There Are A Record Number Of Hate Groups In The U.S.

The chart above is from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC keeps track of hate groups in the United States. Their latest count show the number of hate groups has reached a record level -- currently there are 1020 of them.

The old record was 1018 -- during the Obama administration. At that time, hate groups blossomed in response to the country electing its first Black president. The country's racists (and there are still a lot of them) were horrified and terrified that the country had elected Barack Obama -- and that reaction saw a number of new hate groups created.

This new resurgence of hate groups is different though. They are not terrified about Donald Trump. They consider him one of their own -- a racist and xenophobe. They heard him when he called them "good people", and they no longer think of themselves as outliers to society. This record number of hate groups are not opposing the government these days. They are supporting it, and actually consider themselves a part of it.

Donald Trump has provided cover for those promoting hate in this country, and they are rewarding him with their support.

Does The Public Understand What "Alt-Right" Means ?

The charts above reflect information found in a new ABC News / Washington Post Poll -- done between August 16th and 20th of a random national sample of 1,014 adults, with a 3.5 point margin of error.

The top chart doesn't surprise me. It shows that a majority of the public (56%) disapproved of how Donald Trump handled the news from the Charlottesville protests, while 28% approved. That 28% are the true-believers, and would support anything Trump did. He could be filmed punching children in the face to steal their candy, and that 28% would be loyal to him.

But the bottom chart really concerns me. It shows that 50% of Americans say they oppose the "alt-right" movement, while 10% support it and another 41% say they have no opinion about it. Could it really be true that about half of the country either supports the burgeoning hate groups or don't have an opinion on them. Could they be that cavalier about hate?

I certainly hope not. I think it is more likely that too many Americans don't understand the term "alt-right". It does NOT refer to traditional conservative or right-wing ideals. It is a term invented by hate groups to disguise their racist, bigoted, and violent agenda. They want to make their hate more palatable to more people -- and it looks like that may be working.

We must make it clear to more people just what "alt-right" means. It refers specifically to a collection of hate groups (KKK, neo-nazis, white nationalists, white supremacists, etc.). We must not let hate hide behind this rather innocuous sounding terminology.

Now More Than A Thousand Hate Groups In U.S.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has released its annual intelligence report on hate groups in the United States, and it paints a pretty grim portrait of America. Hate groups are still proliferating in this country, and as the chart shows, for the first time since the SPLC began keeping tabs on them the number of different hate groups has topped 1,000. These groups grew from 932 of them in 2009 to 1002 of them in 2010 (a rise of 7.5% in the last year and a rise of 66% since the year 2000).

The SPLC says the reasons for this continued growth is "resentment over the changing racial demographics of the country, frustration over the lagging economy, and the mainstreaming of conspiracy theories and other demonizing propaganda aimed at minorities and the government."

Mark Potok, editor of the SPLC Intelligence Report, said, "Far-right extremists remain highly energized, even as politicians across the country co-opt many of the radical ideas and issues that are important to them. This success in having their voices heard in the political arena, where they have long occupied the fringe of conservative thought, might eventually take the wind out of their sails, but so far we're not seeing any sign of that."

While there are hate groups in all states, some have many more than others. You can go here to see the numbers for all states. The states with the most hate groups are:

California...............68
Texas...............59
Florida...............48
New Jersey...............47
Mississippi...............40
Georgia...............39
Pennsylvania...............36
Tennessee...............35
Michigan...............35
Alabama...............33
Ohio...............32
New York...............31
South Carolina...............30

In addition the the groups designated as hate groups, the SPLC also tracks two other kinds of groups -- "nativist extremist" groups and "patriot" organizations (including militias). The nativist extremist groups are defined as those "organizations that go beyond mere advocacy of restrictive immigration policy to actually confront or harass suspected undocumented immigrants or their employers." These groups grew from 309 groups in 2009 to 319 in 2010 -- an increase of 3%.

But the Patriot movement groups, who see the federal government as their primary enemy, had the most explosive growth in the last year. They grew an astounding 61% -- from 512 groups in 2009 to 824 groups in 2010. The militias, a part of this movement, grew from 127 groups in 2009 to 330 groups in 2010 -- a growth of 160%.

When the hate groups, the nativist extremist groups and the patriot groups are added together, we have a pretty scary scenario.   Collectively these groups grew from 1,753 in 2009 to 2,145 in 2010 -- a frightening increase of 22% in just the last year.

None of this is happening in a vacuum. With the election of an African-American president and the growth of the minority population far outpacing the white establishment, these groups have seized on these things to once again come forward with their hate-filled agenda. The really sad part is that this agenda has been embraced by many on the right -- especially the teabaggers and the Republican Party (who are using these people in an effort to return to power).

There is a discussion to be held on immigration, the deficit, and other issues, but appealing to the darkest side of human nature is not the way to hold that discussion. An immigrant nation such as ours must never abandon its goal of tolerance and diversity.

Family Research Council Is A Hate Group

The Family Research Council has become a very powerful group among American right-wingers.   So much so that its annual gathering, called the Value Voters Summit, is considered to be a "must-attend" event by major Republican politicians -- especially those running for the party's presidential nomination.

