Associated Press
FRC President Tony Perkins.
Floyd Lee Corkins II is in custody, accused of shooting an unarmed guard at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., yesterday. According to all accounts, Corkins was motivated by his political opposition to the FRC's far-right, anti-gay message, and the gunman carried ammunition and 15 Chick-fil-A sandwiches in his backpack during the attack.
Fortunately, the victim, Leo Johnson, will recover and no one was hurt, but the incident could have been much worse had Johnson not unarmed Corkins. Today, the group's president, former Republican lawmaker Tony Perkins, held a press event responding to the incident.
[Perkins] said the Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups gave "license" to a shooter who injured a security guard at the conservative religious policy and lobbying organization's headquarters on Wednesday.
In a news conference addressing the incident and the arrest of the alleged shooter, Floyd Corkins II, Perkins said: "Let me be clear that Floyd Corkins was responsible for firing the shots yesterday that wounded one of our colleagues ... but Corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center that have been reckless in labeling organizations 'hate groups' because they disagree with them on public policy."
Perkins noted that plenty of LGBT organizations issued statements condemning Corkins' violence, and he "appreciates" the sentiments, adding that he hopes they will "join us in calling for an end to the reckless rhetoric that I believe led to yesterday's incident."
The bigger picture is quite more nuanced than Perkins seems willing to acknowledge. The Southern Poverty Law Center has condemned the Family Research Council's anti-gay work because, well, the Family Research Council does a lot of anti-gay work -- enough for the SPLC to label the FRC a "hate" group.
For Perkins, there's a chain of events that points to causality -- the SPLC condemned the FRC for its anti-gay work; Corkins may have seen the SPLC's condemnation; the suspected gunman was apparently deranged enough to want to commit acts of violence against his perceived enemy; ergo the SPLC bears some responsibility for Corkins' actions.
Except that doesn't make any sense, and Perkins surely knows better.
Consider this tragic violence in 2008 from Tennessee, for example.
A man accused of fatally shooting two adults and wounding seven others at a Knoxville church told police the church's liberal teachings prompted him to attack, according to court papers.
Jim David Adkisson told investigators all liberals should be killed and admitted he shot people Sunday morning at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by CNN affiliate WBIR. [...]
According to the affidavit requesting to search Adkisson's home, the suspect told investigators liberals should be killed because they were ruining the country. Adkisson also blamed Democrats for the country's decline, according to the affidavit.
When investigators searched the murder's home, they found "Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder" by Michael Savage, "Let Freedom Ring" by Sean Hannity, and "The O'Reilly Factor," by Bill O'Reilly.
Did Savage, Hannity, and O'Reilly give, to use Tony Perkins' word, "license" to the madman to shoot nine unarmed, innocent people in a church? Of course not. Savage, Hannity, and O'Reilly are free to share their political opinions, and so long as they don't incite acts of violence, it's unfair to blame them for the actions of a madman.
Indeed, Perkins has been deeply critical of all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons. If some sick individual heard those criticisms and decided to commit and act of violence, Perkins wouldn't be responsible, either.
I'm a little surprised Perkins pushed this argument today, and I have to wonder if, once people have a chance to catch their breath and reflect on yesterday's violence, he might reconsider.
Leave a Comment:
By his logic, he should be calling down Sarah Palin, as well as over half the GOP candidates running and all the GOP's literary darlings, since they've actually referred to using violence to get their ways. But, oh, right, to him It's Okay If You're A Republican.
By his own logic (such as it were) he should be blaming himself and his colleagues for the murder of abortion doctors and all gay bashings. I don't know if Muslim Taliban do this, but Christian Taliban seem ever ready to portray themselves as persecuted victims, and then use the phony victim status to posture sanctimoniously. That's exactly what he's doing here, and it gets me furious!
yea
This has now confirmed all my research, in trying to figure out how and why we are so damn divided as a Country......"Crazy People Don't Know They Are Crazy",...There is nothing you can say to a crazy person that will change their mind.....(so, just vent and move on!!!!)
