Mexico linked groups complain about "hate group" FAIR (FIRM, SEIU, America's Voice, NCLR)

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is currently conducting the "Hold Their Feet to the Fire" rally in Washington DC where radio hosts from across the country and their listeners lobby their representatives to support pro-borders causes. Needless to say, the other side doesn't like that too much, and four such groups have joined together to place a scurrilous advertisement in the Politico and Roll Call. You can see the ad linked from seiu.org/media/pressreleases.cfm?pr_id=1753, which says:
Today the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), America's Voice, Center for New Community, and the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM) launched a print ad denouncing known hate group, FAIR (the Federation for American Immigration Reform), for poisoning the immigration debate with bigoted, xenophobic hate speech. In support of the ad, SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina issued the following statement:

"It's time that everyone learns who FAIR's founders, leaders and followers truly are. They are not reformers, but a group of extremists whose leaders are fostering a bigoted, anti-immigrant, anti-American agenda that we must stop... ...By continuing to fan the flames of hate and fear, FAIR has contributed to rising levels of hate crimes and discrimination... ...Crude attempts to shut down our border and round up anyone who looks a certain way do not begin to solve our broken immigration system..."
There is, of course, more ranting at the SEIU page. You can read FAIR's response here. The ad juxtaposes supposedly inflammatory comments from FAIR-related persons with pictures of Angry White Men, none of whom are presumably those being quoted. For instance, I don't believe that Dan Stein from FAIR is a skinhead. The comments also deserve a grown-up discussion, something that the SEIU and their friends don't want to have. In fact, as the quote above makes clear, they want to silence FAIR and others who oppose them by calling them names. The ad including a headline noting that the SPLC has designated FAIR as a "hate group". The ad also includes a link to the National Council of La Raza's WeCanStopTheHate.org.

What the ad doesn't note is that FIRM includes one member group that's allegedly collaborated with the Mexican government and another group headed by someone who serves on an advisory council to that government. The SEIU paid someone to organize immigration marches, and that person serves on that same advisory council to the Mexican government. In addition to occasionally attempting to mislead and being the subject of at least two exposes, the Southern Poverty Law Center has an indirect link to that government. And, of course, the NCLR funds extremists and gave an award to a vile racist among many other things.

Comments

With SEIU and LaRaza endorsing Obama, and the O taking the high ground by promising CIR/amnesty, McCain will be forced to show his own hand. Smart move, because this attacks McCain where he's weakest. Will he suck up to illegals like the 'amnesty first' candidate that he truly is or support the NO AMNESTY platform of the RNC? He alienates one group either way. Trying to weasel out by taking some middle of the road approach is a no-win choice, just as likely to alienate both groups. So, illegals or Country First. Who gets thrown under the bus, John?

I doubt that you are really open enough to print this comment but just in case. Once again, a Beltway anti-immigrant group has chosen to make a brief appearance to inject their brand of nativism into the American body politic. Four years ago, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) was responsible for ads which WHO-TV called “unnecessarily inflaming and borderline racist." FAIR was met by widespread community condemnation. And yet, they’re back. This time, FAIR is importing radio talk hosts to poison the airwaves. It’s time to tell the truth about FAIR. After compiling overwhelming evidence about FAIR’s disturbing connections, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) officially labeled them a hate group . SPLC joined the ranks of civil rights organizations raising concerns about FAIRs ties. Organizations deserving mainstream respectability usually fire disreputable staff and return cash from nefarious donors. FAIR has done the opposite. Instead, they’ve attacked the venerable civil rights institution and sided with a white supremacist foundation. Indeed FAIR issued a response. The release failed to address the key elements that lead to FAIR’s hate group designation: that FAIR has employed members of white supremacist groups, that they have promoted racist conspiracy theories, and that they are creation of a man who operates a racist publishing company and has compared immigrants to "bacteria." The one issue FAIR vigorously defended was their receipt of over $1.2 million from the Pioneer Fund. They wrote , “SPLC’s characterization of the Pioneer Fund is fraudulent. The Fund’s mission statement clearly states that it supports equal opportunity for all Americans, regardless of race, religion, national origin or ethnicity.” The record shows that the real fraud is being perpetrated by FAIR. Since its founding in the 1930s, the Pioneer Fund has been the premier funding source for research in the dubious field of eugenics and “race science.” Pioneer has never wavered from its support for white supremacist causes. They waged war on civil rights, defending segregation and promoting the idea of black inferiority. Today, the Fund serves as the largest financier of scientific racism and provides significant funds to hate groups. FAIR also argued that “Nearly all of the grants made by the Pioneer Fund have gone to major, respected research institutions and universities around the world.” That veneer of “respectability” quickly vanishes when the destination of the cash is revealed. Among the institutions FAIR lists: UC Berkley grants went to a professor known as the “grandfather of modern scientific racism.” University of London grants supported a professor who described the “evil consequences” of school busing programs and racial integration. NYU donations paid for research used to defend segregation. Randolph-Macon College grants went to publish, The Testing of Negro Intelligence, which concluded t

