The Line of Fire: The Morris Dees, story is a made for tv movie that debuted on Martin Luther King day in 1991.* This film was shown to me as well as my co-workers when our fund-raising firm took on the SPLC as a client. (1)
The film is a retelling of the events surrounding Donald v. United Klans (2) of America and portrays Morris Dees as a compassionate hero, who represented Beulah Mae Donald a grieving single mother whose son was murdered in a senseless hate crime. The film recounts KKK attacks against Mr. Dees in his home, the destruction of his office, and his being forced to employ the services of a body guard to protect his person. Despite the danger he persevered in order to bring justice to Beulah by financially crippling the segment of the KKK responsible for her son’s death.
Screening this film during the training was meant to show us where the money we were begging contributors for was going and show us that were were supporting a great cause. It worked. During smoke breaks, time everyone used to complain about clients and fund raising campaigns, no one ever said anything negative about the SPLC. Even those who weren’t doing well would acknowledge that the SPLC were ‘the good guys’ and every one had to try harder because this client truly deserved it. I was in total agreement with that sentiment – Until I was told that I couldn’t tell contributors that the SPLC ‘needed’ their money.
That was a blood red flag. In the absence of need, fund-raising should be unnecessary.
On my own time I looked up the SPLC on the internet and saw “Poverty Palace” for the first time. The SPLC was not a small struggling organization like some of the other clients I’d worked for, it was a grand empire that didn’t need the money my company was hired to beg for.
As far as exploration into the SPLC’s finances goes, I’d barely scratched the surface and came away feeling manipulated. The only comfort I had was the knowledge that even if the organization was obviously beyond wealthy they deserved it they were still the good guys after all Mr. Dees did risk his life to help Ms. Donald with no assurance of payment.
Fast forward several years later, the SPLC hit my radar again. Recently I’ve taken a much closer look at the financial workings of wealth bloated charity. I felt a little manipulated before, I now realize that I’d been completely bamboozled.
With a single peek beneath the SPLC’s shiny narrative, the first thing I learned was that “The Line of Fire” presented at best, a selective telling of the truth. It omitted mention of nine million dollars Morris raised from one image of Beulah Donald’s son. Those seven digits had more to do with his determination to drag the case out than desire for justice. Dees also somehow neglected to share any of those funds with Ms.Donald, who only received fifty thousand of the 7 million judgment. (3)
These discoveries alone made my entire introduction to the SPLC a grand deception. Next I researched Morris Dees, the face and co- founder of the SPLC. In studying this man I understood how myself and the great majority of the country are convinced that this man and this company are a commendable force for good. Morris Dees is much more than an attorney, he is a salesman.
In almost any biography of the man in question it can be seen that before dedicating him self completely to legal practice he owned a direct mail sales company. A biography found on www.yourdictionary.com states “He did not know it then, but Dees had not only discovered a way to secure his financial future, but a new way to communicate ideas directly to millions of Americans.” (4)the moment I read that sentence I realized; The SPLC had not simply deceived me and my fellow fund raisers, they’d introduced us to their product and made sure we’d do a good job selling it.
I think it’s important to take a moment here to explain something about non profit organizations. Most people believe that 501(c) organizations must balance their books to zero at the end of the fiscal year. The fact is that they are allowed to keep surplus resources and endowment funds. These funds are supposed to be used for operating costs (including payroll and payraises0 and charitable or philanthropic excursions. I won’t get into details nonprofit surplus funds or the nebulous nature of the restrictions on the SPLC’s endowment, that warrants an article all its own. I mention this only to make the following three statements.
I mention the allowance of these saving programs for 501(c) organizations only to inform you that non profit organizations are allowed to accumulate what would be considered profit for any other type of business. (5)
Also important to note that the SPLC expends a significant amount of money on fund raising efforts, the rewards of which are combined with interest revenue from numerous investments to amount to an impressive annual income which goes untaxed due to the organization’s non-profit status.
Furthermore the SPLC has developed a prestigious reputation and its work tracking hate groups and hate crimes is frequently and in some cases exclusively referenced by law enforcement, the media and the FBI. Almost any mention of development, location or activity of hate groups on the news or in the paper will reference the SPLC’s ‘Hate Map’. (6)
The combination of these three facts allows the SPLC to function much like and extremely successful retail business.
They have a product which is advertized every time the SPLC is referenced on the evening news or in the paper in regards to a rise in hate groups. (screen caps) Payment for this product is collected by aggressive fund raising efforts; mailing reminding contributors that hate is on the rise- always on the rise and ever more dangerous- and fundraisers sold on the undeniable heroism of Morris Dees.
Profit is allowed to accumulate to cover future expenses (including payroll costs – and any pay-raises that may have been granted).(7)
One may think that the product offered by the splc is a solution to hate groups and their accompanying violent actions. One look at the SPLC’s defining standards for hate groups proves that is not the case. In fact the infamous hate map has been the direct cause of crimes against non violent organizations and there has been no decrease in the formation of hate groups that can be attributed to the SPLC’s monitoring activities. (8)
The product/service that this organization offers is fear and fear is always delivered as the hate map is constantly gaining new ‘hate groups’ usually consisting of non violent people guilty only of holding unpopular social,(9) religious and political positions.
The fact that their hate group monitoring services are so heavily relied upon by the media, government and the American public makes their conflation of unconventional ideas and violent hate activities not only dangerous to individuals belonging to non violent groups but also lessens vigilance toward those groups who may pose an actual danger to public safety. This practice benefits only the SPLC and their coffers. If there is any reason to cease supporting any non – profit organization the level of emotional manipulation and deception of the SPLC should be enough. And I have only addressed the company’s fund raising and investment practices so far, the details I have discovered about Morris Dees are reason for him to be removed entirely from any position in which honesty, integrity and compassion are desirable. I shall address these details in my next entry.
Sources:
1. Movie information: http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/1270...Story/overview
2. Case docket Donald v. United Klans of America: http://www.splcenter.org/get-informe...ans-of-america
3. The American Resistance: http://www.theamericanresistance.com/articles/html
4. YourDictionary Biography: http://biography.yourdictionary.com/morris-s-dees-jr
5. Non-Profit issues: http://www.nonprofitissues.com/publi...l#.UE2f3sIlXk4
6. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Souther...rty_Law_Center
7. Council of conservative citizens: http://cofcc.org/2012/07/splc-is-fig...or-106k-a-day/
8. CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/17/us/us-...ile/index.html
9. SPLC Hate Mape: http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map
http://salientsight.com/nurdydancing...ty-law-center/
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Originally Posted by tangent4ronpaul
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