There is a growing body of literature that such people may be committing "suicide by police" on either side of the political spectrum. This was his trigger yesterday, but it might have easily been his landlord or employer or whatever was passing through his head when the bell rang so to speak.
You can't explain the thoughts and actions of mentally ill people by using rational associations and logical chains of events.
But you can prevent them from owning guns.
Donna, the only way you can do that is by supporting big intrusive government that'll take away your gun rights and force you to bear childr- ... ... never mind.
Donna is right. In other Western countries, people may not carry guns or own them. England is one. They may have hunting rifles, but that is it. And bearing children???Huh?
It's time we put a lid on gun ownership in this country!
It's an odd sort of eating your cake and having it too argument. The FRC doesn't want to be labeled a hate group. It doesn't want to be blamed when people go on shooting sprees and those shooters later identify themselves as conservatives who believe the FRC when they raise funds on a message of intolerance and hate...
But now that one self-admitted leftie went off with a gun, they want to label the SPLC a hate group.
Kinda like when righties insist the Swiftboaters didn't lie about John Kerry but "told it like it is," but when their side is attacked, claim the attacks are false and they are being "swiftboated."
People on the right have an odd notion of free speech. They like to say what they want, but the moment anyone takes notice of what they said and respond to it, they freak out and claim that they are being attacked and that their rights are being infringed. It never seems to occur to them that speech is a two-way thing. In their minds, it seems, for their speech to be free the rest of must sit still in mute appreciation of all the freedom being exercised at us. The reality is that for speech to be free, we must take notice and must respond. Everybody gets to have their say, even if it hurts little Tony's wee-baby feelings.
wow...nicely put....I think you hit the
nailrepublican on the head. hahahahaI understand where Perkins is coming from. I felt the same way about Sarah Palin and the tea party when Gabby Giffords and the others were shot in Tucson.
It is easy to blame the other guy, and it is easier to give ourselves a free pass with the childish excuse the other guy "started it." I am afraid we are headed to a future full of similar acts of violence if we don't get control of our political discourse.
Show me where the SPLC put up targets on a web site, please. Show me where they pulled them down the day after the shooting, like Sarah's crew did. If you're attempting to make equivalences, please don't make false ones. You don't understand where Tony Perkins is coming from at all, you are hoodwinked into believing that a purveyor of hate toward a large portion of the American population can legitimately claim to have been victimized. Please educate yourself as to what the FRC stood for, fought against, and how disingenuous ALL of their propaganda is. Then come back and tell me Sarah Palin's website was as innocent as the SPLC's years of careful fact-finding and research and documentation of outright bigotry in America Please don't confuse honest research and documentation with simple-minded blatant prejudice.
Well said! I send a small check every month to the SPLC (Doctors Without Borders), one of the great institutions in our country.
JohnDavis12
I am sure Perkins is exploiting this situation, because that is his way, but I am sad that you have become so tribal you can't begin to understand the anger and hate in your post. There is a time for strong partisanship, but when a man lies wounded is not one of them.
Tony Perkins is exploiting this shooting in an attempt to shed the SPLC's "hate group" label that the FRC earned. The Family Research Council is a "hate group". Numerous members of the FRC (including it's President, Tony Perkins himself) has slandered LGBT people with some of the most vile accusations around, including claiming gays are pedophiles, cannot make good parents (based on debunked 'social science' studies they use) etc.
It should also be noted that Tony Perkins paid over $82,000 to a leader of the KKK to purchase a mailing list of their members.
This shooting should have never happened. But the SPLC's has credible criteria that it uses before designating an organization a "hate group" and The Family Research Council easily meets that criteria.
You cannot demonize a class of people like the FRC has done to LGBT people using some of the most slanderous, vile, and untruthful accusations and expect NOT to be labeled a "hate group".
