Another SPLC Drive-by Smear – Commentary by Steve Scroggins, 2/11/2011

"Our archives contain a number of articles illustrating SPLC's track record of mercenary character assassination, disinformation, greed, distortions, and outright falsehoods." --J.A. Davis & Steve Scroggins in SPLC's Reputation as Frauds & Conmen Grows, 8/21/09.

"[It's] scandalous that those who defend that cause [secession, independence] today should be smeared as partisans of slavery." --Joseph Sobran, syndicated columnist 1/21/2001

Here we go again: Another drive-by smear from the Southern Poverty Law Center. This time, the target is Thomas DiLorenzo, a noted author and Loyola University professor of Economics. To be more accurate, the SPLC is the profiteering label-gun dealer supplying smears for Zombie Journalists and politicians to use in their hit and run attacks.

As illustrated in his archive of work on the LewRockwell.com website, Professor DiLorenzo can take care of himself. He's perfectly capable of issuing a stinging rebuttal to these smear-masters. And yet I feel compelled to comment.

DiLorenzo testified in the Congressional hearings on The Federal Reserve chaired by Rep. Ron Paul on Feburary 9th. DiLorenzo's testimony was posted on LewRockwell.com on February 10th and perhaps elsewhere as early as last night. Read it carefully to detect any appalling "hate" or for any mention of secession, Lincoln or tyranny. OK, maybe you have to look between the lines?

As reported by Washington Post writer Felicia Sonmez, in a story entitled Ron Paul holds first hearing on Federal Reserve, committee member Rep. William Clay (D., Mo.) had no questions for DiLorenzo, but rather just launched into an attack on DiLorenzo, sneering at some of DiLorenzo's historical commentary and expressing shock over DiLorenzo's alleged membership in the League of the South, which was described in typical Zombie journalist style as, "an organization that has been designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a 'neo-Confederate' hate group advocating for Southern secession."

Washington Post Op-Ed Columnist Dana Milbank penned a commentary dated Feb 9th and entitled "Ron Paul's economic Rx: a Southern secessionist." Milbank sniped at Rep. Ron Paul for "appearing to be winging it" and questioning his judgment for calling DiLorenzo as a witness. Milbank's ignorant argument here is that if DiLorenzo believes in the states' right to secession, then we can't even consider his ideas on economics or anything else for that matter. Milbank never got around to criticizing DiLorenzo's economic/banking ideas or testimony. The smear, the label was all that mattered.

The Hill published a story by Peter Schroeder entitled "Dem accuses witness invited by Ron Paul of 'hate group' ties". This story, too, was just about Rep. Clay's attempt to assassinate DiLorenzo's character, not about anything DiLorenzo said or any rebuttal to DiLorenzo's comments.

The New American (published by the John Birch Society), a group the SPLC doesn't hesitate to smear for its anti-communist "extremism", published the best assessment of what happened in it's story entitled First Fed Hearing Begins with Democratic Character Attack.

That story by Thomas R Eddlem, starts with a summary sentence:

"The ranking Democrat on the House Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology Subcommittee began the first hearing on the Federal Reserve Bank in the new Congress with dramatic ad hominem attacks on Loyola University Maryland Economics Professor Thomas DiLorenzo. Rep. William Clay of Missouri accused DiLorenzo of having racist ties for being an adviser to the League of the South, a states'-rights organization, and then failed to address any substantive questions on economics to DiLorenzo with the dismissive remark: 'I do know that I have no questions for you.'" [emphasis added]

Eddlem nails Rep. Clay for his lack of homework, unlike hacks such as Dana Milbank who were applauding Clay for doing smear 'homework' on DiLorenzo.

"It has been difficult for my staff to locate any recent work of yours as an economist," Clay told DiLorenzo during the committee hearing, even though DiLorenzo has written three books on the history of banking, including Hamilton's Curse, on the First Bank of the United States. DiLorenzo is also a prolific writer for the Ludwig von Mises Institute, the most prominent think tank associated with the Austrian economics school.

It's rather obvious that Clay did NO HOMEWORK on DiLorenzo or his views on economics. (Try a Google search for "Thomas DiLorenzo economics") Instead Clay's staff went straight to the Zombie Journalist's Bible, the smear dealers known as the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Other reporters who chimed in today went to their Zombie Bible for more juicy stuff. The Dallas Morning News story by reporter Todd Gillman gasps this horrific title: Neo-Confederate economist at Ron Paul's Fed hearing (text below). Gillman immediately went to the Zombie Journalist's Bible and uncovered that DiLorenzo has addressed various southern heritage groups over the years. Gillman even called the SPLC to get a quote from them and Heidi Beirich is only happy to oblige. According to Gillman, Beirich called it "appalling...for a congressman to bring someone in from a group that has these kind of hate views."

What's appalling are SPLC's distortions. How exactly does Beirich and the SPLC make the leap from secession and independence to "hate?" Every July 4th most Americans celebrate this document known as the Declaration of Independence. I wonder if the SPLC has heard of it. Or do they classify the Continental Congress, the signers of the Declaration and Thomas Jefferson as some kind of 'hate group'? Despite the SPLC's best distortions and sophistry, they cannot demonstrate that the League of the South is any more a 'hate group' than they can the Founding Fathers.

"If the Declaration of Independence justified the secession of 3,000,000 colonists in 1776, I do not see why the Constitution ratified by the same men should not justify the secession of 5,000,000 of the Southerners from the Federal Union in 1861... the great principle embodied by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence that government derives its power from the consent of the governed is sound and just..." ---Horace Greeley, New York Tribune, 12/17/1860

Gillman includes this unattributed factoid: "The League seeks a Southern breakaway nation led by "European-Americans." Says who? Oh, never mind, of course Heidi added that little gem in order to infer that DiLorenzo is not only a secessionist but also a "racist." By failing to attribute that statement to anyone, or a website...it's just there presented as fact. The only redeeming thing about Gillman's item was the rebuttal COMMENT posted by a reader:

The Southern Poverty Law Center's unwritten (actual) definition of a "hate group" is as follows. Any group whose philosophy the SPLC hates.

That about sums it up. There is no official definition of a 'hate group', no formal criteria. It's just whoever SPLC wants to smear today.

The bottom line is this. DiLorenzo's writings on economics and banking, the various books and essays he's written on the topic, and of course his testimony at the hearing should be the only relevant views explored for the purpose of this hearing. Smearing him about his political views or his views on secession, or the use of smear terms like 'neo-confederate' are merely ad hominem attacks -- attempts to discredit his economic expertise based on his political views and distortions of those views. Guilt by association or innuendo.

The SPLC counts its money and laughs with delight as the Zombie Journalists swarm into a feeding frenzy, murdering the Truth and seeking to eat the brains of their readers...many of whom won't miss them because they're not using them anyway.

"I am myself persuaded, on the basis of extensive study of the historical evidence, that... the severity of each of the contractions - 1920-21, 1929-33, and 1937-38 - is directly attributable to acts of commission and omission by the Reserve authorities and would not have occurred under earlier monetary and banking arrangements." --Milton Friedman

"The issue which has swept down the centuries and which will have to be fought sooner or later is the people versus the banks." --Lord Acton

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Steve Scroggins is Commander of the Lt. James T. Woodward Camp 1399, Sons of Confederate Veterans, in Warner Robins, GA. He is the deranged creative force behind the X-Files parodies.