Darryl, you mean the SPLC, the organization that bashes American citizens and professionals like Lou Dobbs (for instance) for speaking out against *illegal* immigration, deemed FAIR a hate group? So we should accept their anti-US judgment as somehow correct... why, exactly? I don't see being anti-illegal immigration or pro-border as being racist, xenophobic, etc. I do see too many pro-illegal immigration, pro-amnesty special interests awfully cozy with the US government and big business.

Darryl Warren, This web site's host would never ever, ever allow a comment like yours. You are the revolutionary, the rebel, maverick, the lone voice of reason, the rare person "who just gets it." Within an hour or two, your incisive, utterly devastating comment will be forever deleted by the jackbooted Lone Wacko. Just wait.

The SPLC has been so thoroughly discredited that I am surprised that it still gets mentioned. It started out as a civil rights organization - one which I personally contributed to for years. As true racist groups like the KKK basically ceased to exist as anything more than a pathetically tiny group and as real racist acts became fewer and fewer, the SPLC turned to researching so-called "hate groups", calling almost any group that didn't agree with them a "hate group" or a group that is somehow connected to a "hate group". It raises huge amounts of money, pays its top staff huge salaries, and by and large does no civil rights work anymore because in chasing "hate groups" it doesn't have to prove anything in court. It can make baseless charges and continue shaking down well-meaning but unknowning people for donations. I stopped giving to them years ago when they stopped doing civil rights work and began hurling the term "racist" at anybody who opposes the horrific devastation that increased immigration is wreaking on the US environment, its health care, its schools, it neighborhoods, and its unskilled workers, many of whom are African-Americans - the very group that SPLC started out to help. The SPLC has taken up illegal immigrants as its new cause because they are a plentiful and growing force, taking up the slack in their previous cause of equal civil rights, which is largely a done deal. It gave them the excuse to raise more and more unnecessary funds to deal with a completely unnecessary cause - justifying illegal aliens. Now anybody who disagrees with them is a likely member of such "hate groups", me included. It is ridiculous! If you were a staunch environmentalist - and I am - you were called a racist if you didn't want to see the environment destroyed by adding millions of people. If you believed that unskilled labor has dignity and should be rewarded with at least a livable wage - and I do - and so objected to seeing the labor market flooded by foreign unskilled workers who would drive down wages and work under conditions that had been outlawed YEARS ago, then again, you were a racist. The same woman who had sent them money for their legitimate civil rights endeavors for years was now a racist!!! Unbelievable! An interesting aside here is that the SPLC apparently isn't interested in the fact that Hispanic gangs in CA are systematically driving African-Americans out of neighborhoods that they have lived in for decades, using murder as a tactic - a true act of violent racisim in which African-Americans are targeted because of their race. Where is the SPLC on this?

Hey Darryl, thanks for dropping by to give us the low-down on all the guilt by association and similar claptrap put out by the likes of the SPLC and their ilk. BTW, no one takes them seriously. Except for idiots like you I guess. And regarding not publishing or deleting comments, the only sites I've personally experienced doing that are ones that would generally be described as 'liberal'. Not that I'm into labels like that.

darryl warren that is well known its also on Alex Jones site, eh is right.

