The Southern Poverty Law Center [SPLC] published a list of the “30 new activists heading up the radical right.” It was published in the SPLC’s free magazine called “Intelligence Project.” The list includes many mainstream conservatives, including this writer.

I called the SPLC over and over for two business days, but no one in their “Intelligence” department was ever available. Apparently they all take three hour lunch breaks and leave work at 2:30 in the afternoon.

The original purpose of the “Intelligence Project” was supposed to be to fight the KKK. Noticeably absent from the SPLC’s enemies list is any Klan leaders. The SPLC could not even find one real life Klan leader to talk about. They list three “Neo-Nazis.” The SPLC says the first one is lying about having any following. The second one is identified as working in Iraq, so he is not even in the USA to lead anything. The third one is described as organizing his last event in 2008, and the SPLC say that was a flop.

So the SPLC could not point to any real life Klan or Nazi leader who is doing anything significant. Instead the SPLC aims it’s vitriol against the mainstream Conservative news website World Net Daily, and talk radio.

World Net Daily was the leading target. Its publisher Joseph Farrah and two employees of the news site are listed. Several mainstream radio talk show hosts are attacked. This includes big name syndicated host Alex Jones.

The magazine also calls Micheal Savage a “hate jock,” and has a entire article denouncing Rush Limbaugh.

Also on the list of “radical right” leaders is Black Panther Party leader Malik Zulu Shabazz. His inclusion has become the subject of confusion and laughter in the blogosphere. What is also surprising is how many of the people listed are not “new” at all. The SPLC identifies several of its “new activists” as being active since the 70s and 80s.

The entry on myself is particularly humorous. The SPLC says that I’m knowledgeable about Norse Mythology and that  means I’m a “white supremacist.” I’m trying to get a hold of my Scandinavian Mythology 101 professor from OSU to explain to her that she is turning out legions of “white supremacists.” The SPLC also says I “recently” wrote about Kennewick Man. By “recently” they mean 2002. They do not say what ideology that articles on Kennewick Man indicate. The Learning Channel filmed a documentary about Kennewick Man, I wonder what secret agenda they had.

The same issue has two articles attacking the Republican National Committee and one attacking Paypal founder Peter Thiel. The magazine claims that Sons of Confederate Veterans is partially run by “racist extremists.”

What the SPLC shows us is that they are now in a desperate frenzy to label any mainstream conservative as an “extremist.” They have to have enemies to keep the donations coming in. The SPLC has been denounced as a fraud even by the left-wing. Liberal talk show host Steve Colbert recently lampooned the group as a fund-raising hustle on the Colbert Report.

It’s not easy to convince people that World Net Daily and the Sons of Confederate Veterans is the new Klan, but I guess it beats getting a real job.