Oh, the irony!
Last weekend, the Value Voters Summit (VVS) was held in Washington, D.C. The left-wing hate group the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) used the event to spread its bigotry and hatred of Christianity and conservatism with a snarky list of what the group considered the “top-ten” moments of hatred on display at the VVS.
And, congratulations, John Birch Society (JBS)! You made the list. If you and your booth (shown) at the VVS are upsetting the hatemongers at the SPLC, you’re obviously doing something right.
The writers of the article — “Hatewatch Staff” according to the byline — called this year’s VVS “markedly muted” compared to last year’s when they celebrated President Trump’s 2016 election victory. But the article also claimed that “Bigoted presentations and conspiratorial orations, however, remained on the menu.”
Hosted by the Family Research Council (FRC), a conservative Christian organization which advocates for traditional family values, the VVS has been held annually since 2006. Over the years, the event has come to be a bellwether of Christian and conservative thoughts on the current issues of the day. Among this year’s speakers were Vice President Mike Pence, former Trump strategist Sebastian Gorka, and conservative pundit Bill Bennett.
First on the “top-ten” list, under the heading, “Child molestation makes you gay,” the writers of the hit-piece tackled the issue of how homosexuality and transgenderism is treated in today’s Christian church. The article contradicted itself, mentioning that, while the panel still considers homosexuality a sin, many in the Christian community are, in fact, welcoming to the LGBT community.”
“I say if you’re gay, you’re more than welcome in our church, the doors are wide open,” said John Reid, the director of social media at FRC. “I don’t agree with that lifestyle, I don’t think it’s biblical, but you are more than welcome to join.”
The article neglected to tie its “Child molestation makes you gay” heading to anything that went on at VVS.
“Transgenderism is a vehicle for tyranny,” was the next item on the list. The SPLC attacked eminent psychiatrist Paul McHugh, the university distinguished professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University, calling him a “junk scientist.” McHugh has written extensively on the relationship between transgenderism and depression and has said that medical treatment for transgendered youth is “like performing liposuction on an anorexic child.”
The story also referred to the American College of Pediatricians as an anti-LGBT hate group.
SPLC went on to defend Antifa, the black-clad mask-wearing monsters associated with much of the anti-free speech violence that has occurred on America’s college campuses since Trump took the White House in 2016. They offered several defenses of Islamization in America, while attacking groups concerned with traditional values. They denigrated those of us who believe that President Trump’s proposed border wall needs to be built, pooh-poohed the notion that a culture of death fueled by abortion exists in America and, of course, attacked the National Rifle Association.
The SPLC also hinted that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was guilty of sexual assault, despite the fact that no actual evidence of the alleged assault has been brought forward. You’d think that a group with the word “law” in its title would have some knowledge of what due process and presumption of innocence are.
As for the John Birch Society, apparently the simple fact that the society was an exhibitor at the event was worthy of inclusion in SPLC’s list, which noted, “Another exhibitor was the John Birch Society, the conspiratorial extremist group, which also had a table in the red-and-blue exhibit room loaded with material opposing the Republican push for a constitutional convention and literature warning about antifa and the deep state.”
The mission of The John Birch Society, which was founded in 1958, is “to bring about less government, more responsibility, and — with God’s help — a better world by providing leadership, education, and organized volunteer action in accordance with moral and Constitutional principles.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in 1971 as a law firm specializing in civil rights cases. The organization has devolved into a vicious left-wing hate group that specializes in harassing groups that oppose their far left-wing ideology. The SPLC has parlayed its innocuous sounding name into becoming an arbiter of what is considered hate-speech by mass-media. Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Twitter all defer to the SPLC’s opinion of what is considered hate-speech.
And if you read the SPLC’s article, that last fact should frighten you.
Photo: John Birch Society booth at Value Voters Summit