The group, and its bigoted leader Tony Perkins, has been trying to pass themselves off as a christian group just trying to defend strong christian values -- values they would love to force on all other Americans.   But's that's just a lie -- unless you consider hatred and bigotry to be christian (and American) values.

Finally, someone has called them out on their lies.   The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the most outspoken and effective group battling for equal rights and an end to bigotry, has officially added the Family Research Council (FRC) to its list of "hate groups".   The SPLC, which has broken the back of many hate groups like the KKK by taking them to court and winning sizeable judgements for their victims, keeps a list of hate groups in America -- a list that currently has over 900 hate organizations on it.

The SPLC says a hate group is one that has "beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics."   Although Perkins and the FRC are incensed over the hate group classification, there is no doubt that the FRC fits the definition of a hate group.  

The FRC has shown an extreme hatred of homosexuals and worked for years to deny that group the same rights enjoyed by other Americans.   That would be bad enough, but this group doesn't mind spreading outright lies to achieve their hateful goal.   One example of this is the lie they are currently spreading to defeat the elimination of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.   The FRC is telling people that homosexuals are three times as likely to commit sexual assaults as heterosexuals -- an outrageous lie supported by no evidence at all (except in the black heart of Tony Perkins).

The FRC has in the past defended its hateful actions by claiming their beliefs are religious-based.   They have the right to their own beliefs, however hateful.   But by going out and spreading outright lies in an effort to affect government policy to deny others their equal rights, they have stepped over the line and earned their designation as a hate group.

I applaud this action by the Southern Poverty Law Center.   It's high time for decent Americans to stand up against this kind of unconstitutional and un-American bigotry.

The SPLC listed the FRC among 18 anti-gay hate groups, including National Organization for Marriage, Traditional Values Coalition, Liberty Counsel, Family Research Institute, and the American Family Association.   The full list of these anti-gay hate groups can be found here.

Texas Is Fertile Ground For Hate Groups

No organization in this country knows as much about hate groups and keeps a closer eye on them than the Southern Poverty Law Center does. The SPLC has just come out with its annual report on hate groups. The new report covers the year of 2006.

The SPLC lists 844 active hate group chapters in the United States. That is a 5% increase over the 803 chapters active in 2005. Not surprisingly, Texas is still proving to be a fertile recruiting ground for these new groups - especially the new immigrant-bashing hate groups. After seeing the results of of the Farmers Branch election, this should not shock anyone. Around 68% of the voters there think it is perfectly OK to discriminate against Hispanics in housing.

In 2006, Texas had 55 active chapters of hate groups of all kinds. The only state with more active hate group chapters was California with 63 chapters. The 10 states with the most active hate group chapters are:

1. California (63)

2. Texas (55)

3. Florida (49)

4. South Carolina (45)

5. Georgia (44)

6. Tennessee (35)
7.New Jersey (34)

8. North Carolina (33)

9. Virginia (31)

10. Mississippi (28)

There were four states that had no active hate group chapters. This does not mean they have no one espousing hate - just that they're not organized. The four states were Hawaii, South Dakota, North Dakota and Rhode Island.

Here are Texas' 55 active chapters, along with the hate groups they belong to:

American White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (2)

San Angelo, Sherman

Bayou Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (1)

Midlothian

Brotherhood of Klans Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (1)

Lake Jackson

Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (1)

San Angelo

Imperial Klans of America (4)

Austin, Desoto, Houston, Lefors

National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (1)

Blue Ridge

Texas Knights of the Invisible Empire Inc. (1)

San Antonio

White Camelia Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (2)

Cleveland, Houston

American Thule Society (1)

Texas

Aryan Nations (2)

Bellmead, Houston

National Alliance (2)

Dallas/Ft. Worth, Houston

National Socialist Movement (3)

Houston, Lubbock, Richardson

White Revolution (1)

Texas

Aryan Wear (1)

Keller

European and American Unity Rights Organization (1)

Dallas/Ft. Worth

Blood and Honour (1)

Richardson

Confederate Hammerskins (2)

Dallas, Houston

Lone Star State Skinheads (1)

Houston

Aryan Covenant Church (1)

Anderson

Christian Guard (1)

Texas

Gospel Broadcasting Association (1)

Houston

League of the South (8)

Austin, Iredell, Northeast, Panhandle, Rio Grande Valley, South Central, Southeast, San Angelo

Nation of Islam (7)

Austin, Dallas, Ft. Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Texarkana, Waco

New Black Panther Party (2)

Dallas, Houston

Border Guardians (1)

Livingston

Desastrious Records (1)

Springtown

Old Guard Records (1)

Plano

Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (1)

Eldorado

Jewish Defense League (1)

Waco

Power of Prophecy (1)

Austin

What a sickening list! Texas has every kind of whacko hate group that there is. Constitutionally, these creeps have the right to spout their hatred. But we have the right to fight them every step of the way. To fight them, you must know them. That is why I printed the list, and that is why the SPLC keeps watch on these hate groups.

It's a dangerous job, but the SPLC does an excellent job of keeping tabs on all the hate groups in America (probably even better than the government). But they are a private group and this is expensive work. If you can afford it, send a few dollars their way and help them fight the hate.