Dear TIA,

It saddened me to see such good people as yourselves slandered by the Southern Poverty Law Center. If only every website disseminating information had the razor sharp, crystal clear logic that is demonstrated time and time again on your site. I am truly an admirer of not only the content of the website, but also its presentation.

It is true that the SPLC did not distinguish, (and actually dismissed) the distinction between the Jews as a people, (or 'race') and the Jewish religion. It also neglected the fact that the Jews are themselves divided into their own 'traditional' or 'Orthodox' Judaism, their 'Novus Ordo' Judaism, or 'Reform Judaism', and the 'Conservative' Judaism, quite similar to 'conservative' Catholics who go along with the changes Reform Judaism has helped to bring about. Perhaps it is a bit of a non-sequitur in the limited discussion of SPLC's focus, but a more honest analysis would have to address the views of each type of Judaism separately. Indeed, it is not the Orthodox Jews who are engaging in this 'ecumenical' dialogue with the Vatican, it is the Novus Ordo Jews involved in dialogue with the Novus Ordo Catholics.

I mention the distinction of religion because traditional Catholics can both feel that Judaism is wrong, but often respect Orthodox Jews for their fidelity to tradition. I have heard this opinion from both laymen and priests. It is personally offensive to be labeled 'radical' and 'anti-Semitic'. Indeed, they should take a cue from their own sheet and actually visit a traditional chapel and talk with the people, and the priests and nuns. Don't they know that it is prejudiced to paint all traditional Catholics with one paintbrush?

On a personal note, even though my father is Jewish, I eventually became a traditionalist Catholic. It took a long time, because of the obfuscation in Jewish circles between the Jewish religion and the Jewish people. I was always told about the 'horrible things' Christians did to the Jews. For a long time, I felt that I was 'betraying' my father's side of the family to choose to become Catholic, (my mother is Methodist, neither one was practicing). It was hard to break through the distinction between 'religion' and 'people'.

Orthodox Judaism is the 'legitimate contender' of Traditional Catholicism. That is, either Jesus is the Messiah or the Pharisees were exercising their rightful authority in condemning a heretic. But Orthodox Judaism is not given the critical inspection that traditional Catholicism is. Its views on non-Jews are quite frightening. The Orthodox Jews that the Noahide Laws bind non-Jews, just as we believe the Natural Law binds non-Catholics. A closer look at these Noahide Laws shows that the idea of the Triune God is considered idolatry, which would break the Noahide law, and the penalty for breaking any Noahide law is decapitation. Certainly this isn't a 'tolerant' view. Any book on the Noahide laws would show them also to be specifically anti-Catholic in their beliefs; our statues are considered idolatrous. Thus Orthodox Judaism is 'anti-Christian' and in particular 'anti-Catholic'.

The other 'Judaisms' are Protestant influenced and invalid, not by my standard, but Judaism's own standard. But these are all given equal weight, which is another error.

Please forgive me for my lack of conciseness, but in the topic of the relationship between Judaism and Catholicism there is so much to cover!

Please keep up the good work!

     Yours truly,

     E.R.

Dear TIA,

Having followed Morris Dees' fearmongering/fundraising for many years, I offer this article "Morris Dees' Defamation" as a succinct summary that substantiates Mr. Guimaraes' intuition that he expresses in his response to the Southern Poverty Law Center attack.

The pursuit of cash supersedes Dees' fidelity to reality, as left-wing journalists have noted.

"Morris Dees doesn't need your financial support," writes Ken Silverstein in 'The Church of Morris Dees' (Harper's, November 2000), observing that:

"The SPLC is already the wealthiest civil rights group in America. Back in 1978, when the Center had less than $10 million, Dees promised that his organization would quit fund-raising and live off interest as soon as its endowment hit $55 million. But as it approached that figure, the SPLC upped the bar to $100 million, a sum that, one 1989 newsletter promised, would allow the Center 'to cease the costly and often unreliable task of fund raising.' Today, the SPLC's treasury bulges with $120 million, and it spends twice as much on fund-raising-$5.76 million last year-as it does on legal services for victims of civil rights abuses.

"The American Institute of Philanthropy gives the Center one of the worst ratings of any group it monitors, estimating that the SPLC could operate for 4.6 years without making another tax-exempt nickel from its investments or raising another tax-deductible cent from well-meaning 'people like you.'"

JoAnn Wypijewski has remarked in The Nation (February 26, 2001):

"What is the Southern Poverty Law Center doing? Mostly making money! In 1999 it spent $2.4 million on litigation and $5.7' million on fundraising, meanwhile taking in more than $44 million--$27 million from fundraising, the rest from investments. On the subject of 'hate groups' - No one has been more assiduous in inflating the profile of such groups than the center's millionaire huckster, Morris Dees, who in 1999 began a begging letter, 'Dear Friend, The danger presented by the Klan is greater now than at any time in the past ten years. With a salary close to $300,000 putting him among the top 2 percent of Americans, Dees needn't worry about 'fitting in' with the masses of Montgomery [SPLC headquarters]. Naturally, he'd erect a multimillion-dollar office building that's a monstrosity. 'I hate it,' a security guard across the street told me, as the sun's hot rays bounced off the building's vast brushed-stainless-steel-clad southern exposure and onto his face, making him sweat, roasting his skin while he stood watch for the militia nuts Dees would have his donors believe are lurking around every corner."

Keep up the great work, Mr. Dees. Don't let truth and decency get in your way.

There are also allegations on the internet that Mr. Dees was accused in divorce documents of incestuous pedophilia with his step-daughter.

He is a scoundrel.

     E.S.

TIA,

Nice reply to Ms. Beirich; I thought her piece was a hatchet job too.

I wonder if it is any coincidence that her articles came out just as the Holy Father is reputedly about to issue his motu proprio liberating the old Mass and otherwise taking actions favorable to traditional Catholics. Food for thought.

     S.R.

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