The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) claims to champion civil rights and fight bigotry across the United States. To help Americans stay informed, the non-profit compiles an online directory of “hate-espousing” groups and individuals, which includes the KKK and Neo-Nazi organizations.
The latest addition to their “extremist files” has surprised some people. SPLC profiled the famous neurosurgeon, Ben Carson, for his positions on both gay marriage and Obamacare:
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson rapidly ascended as a far-right political star after publicly scolding President Obama, whom he sat a few feet away from, at a National Prayer Breakfast in February 2013. Carson’s reproach of Obama for his health care and tax policies went viral, unleashing a flood of adulation from right-wing media and hate groups.
SPLC continued their reasoning for adding Carson to the list:
Soon he was appearing as the keynoter at a rash of right-wing and hate group gatherings, linking gays with pedophiles, comparing the U.S. to Nazi Germany and endorsing biblical economic practices for 21st century America.
Their new page on Ben Carson includes some of his “extremist” quotes:
‘Marriage is between a man and a woman. It’s a well-established pillar of society and no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA [North American Man/Boy Association, a group advocating pedophilia], be they people who believe in bestiality—it doesn’t matter what they are, they don’t get to change the definition.-
— Interview on Fox News’ “Hannity,” March 26, 2013
And:
‘Obamacare is really the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery. And … in a way, it is slavery.’
—Values Voter Summit, Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 2013
According to The Blaze, this isn’t the only example the group targeting a conservative. The non-profit has a history of politically-motivated policies:
This is not the first time the Southern Poverty Law Center has added a well-known conservative to one of its lists, as historian David Barton has been among those targeted by the group.
And it’s no secret that the Southern Poverty Law Center has come under fire from conservatives for its liberal inclinations in the past. The group was removed from the FBI’s hate crime web page last year after conservative groups protested its initial inclusion there.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has clearly stated the criteria for the list: “beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.”
Ben Carson plans to run in the Republican primary in 2016, but not all conservatives agree with his statements. However, when it comes to LGBT issues, a 2014 Gallup poll shows that 39% of Americans still oppose gay marriage.
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