The SPLC correctly labeled the FRC as a HATE GROUP and this shooting does not let this bigoted group off the hook for all of the harm THEY have done to LGBT people.
The best thing Liberals can do to get under Tony's skin is to make a donation, in honor of Tony Perkins, to the Southern Poverty Law Center and have SPLC send a "thank you" card to Tony in D.C. I just donated $25.00 ...
It's the FRC's fault they are on the SPLC's list of Hate Groups. If they stopped lying and distorting facts about LGBT people, the SPLC would have no issue with them, even if they disagreed with the FRC's position. It's those lies and distortions that have earned the FRC the Hate Group designation.
With all due respect (your posts are eloquent and well thought out) I think racism is more of a character flaw or a failure to grow up. Stupidity and venality aren't mental illnesses in their own right, I don't think.
Not my opinion - I'm quoting from the National Library of Medicine.
It's a disease.
I vehemently disagree with the National Library of Medicine.
Racism is not a disease. When you can stand in front of a mirror and say, "I'm not going to be that way anymore" and follow through in a way that changes your situation, what you have isn't a "disease." If you have a cold, or the flu--or cancer--there's nothing you can say that, alone, will cure it. You can't wish it away.
You can decide not to be a racist, and follow through on that by becoming more understanding and tolerant. Your body and the physical aspects of your mind don't get in the way.
When doctors classify things like racism as "diseases," it leads to two unsatisfactory ends. First, it takes the person off the hook and allows them to deny responsibility for their actions. Second, it provides a path for conservatives to make one of their favorite claims: that "liberalism is a disease."
I'm not willing to go down that road. Nor should anyone else.
hi MP, long time.....I get both sides of the argument in technical terms....but it's never that cut and dry....remember we have to look at each event and action of the individual and not the group they claim to be apart of. If not, we run the risk of lumping and getting that same finger pointed back at ourselves. I'm not a big fan of calling racism a disease. To me, it's a learned behavior. but at what time do you say....ok, Jimbob, you are old enough to make your own opinions as to rasism, religion, politics, santa claus...the list goes on. To diagnose, one has to say....What was the motivation of the individual. I'm leaning more to Racism not being labeled as a disease. Peace to us all
Who could have predicted this (MeddlingMonk)?
Look, I am not going to say all Christians are homophobes and bigots, because it's totally untrue. So, let's not get into this "look at the LGBTQ supporters", they are all violent.
Well, it is true that the coming out backlash has led to horrible, horrible actions. I speak from personal experience, but some were hospitalized and some did not survive.
There are folks that can't take much more of this demonizing because we want to be treated equally. Folks like FRC go out of their way to make sure people stay riled up about something that exists, is legal and should be accepted by compassionate persons as equal. But instead, trying to always marginalize a group that they believe are not worthy of rights nor acceptance.
The reckless rhetoric that led to this is not coming from people seeking equality, it's coming from those who claim those seeking equality is the threat. Is he saying the LGBTQ should be quiet and stay in the closet?
But do they not know that their constant demonizing of the gays is the rhetoric that needs to stop? Claiming their right to be bigoted and enshrine bigotry into the laws is more important than a person's right to be treated equally under the laws is driving people to act violently, and it has been directed at LGBTQ people.
I wish I could say that I had predicted it. I didn't go nearly far enough. I figured that the religious right was going to stop at just flinging this incident back at the heads of all LGBTQ (I am so fighting the urge to add MOUSE...oh, damn!) people, but apparently they're going after a larger target: every single one of their critics. Gay, straight, doesn't matter. I did not foresee them lashing out at the SPLC. Opportunism I predicted, but not such opportunistic chutzpah.
I'm sort of impressed. Perkins and the others have far exceeded my low, mean opinions of them. When will I ever learn that there's no limit to how far they can sink?
