A recent training at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, intended for new military members, identified the Alaska Family Council as a hate group.
The public affairs office has since apologized to the Alaska Family Council after the group’s President Jim Minnery sent a notice out to his membership and supporters, alerting them to the training class and objecting to the classification. Minnery runs a Christian-based organization that has been around since 2006.
In the training, the trainers used a list of hate groups provided by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Alaska Family Council was listed by SPLC along with other groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, the Nation of Islam, and white nationalist clubs.
“We extend our deepest apologies to the Alaska Family Council members. We have addressed the issue and will ensure the Alaska Family Council is not referred to as a hate group during this training,” the apology stated. It was not signed with a name, but was from the Public Affairs Office.
“We have also removed—and will not include in future briefings—an infographic produced by the Southern Poverty Law Center that was included in the EO (equal opportunity) training slide deck,” the public affairs office wrote.
“Although we routinely disclosed that in displaying the infographic we did not endorse its findings as reflective of the Federal Government’s position on hate groups, we have concluded its inclusion in the briefing is not essential for understanding prohibitions on participation in dissident and protest activities stipulated in Department of Defense Directive 1325.6 and Air Force Instruction 51-903,” the note concluded.
Minnery was perplexed about the apology when reached on Saturday. “What about Eieilson and Fort Wainwright?” he asked. “How many other military units are training people with the SPLC list? This is not about me or Alaska Family Council, but that they made a purposeful decision to malign a massive number of people in the country and in our state state who are deeply supportive of nonviolent groups like Alaska Family Council. We’re anything but a hate group, so it’s scary to think about the huge number of people in the military who might be exposed to this training.”
Among groups included in the SPLC list of hate groups is Family Research Council, a group that is similar to Alaska Family Council. Both groups focus on family, abortion, religious liberty, and advising the public about LGBTQ+ evangelism.
In 2015, SPLC published a feature that targeted Alaska Family Council and the Alliance Defending Freedom over the issue of gender-assigned public restrooms, which AFC was active in defending in various formats, including ballot initiatives.
Family Research Council was targeted in 2012 by a man who had seen the group’s name on the SPLC hate group list, decided he disagreed with their politics, and came into the group’s Washington, D.C office shooting, hitting the building manager in the arm.
The shooter, Floyd Corkins, received a 25-year sentence in 2013 after pleading guilty.
It’s no small matter to be targeted by the SPLC, Minnery said, referring to the shooting inspired by the list. But he is especially concerned when the U.S. Military is accepting the SPLC’s list as gospel.
“This is not right, and I don’t feel we’ve heard the end of this, because it may be going on all across the country,” he said.
More evidence accumulating to show that Trump is destined for another term. Democrats and Lefties have lost their collective minds……….which means they no longer exist.
It is Extremely important for everyone to stay very alert for this kind of thing happening again and again and every time calling their bluff on these kinds of actions. Our Military is one of the greatest protections of our Freedom so this kind of actions must be brought to an immediate halt. This is proof positive that War has been declared on We The People which is the title used at the very beginning of the “The Constitution of the United States.” and why I use it. Currently it is called “United States Constitution” which in incorrect English which our Founders most definitely understood. Everyone must correct this Title to show everyone that we know the difference. The television, radio, and the Public School System is the real cause of this dumbing down of We The People. The Public School System is always the greatest tool of all Socialistic Dictatorships to bring the People in line. Seymour Marvin Mills Jr. sui juris
I would like to know which list the military is using from this leftist political organization?
Where is the list and who else is on it?
Who is the idiot in charge that is allowing this to happen?
Senator Sullivan, care to put a stop to this insanity?
It started under the O’Bama regime. As congress is dragging its feet confirming appointments by the Trump administration, there are LOTS of second and third tier O’Bama appointees still around who fully support this sort of foolishness. If you want the delegation to do anything, have them get off their back sides and get all the Trump nominees sitting in process confirmed. Cheers –
As I understand it, many consider the Southern Poverty Law Center to be a hate group. Either Google or Facebook has discontinued use of their “services.” The SPLC is an advocacy group and not qualified to referee or advise on much of anything. Wake up, US military. You are supposed to be smart.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has long been discredited as a legitimate group. This has got to be a holdover from the Obama administration. Our delegation needs to jump on this bigly.
