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Number of U.S. Hate Groups Is Rising, Report Says

In this modern era, we should by now be able to understand and realize what sanity really is but we don't. We get worse and worse as a human race:

"ATLANTA — Fed by antagonism toward President Obama, resentment toward changing racial demographics and the economic rift between rich and poor, the number of so-called hate groups and antigovernment organizations in the nation has continued to grow, according to a report released Wednesday by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The center, which has kept track of such groups for 30 years, recorded 1,018 hate groups operating last year.

The number of groups whose ideology is organized against specific racial, religious, sexual or other characteristics has risen steadily since 2000, when 602 were identified, the center said. Antigay groups, for example, have risen to 27 from 17 in 2010.

The report also described a “stunning” rise in the number of groups it identifies as part of the so-called patriot and militia movements, whose ideologies include deep distrust of the federal government."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/08/us/number-of-us-hate-groups-on-th...

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ted Gresham on March 8, 2012 at 9:59am

You realize, of course, atheist groups are considered hate groups by the religious right.

Permalink Reply by Sandi on March 8, 2012 at 4:30pm

Yeah, I hate groups! :p

Permalink Reply by Ted Gresham on March 8, 2012 at 4:33pm

Funny. Depends on the group for me. :)

Permalink Reply by Loren Miller on March 8, 2012 at 4:43pm

I'm not sure I can be surprised at the hate groups coming out of the woodwork at this point. Some of it is in reaction to Obama, granted, and sadly, that was to be expected. However, I suspect another portion of it is in reaction to US, to atheists, to our insistence on FACTS and the effect that the foundation for their irrationality tends to wither in the face of facts.

Most if not all of these groups have one very essential thing in common: they are SCARED, and likely for a reason. The reason is the recognition that, slowly (and sometimes painfully slowly) but surely, the support for their bigoted and regressive positions is eroding. Their natural reaction is two fold:

PANIC!!!
Make as much noise as possible.

The best way to deal with them is to make them as public as possible, cover them in the news and on the internet ... and (pardon my french) Ridicule the FUCK Out Of Them! Oh, and of course, when the violate the law (and they will), prosecute and don't blink.

As with anything else these days, it'll take time, patience and persistence to get rid of them, but I think they CAN be dealt with in this fashion.

Permalink Reply by Hugh Kramer on March 8, 2012 at 6:26pm