I don't have it so bad. I fall into the gaps between the most popular labels, and people don't ever quite see what they can't name. Nevertheless, whenever some hateful thing is said or hateful act is committed, I feel white-hot anger. A lot of that is simply the injustice of it, and the stupidity. But even though none of it is directed straight at me, it comes close enough to feel some of the fear and anger that hate speech must stir more powerfully in the intended targets. I'm not totally surprised that someone full of resentment over the relentless hatred tried to take a gun to the problem, but it is massively disappointing that he didn't have the sense to foresee the harm that was going to do everyone as a result.
Are they ever not saying that? Don't forget Pat Robertson's little rant recently when he said that if you don't reproduce, you have to remain silent. They're so full of their own privilege that I'm sure they don't realize the amount of harm they are doing, or if they do they don't care. They want what they want, and they think that wanting is enough to get them their way.
Getting really worked up now. Rant mode terminated.
OK, feeling a little better now. It may be worth linking to the SPLC's response to being made the scapegoat in this.
Now this bit of insanity I could never have predicted: Perkins is now blaming the FRC shooting incident on the president and the contraceptives mandate! You have got to be @!$%#ting us, Tony. Does your 'mother' know what you're up to?
Yeah, they will seize anything they can, twist into "attacking religion" and goose it up to the nth degree possible. This is going to be uuggg-leee.
Yes, having everyone off birth control and fertilized eggs are persons, get rid of "the homosexuals", they would make humans extinct and molest their children. It's all Obama's fault and the minute Rmoney/Ryan are in and Obama is out, then the country is in order once again~ ready for the rapture~ sarcasm off now.
Here's some prime ugly: this "Internet evangelist" (that's a thing?) named Bill Keller (never heard of him) is now suing the SPLC for $100 million if they don't take his organization off their list of hate groups.
It's weird. One kook goes off the deep end, and they all pounce like they've found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, except it's not the pot of gold that they've pounced on. I know the right don't like the SPLC, but do they really think they can take them down just because...? The alleged gunman volunteered at an LGBT community center, and they don't go after teh gay? They must really, really hate the SPLC, then.
I used to donate to SPLC, when I had money. They expose and legally work to end discrimination in all forms of activity and laws.
When a specific group FRC/FOF goes out of their way to lie and spread them publicly about "homosexuals" (they won't say gay) They would include LGBTQI and Q everyone not conforming to their "definition of normal" under the term.
This group, FRC makes up facts and uses them to aid in discrimination somehow feel entitled to spread hate calls themselves victims. http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/groups/family-research-council
They are saying SPLC cannot have free speech, but they are the only ones with that right. Well, sue those fact based violating our right to spread lies and hate.
Here's an excerpt, an example of the religious nature of claims of superiority of their beliefs:
Again-not all religious groups are "anti-homosexual" and many even embrace and support LGBTQ.
The dogma FRC spews gets debunked-wrong on "facts", the SPLC identifies FRC as a hate group. Well, their dogma has been used for the continuing long term violence against perceived "homosexual behavior" .
FRC's Sprigg answered on Hardball: should we outlaw gay behavior? Yes
Seems FRC's Tony Perkins also has had ties with white supremacists like Duke, using his email list and when talking about protecting borders (signed Minutemen statement) and said it's not so much about security as about protecting the "cultural fabric".
Their misinformation and anti-gay laws campaign leads people to think it's OK to treat "others" as unequal and demonize them.
Apparently one incident of LGBT volunteer "going too far" is just too much to tolerate, but thousands of "gay bashings" and suicides, discriminating laws are just fine.
There are consequences to all this hate speech and lies. The difference is many of us do not condone the violence. Some would shrug essentially say "so, it's one less of them and/or taught them a lesson on how they should be".
Tony Perkins isn't the only person making this assertion. I received this press release in my inbox.
Thu, August 16, 2012 3:10:11 PM
WHO PUT TARGET ON FRC'S BACK?