Uh-oh. Looks like the anti-white racist SPLC has shown up here. Oh goody! These guys are like clowns in the circus. “Since its founding in the 1930s, the Pioneer Fund has been the premier funding source for research in the dubious field of eugenics and “race science.” Sounds like you are talking about Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood. Why don’t you designate them as a hate group? Exterminating babies is much more convenient for you, I guess. I love the Pioneer Fund, as it has funded many scholars aimed at getting the truth. What has the SPLC done besides shaking down senior citizens for their white guilt? “They waged war on civil rights, defending segregation and promoting the idea of black inferiority.” All of these things are protected political activity. This is a free country. If you don’t like it go move to China, you pinko commie. “Among the institutions FAIR lists: UC Berkley grants went to a professor known as the “grandfather of modern scientific racism.” He is talking about my mentor at Cal, A. James Gregor. Calling it racism does not make it so, but it is science. But you should probably learn how to spell “UC Berkeley” if you are going to make such stupid commentary.

Bottom line is we are being replaced by an unending horde of legal and illegal foriegners completely against our wishes and shoved down our throat with a dose of "racist" when we object publicly. The ONLY WAY a US citizen would be in favor of being replaced in less than 50 years is one who is either profiting in some way or one who hates his culture and language so much that they should be deported along with all the others. SPLC = Sanctimonious Promoter of Latino Criminals

"SPLC = Sanctimonious Promoter of Latino Criminals" Great! SPLC also = Some People Love Con-artists.

SPLC=Stupid People who LOVE Criminals

Thanks for printing my post and thanks to the two or three of you on here who were willing to respond to my post rather than resorting to the tiresome ranting that we hear from the political right and left every day. Back to the topic on hand. Are you saying that because SPLC has documented this information that the information regarding the Federation for American Immigration Reform is not accurate? If this is the case don't you find it suspicious that FAIR has never attempted to sue SPLC for libel? FAIR doesn't represent the majority of us who demand immigration reform in this country. Groups like FAIR only serve to marginalize our opinions and demands. I see no reason to defend this organiztion but find it interesting that you do. With organizations like FAIR no wonder no one takes us seriously. Curious to others opinions.

The SPLC uses Stalinistic intimidation tactics and guilt-by- association "racist" screaming to silence its critics. It is an organization full of grifters out to destroy anyone who speaks out against the third-world invasion of this country. They are the enemy of this country, and black American citizens specifically. I view be being branded as a "hate group" by these clowns as a positive thing, because it means the group is essentially effective and the SPLC is afraid of them. FAIR, and more specifically, Dr. John Tanton, are dedicated immigration reform patriots. No amount of SPLC racist screaming or La Raza intimidation is going to silence FAIR. "FAIR doesn't represent the majority of us who demand immigration reform in this country. Groups like FAIR only serve to marginalize our opinions and demands." That's your opinion. FAIR represents the views of 80% of Americans who want our laws enforced. You just happen to be in the fringe character group and I seriously doubt you are for immigration reform if you attack FAIR with unsubstantiated claims of racism. You would be better off designating NCLR as a hate group, but you don't because you are not really for immigration reform at all, so please stop being so disingenuous. People here are not as stupid you leftists think. "I see no reason to defend this organiztion but find it interesting that you do. With organizations like FAIR no wonder no one takes us seriously." You see no reason why the United States should exist as we know it. You are not one of "us" nor do we take you seriously. Give it a rest and go canvass for Obama or something.

Darryl, First of all I don't think FAIR needs "defending". FAIR is a mainstream organization that represents the views on immigration of the majority of US citizens and certainly it represents MY views. I am an environmentalist. I believe in civil rights. I believe in the dignity of all work - including unskilled labor. I believe that productivity should be rewarded in the workplace and that the rewards shouldn't go mainly to a thin scrim of CEO's at the top, who have recently proven beyond a doubt that they have no idea what they are doing half the time other than lining their own pockets. I believe that an adequate education is the best defense against life-long poverty. I would like to see more affordable health care. I KNOW that the massive immigration that this country has endured in the last 20 years threatens to destroy all of the things I mention above unless we can put a halt to it. My point is that calling FAIR - or any other group - a "hate group" has no meaning. It is like calling GWB a Nazi or George McGovern a communist because you disagree with their political views. Calling them that doesn't make it so.