I have seen these tools in use up close and personal. In three separate articles following lectures I gave in Rutland, Vermont regarding the federal government's refugee resettlement program, the Rutland Herald cited the SPLC: "The Center for Security Policy, with which Simpson is affiliated, has been called a conspiracy-oriented mouthpiece for the growing anti-Muslim movement in the United States by the Southern Poverty Law Center."

This week, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) removed a much detested "Field Guide to Anti-Muslim Extremists" from its webpage following lawsuit threats from one of the listed "extremists." The Field Guide was one of many "tools" the SPLC provides to journalists, who then use it as a reference to target those most outspoken against Islam's totalitarian doctrine of sharia (Islamic law) and the ongoing attempt by Islamists to infiltrate our culture, subvert our Constitution, and bring terrorism to our shores.

Right. None of my three rebuttals was ever published.

The SPLC, more than any other single group, has been responsible for targeting and vilifying anyone who disagrees with the extremist agendas it supports. Just two weeks ago, four major Worldview Weekend events in Wisconsin and Minnesota were shut down after the SPLC announced that the events would feature John Guandolo, president of Understanding the Threat. Guandolo is a combat veteran Marine and former FBI special agent who created and implemented the FBI's first Counterterrorism Training Program regarding the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic Doctrine, and the global Islamic Movement. This indisputable expertise made him a prime target for SPLC vilification.

An article for Daily Caller described the circumstances of those shutdowns. Using information provided by the SPLC, Antifa groups targeted the hotels where the events were to be held. Two folded immediately; a third demanded massive increases in insurance coverage from the promoter four hours before the event was to take place. The last event was canceled by the promoter because so many threats were coming in that he thought it unsafe to go forward, though the venue was willing to host the event.

No one in the Field Guide is an "extremist" in the true sense of the word. Many, like one of my favorites, Pamela Geller, are strident in their opposition to what the Muslim Brotherhood calls "civilization jihad" – i.e., its guiding strategy of "eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and "sabotaging" its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers[.]"

Geller and others were targeted by two Islamic terrorists when she held the Garland, Texas "Draw Muhammad" contest in 2015. Both terrorists were shot dead. In yet another hit to the FBI's prestige, a security guard wounded in the attack is suing the agency. This follows revelations that an undercover FBI agent was working with the terrorists; was present at the event; and, according to plaintiff attorneys, had "solicited, encouraged, directed and aided members of ISIS in planning and carrying out the May 3 attack."

Maajid Nawaz, who considers himself a moderate Muslim, was shocked to find himself included on the list and threatened to sue. In a Daily Beast column last summer, Nawaz stated:

Through the counter-extremism organisation Quilliam that I founded, I have spent eight years defending my Muslim communities in Europe, Pakistan and beyond from the diktats of Islamist theocrats. I have also argued for the liberal reform of Islam today, from within. But, in a naively dangerous form of neo-Orientalism, the SPLC just arrogated to itself the decision over which debates we Muslims may have about reforming our own religion, and which are to be deemed beyond the pale[.] ... In a monumental failure of comprehension, the SPLC have conflated my challenge to Islamist theocracy among my fellow Muslims with somehow being "anti-Muslim." The regressive left is now in the business of issuing fatwas against Muslim reformers.

In a radio interview with Joe Rogan, Nawaz said that every time they challenged the SPLC on its justification for naming Nawaz, "[t]hey kept changing their reasons[.] ... We've got the archive, and they've been changing it each time people point out the stupidity of their allegations," he said.

This is a victory, but only a small one. While the page listing the Field Guide has been removed, it can still be found in PDF form at the SPLC. Furthermore, the category "Anti-Muslim" is still listed on SPLC's "Extremist Files" page and on its "Hate Map." Most of the organizations listed cannot be accurately characterized as either "anti-Muslim" or "hate" groups. They are merely organizations that focus on the real and deadly threats posed by the Islamists' supremacy doctrines and agendas. The list also wildly exaggerates numbers, for example counting different branches of ACT! For America as separate organizations.

Nawaz says he intends to move forward with the suit. "Let me reiterate: I'm only just getting started. My case is ongoing. I will see justice," Nawaz said in a tweet. "I'm coming for you @ splcenter and "you got nowhere to ruuun to bayybyy... no where to hiiide. You [f‑‑‑‑‑] with the wrong 'anti-Muslim' Muslim."

About time the SPLC got some comeuppance. It has been in the business of destroying lives for decades while building a $350-million nest egg by hyping fears of a Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. In fact, the SPLC is a communist-inspired organization that uses Leninist smear tactics to destroy anyone standing in the way of its extremist agenda. It is little more than a continuing criminal enterprise and should have its leaders prosecuted and assets seized under RICO statutes. It may take such action to halt the SPLC's relentless efforts to stifle freedom of speech.