From:
WND.com <press@wnd-media.ccemails.com>
To:
WND Reader <glajoe@gayleague.com>
WHO PUT TARGET ON FRC'S BACK
Exclusive: Joseph Farah implicates 'hate-mongering' groups in shooting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Left-wing extremist groups are always quick to blame the right for acts of violence perpetrated by random nut job, writes WND CEO Joseph Farah in his latest column.
In light of the shooting attack on the Family Research Council today, maybe it's time for organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center and Planned Parenthood to get a dose of their own poison.
Both of these organizations literally did their best to put a target on the back of FRC and other pro-family groups by labeling it as a "hate group" (SPLC) and "terrorist or extremist organization" (Planned Parenthood).
Do they bear any responsibility for the climate of fear-mongering they helped create? Were they in any way responsible for encouraging this act of violence against a group that stands up for the institution of marriage and against the wanton taking of unborn life? Has either one of these groups expressed any remorse over the hysteria they purposely generated toward Family Research Council?
In light of the attack on FRC, every other organization and individual targeted with such vitriolic hate speech by Planned Parenthood and SPLC now understands they, too, are in the crosshairs.
While the details of the shooting are sketchy at this point, this is what we do know: The attacker &qndash; a 28-year-old Virginia man, Floyd Corkins II, who reportedly volunteered for an LGBT center "walked in the front door of FRC's building in Washington and "started yelling about things FRC supported and opened fire." FRC's security guard was injured in the attack.
The organization, founded in 1983, works to forward faith, family and freedom issues in public policy. It informs lawmakers and staff on Capitol Hill, reviews legislation and provides expert testimony in Congress. The group has been active in exposing pro-abortion and other agendas of the Obama administration.
Planned Parenthood, which is funded by U.S. taxpayers, listed FRC among a number of conservative, pro-family, anti-abortion groups as "terrorist or extremist organizations." Thankfully, that reference has since been scrubbed by Planned Parenthood.
Not so in the case of the infamous Southern Poverty Law Center, which, in 2010, identified FRC as one of many "hate groups."
In this case, it appears the attacker was in agreement with the positions of Planned Parenthood and SPLC. One can only wonder whether this was the kind of reaction these groups were trying to ignite or whether they were more interested in how much money they could raise by demonizing a respected organization carrying out its First Amendment rights.
I can tell you this.
Other groups and individuals on those lists – including me and my news organization – are taking this matter very seriously and beefing up security precautions in anticipation of more violence provoked by slanderous and vicious assaults of this kind.
Yes, I made the same lists. So did WND as an organization.
Now we are watching our backs, knowing that Planned Parenthood and SPLC have placed targets on them for every maniac who reads their reports and takes them seriously.
There can be consequences to this kind of hate speech – as we saw today.
Will there be any apologies forthcoming from either group? I doubt it. Will there be any regrets expressed? I doubt it. Will there be any efforts at reparations or restoration? I can almost promise you that will not be the case.
For hate-mongering, fear-mongering groups like Planned Parenthood and SPLC, the chickens are coming home to roost.
I know neither one of these groups believes in prayer, but, if I were among their severely disturbed and deranged leadership, I would be praying the shooter is not a card-carrying member.
To schedule an interview with Joseph Farah, please contact media@wnd.com.
This email was sent to you as a subscriber to the Press Release list from WND.com.
To immediately and permanently unsubscribe, click here
If you are interested in advertising with WND.com, the leading independent news source on the Net,
email advertising@wnd.com.
WND | 2020 Pennsylvania Ave NW, #351 | Washington, DC 20006
Copyright 1997-2012 WND.com Inc. All Rights Reserved.
You need to send them to the NRA website and send them to the Lobbyists for the NRA. They are also part of the reason that sensible gun legislation is an anathema in this country.
What idiot Joseph Farah doesn't realize is that, by claiming that the SPLC and Planned Parenthood are responsible for the shootings at the FRC, he is implicitly agreeing that FRC and other such conservative groups are responsible for attacks on Planned Parenthood, abortion clinics, the SPRC and other institutions and organizations. Nice work, Farah! You made our case for us! (Though, obviously, I say he's an idiot, not only because he condemns himself and those like him, but also I myself don't agree that either the SPRC or Planned Parenthood is in any way responsible for the shootings, not even for "creating a climate" in which such shootings are encouraged and think he's an idiot for thinking they are.)