The SPCL is a Communist front group designed to demoralize the US population.
Wow… please don’t jump to asinine conclusions… clearly, some service member WAS smart enough to recognize that this organization was falsly or unjustly labeled in this presentation. How exactly the information that the SPLC infographic ended up on a slide for training became public, I suspect, is a matter of whistleblowing and that should not be pursued by the media or the military. As a relatively recent retiree of our military, I can’t tell you how often our service members time is wasted in meaningless information briefings and classes on any number of topics that really dumb down our fighting men and women. Kudos to whoever spotted this and brought it up for correction, even if the chain of command wasn’t given the opportunity to fix it first (they probably wouldn’t have). I wonder however, at what level of command was this instruction prepared? There’s more than a good chance that some overworked Staff Sergeant with a ridiculous “additional duty” appointment (EO/EEO NCO for a company grade command) was directed the night before to present a class on “hate groups.” This might have been the result of a poorly executed Google search. Worse case scenario, and if it’s the case, this training has been put together at Department of Defense and distributed nation wide, or any level in between .. either way, I don’t believe this is a concerted effort to intentionally besmirch an organization by the DoD.
As a former member of the military, I believe it’s highly unlikely that “some overworked Staff Sergeant” was tasked with the duty of throwing together one of these training classes on hate groups. From my experience, that job ALWAYS falls on the shoulders of a junior commissioned office, not an NCO. Besides the fact, not a single military class is okayed without the consent of higher-ups who have gone through the materials before the meeting. I was in operations in Europe in the 1980s and, unless the military structure for training criteria has been drastically altered (and I don’t believe it has) this mistake must be placed at the desk of the Commanding Officer and not on some NCO’s shoulders. Secondly, any military member worth his salt in training should know better than to rely on the very Progressive and racist Southern Poverty Law Center for any infographic. That’s just careless and lazy. The SPLC should be, itself, labeled a “hate group.” This is the same group that advises PayPal as to who can make a living through that payment center and who cannot. That whole organization is a disgraceful example of radical and dangerous Leftist ideology, created solely to target Right-wing endeavors. This is a huge blunder and someone high up should own up to it.
@Barry A.A. Dillinger – things HAVE changed since the 80’s my friend. It is not my intention to disparage some random NCO. Nor is it my intention to make excuses for whatever level of command is responsible for this boneheaded mistake. The commander may delegate authority and/or resources to perform such things, but you are correct, he or she is 100% responsible for success or failure or any condition in between. Nevertheless, this is a political issue that has seeped into our politically apathetic military and should not have. Again, I commend whoever brought it to light, and encourage others to do the same when politics tries to slide in under the radar, from either side of the aisle!
Nicely said, Dennis!
The US military using the SPLC to define hate groups…we have met the enemy and he is us.
The base commander needs to be removed. The buck stops with him/her for whatever happens on that base.
I know the USAF has a LGBTQ mafia that exerts undue influence upon leadership that never existed with don’t ask, don’t tell.
I became aware of them when they attacked a Chaplain for writing a commentary in his newsletter about how Faith helped the WWII combat soldier in the fox hole maintain their courage and kept them going. The mafia attacked the Chaplain as bigoted in his remarks and the base commander sanctioned the Chaplain.
Why is the SPLC considered to be an ‘expert’ in this area, given their record?
The SPLC is hardly an objective, fact based foundation. It is bigotry aimed at silencing the majority and ending free political speech and thought in this country. Those who run and work for the SPLC are communists.
Time and again, the SPLC has been charged with inaccuracies that have damaged reputations and organizations without any basis in fact, but were in opposition to the Marxist and racist goals of the SPLC. The SPLC has been sued numerous times to cease and desist their attacks on individuals and groups with success, but they keep up their Machiavellian goal of silencing those who oppose their Marxist, divisive goals. The military is a prime crucible for the Left.
Even our military academies tolerate Marxist cadets in their midst.
How can one swear an oath to support and to defend, when one’s intent and beliefs are just the opposite–to tear down and destroy this Republic and our Constitution?
Fire the Base Commander.
Well said, Larry. On the money.
Beyond belief, beyond understanding. This goes in the Estupido category!
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