DADvocate

The Southern Poverty Law Center guys are after Lou Dobbs. They claim this statement by a guest, Christine Romans, was false: "there were about 900 cases of leprosy [in the United States] for 40 years," and that "[t]here have been 7,000 in the past three years." Indeed, it is not entirely accurate. But the SPLC wants to argue about the 7000 number. Well, not really, they claim that Dobbs implies there are 7,000 new cases. The actual case is that there were 7,029 new cases reported in the last 30 years.

The real error in the statement seems to be "there were about 900 cases of leprosy [in the United States] for 40 years,..." However, neither of those figures are entirely accurate because because not all cases of leprosy are reported. The origin of the statement came from this New York Times article from 2003.

In the United States, leprosy is usually regarded as a plague of the past, a disease relegated to biblical times or, perhaps, to poor and distant countries. But, in fact, as cases of leprosy have been declining worldwide in recent years, the infection has actually been on the rise in the United States.

While there were some 900 recorded cases in the United States 40 years ago, today more than 7,000 people have leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, as it is now called. ‘‘And those are the ones we know about,’’ said Dr. William Levis, attending physician at Bellevue Hospital’s Hansen’s Disease Clinic. ‘‘There are probably many, many more.’’

Part of the assertion of Dobbs and Romans was that most of the leprosy cases are carried in by immigrants, which they are according to The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Of course, the real reason behind all this is that the SPLC doesn't like Lou Dobbs position on illegal immigration. Like all good left wing facists, they don't discuss the issues, they go after you job and anything els they can do to hurt you. The SPLC even placed an open letter to discredit Mr. Dobbs:

Now, in the ad placed in "The New York Times" and the "USA Today" yesterday, the Southern Poverty Law Center in an open letter to CNN, said, quote, "despite being confronted with undisputed evidence to the contrary, Mr. Dobbs says he stands 100 percent behind the claim that there have been 7,000 new cases of leprosy in the United States in recent years."

The other night Dobbs had Richard Cohen and Mark Potok, of the SPLC, on his show. Cohen, in particular and because Potok said little, provided plenty of examples of assault on reason.

Cohen: (jumping for discussion on leprosy): "The reality is that hate crimes occur because people demonize Latinos..." Victimology

Cohen (in the same paragraph as above): "...but you've got to ask yourself why the Council of Conservative Citizens considers you their favorite pundit." Let's not have a logical, reasonable discussion. I'll just accuse you of being a very bad person or whatever. How do you control who likes you?

Cohen: "You know, it's interesting, Lou, that the John Birch Society made the same claim against us..." Now, let's align Dobbs with the John Birch Society. The truth of a claim is not dependent on who makes it or believes it.

Potok (early in the discussion): "It's about, you know, you say things like a third of the federal prison cells are filled with illegal aliens when that is not a provable fact."

An exchange between Dobbs and Cohen later:
COHEN: "... Twenty-seven percent of the persons in federal custody were born on foreign soil, some here lawfully, some not and only 12 percent of those were -- had committed violent crimes. So to suddenly say that 33 percent ...

DOBBS: I thought you said it was an unknowable statistic just a moment ago, Richard?

COHEN: No, I didn't say that.

DOBBS: I misunderstood you.

COHEN: You did. I said 27 percent of the persons in federal custody were born on foreign soil. We do not know how many are here lawfully and how many aren't but we do know that 12 percent of those ..." Technically, Cohen didn't say it was not a provable face, Potok did. Of course, then, Cohen claims to have the provable facts.

The Southern Poverty Law Center hasn't been without its own problems over the years. I wonder if the SPLC has any concern for murders like this brutal rape, torture, murder in Knoxville, TN. I wonder if the demonizing of whites by people like Mr. Cohen increases hate crimes against whites? Or, does Mr. Cohen even believe that's possible? I wonder if the SLPC has labeled me a "racist website" and is tracking my blog.

I do find it encouraging that the SPLC includes The Nation of Islam in their hate group list. The SPLC has this group on their list for Maysville, KY: United Northern and Southern Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Maysville's a small town of about 10,000 people. I've lived in the area since 1990. My kids go to school there. We go to church there. I've never heard a single thing about this group. Does the SPLC bloat their claims of hate groups to give more importance to their mission?

Is the SPLC's cure worse than the disease?

UPDATE: According to U.S. Congressman Steve King (R-Iowa), 12 U.S. citizens are murdered each day by illegal aliens.

The lives of 12 U.S. citizens would be saved who otherwise die a violent death at the hands of murderous illegal aliens each day. Another 13 Americans would survive who are otherwise killed each day by uninsured drunk driving illegals.

This is much higher than the fatality rate of U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan but you don't hear much about it. The numbers are relatively small compared to the totals but if the perpetrators and victims fit the characteristics SPLC and many others seek, the din of outrage would be deafening. But, instead, these people probably call me racist or worse.