WND ... speaks volumes ...
Thatnks for the demonstration of how stupid stupid has to be to be someone stupid enough to be on an e-mail list to get crap from certified whack job Joseph Farah.
Violence is never the answer, perhaps he should be looking to his own practices before assigning blame to the SPLC. It's generally the ones who yell the loudest who are the instigators of the exact same offense. Mirrors are great for those who can actually look at them and see no fault.
I'm pretty sick of these Republicans crying "victim" whenever THEY are made to look bad, but are the first to assign blame whenever anyone on the Democrat side looks bad.
Let's take Sarah Palin's poster putting gun targets and crosshairs over the districts of the country she wanted Republicans to "take aim" at, those districts where they wanted to take over the Senate or Congress seat.
One of those targeted districts was then the elected constituency of Gabby Gifford.
Yeah, "It's Okay If You're A Republican".
Makes me sick.
Sean.
It's the conservitard M.O. - Demand others take responsibility for their own actions, but when it comes to a conservitard's actions, they blame everyone else ... blame is better to give than receive ...
Guns, fags, hate groups the republican party the church its all the same @!$%#. No one cares about the fringe fags and there american rights just there greedy pocket book and they will be empty. What come around goes around-- Amen god bless the rest of you...
I wonder if they would ever think of blaming the NRA?
I think a press release from WND about this pretty much removes all credibility from Perkins' argument.
As if Perkins had any credibility to begin with ...
Remember the howling by some conservatives when it was suggested that Palin's crosshairs encouraged the Gabby Giffords incident?
Politics makes strange bedfellows.
" Corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center"
I'm pretty sure Congresswoman Giffords was also "unarmed".
So, butter won't melt in your mouth, eh, Tony? To quote Brando- "Oh, the Horror!"
This by the same people who would gun down abortion doctors and shout out to everyone that it was "God's Will"?????????? WTF!
And here I thought it was the NRA and their government biatches who had "given [him] a license to shoot". Misinterpretation of the Second Amendment kills people on both sides of the isle.
Here is the file on the FRC from the Southern Poverty Law Center:
http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-files/groups/family-research-council
In no way do I condone violence on either side. I feel I have to state that due to the attacks people receive when truth is spoken. I have been working on a research project regarding Hate Speech in Evangelical circles. I have seen video after video of clergy calling on underground groups to kidnap kids and stating the desire for gays, atheists, and several other target groups to "DIE".
If there is any blame to be thrown out there, why not blame those who spread this rhetoric in the first place. Why aren't these groups and churches (non-profit status with IRS) held accountable? Free speech. When does free speech become inciting terrorism? Is it only terrorism if you are a non-Christian?
So disgusted with the whole thing...
Sorta OT -- I had friends who were members of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Church. I thank God they decided not to attend church the day Adkisson went on his rampage.
Hate groups no longer ride through town in pickup trucks shooting into the sky. Now, when people want to spread hate, they do it with all types of covert propaganda, and feign ignorance when people put the spotlight on them. The slander and absolute lies that come from groups like this have led to more violence and suffering than that numbskull FRC president could comprehend.
For the record, being identified as a hate-group by SPLC is not based simply on doing "a lot of anti-gay work." The group must engage in the propagation of "known falsehoods" and "repeated, groundless name-calling." Incidentally, by this definition, the Romney campaign should probably labelled a hate group.
Says the guy who's from a group that does pretty much nothing but sprew reckless rhetoric and viciously condemn an entire group of people. Forgive me if your message and call for civility rings a bit follow, Perkins.
Hey, you systematically @!$%# on people for long enough and anything can happen there Tony.. As you sow, and watch your back, hmm?