Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1996 22:22:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: "Milton John Kleim, Jr." <mjk@efn.org>
To: "Rodney D. Coates" <coatesrd@casmail.muohio.edu>
cc: revs@csf.colorado.edu
Subject: Re: FORMER White Nationalist proposes research
In-Reply-To: <324BBB6C.7E56@casmail.muohio.edu>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.95.960927222150.15347A-100000@garcia.efn.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Rodney Coates writes:

>We, however, are somewhat concerned when you, in your confession, you put
>down two of the primary instruments against racism and organized racist
>groups (i.e. the Anti-Defamation league and the Southern Poverty Law
>Center) which have for decades been the quite faithful in their mission to
>erradicate racism and keep pressure on those forces of radical racial
>hate.  Please, in your ferver to correct you past wrongs, do not castigate
>those structures that been our only sources of sunshine in the darkness
>created by hatred and evil.  

Dear Mr. Coates & friends:

I was quite certain some individuals would take issue with my criticism of
the ADL and Morris Dees' SPLC.  I stand by my criticism, and will offer
some explanation. 

Ideology never enlightens.  It always blinds to the realities of the
world.  After my "escapades" in the "movement," I have seen how closed
minded viewing the world within the confines of ideological restraints
makes a person. 

The ADL has a clear, but understandable agenda.  They are a highly
politicized organization, though, and this causes many biases which tend
to diminish the quality of their publications.  In addition, ADL often is
careless in their research, using outdated or grotesquely extrapolated
data, or obviously unreliable sources.  Often in ADL material I've seen
information that is three or more years old, being put forth as current
(at time of publication).  Their "intelligence arm" is either underfunded,
overworked, or just sloppy.  There may also be a bit of exaggeration going
on, to generate funding. 

As for the SPLC, Alabama and national media have documented Mr. Dees and
his organization's abuse of their position for self-serving ends.  SPLC
publications are even more inaccurate (and therefore less properly useful)
than ADL materials.  It would appear more deliberate distortion occurs at
SPLC, than carelessness with the facts.  Most notably is Mr. Dees' highly
inaccurate portrayal of the neo-militia "movement" as one and the same as
the White Nationalist "movement."  While I'm no defender of the militias,
they span a wide-variety of political outlooks, and are multi-cultural,
many having African-American leadership.  Any good researcher
investigating the subject would know quickly the popular assertion of "the
racist militia menace" is incorrect, and to advance it as correct, as Mr.
Dees likes to do, is intellectual dishonesty at its worst.  It is on par
with the intellectual dishonesty I and others engaged in for the benefit
of the "movement."  It is my opinion, as well as the opinion of many
others of a variety of political persuasions, that Mr. Dees is more
interested in himself than fighting the REAL problems of violence-prone
groups. 

My point is simple: in order to fight a problem, one must know the
problem.  And if one uses inaccurate, distorted, or manipulated
information, it is difficult or impossible to combat a social menace
effectively.  I want to see an end to recruitment of young naive kids into
the White Power scene, and I am in an unique position to help develop the
means to achieve this goal.

-- Milton John Kleim, Jr.
   Sacramento

--

September 27th: Another "movement" activist resigns...

http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~bb748