The United States may not negotiate with terrorists, but it doesn't mind using resources tied to them in official military trainings. Despite being linked in federal court to a case of domestic terrorism, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) -- a favorite go-to "source" of the Obama Pentagon -- is making a comeback under Joe Biden's DOD barely two years after an explosive scandal that should have destroyed the Leftist group for good.
Despite the firestorm over SPLC's toxic workplace culture, this president seems intent on rebuilding SPLC from ashes and giving it the appearance of credibility. According to the Daily Signal, the Defense Department's crusade against "extremism in the ranks" encourages the military to lean on the disgraced group for information. "In a virtual meeting for "all hands" last month, the agenda counted the scandal-plagued Southern Poverty Law Center as a credible resource alongside the Department of Homeland Security and the University of Maryland," Fred Lucas warns. When the Daily Signal contacted the Pentagon to confirm, a spokeswoman said she did not have a "specific response."
The mere idea of an organization as toxic as SPLC working with the U.S. military is astounding. As most people found out after its messy staff revolt rocked the country in 2019, this is an organization so deeply sinister, corrupt, and racist that its own employees have sued them. It's a "highly profitable scam," Bob Moser warned, full of sexual predators and con artists. Like so many of us who know the real SPLC, none of the revelations about its internal as a surprise. The real surprise is that anyone -- including the Biden administration -- would pretend that SPLC still has any credibility in the debate.
As groups like FRC are painfully aware, the SPLC's idea of "extremism" is Bible-believing Christians and conservatives -- a fact that they've confirmed over and over again with its hate maps and lists. Even prayer is considered "hate" by the military's new partner, as they proved in 2020 by featuring a picture of Andrew Brunson praying over Donald Trump in its 2020 publication.
If dangerous groups like SPLC insist on attacking Christians, they shouldn't be able to use the government as leverage to enforce their stereotyping. The last thing our men and women in uniform need is another president whose only war is against faith.
