the extremist movement is already producing significant acts of terrorism.
-Southern Poverty Law Center, Feb. 23, 2011
While the SPLC consider these ideas to be extreme, conspiratorial or flat out scary, I don’t see much wrong with legally elected legislators fulfilling their job duties. Arizona is suffering a severe budget strain from the illegal immigration issue there. Like it or not, it is the Federal government’s duty to defend the national borders and handle these issues. Arizona is in the interesting position of having a state border that shares a national borderline. When the Federal government fails, what are states supposed to do? Sit back and cross their fingers?
