Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The SPLC's Hate List--Can't we all just, you know, get along?

     The Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery is out with it's list of hate groups in America, and there's been a steady increase in the total since 2000...from 602 to 1,002.

     On top of that, the number of "patriot" groups has jumped sharply since 2009, when President Obama was elected.



     Last week Frank Rich wrote about an outbreak (OK, a mini-outbreak) of civility after the Tuscon Shootings.

     Add in the attempt to kill the Live Oaks at Toomer's corner and there couldn't be a much better time for an event I've been invited to take part in next month.

     I've been invited to sit on a panel discussing civility on March 25th at the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

     The event is co-sponsored by the David Mathews Center for Civic Life (mathewscenter.org) and the Alabama Humanities Foundation (ahf.net). People like Dr. Harvey Jackson of Anniston and Shelly Stewart of Birmingham radio fame are also on the panel, giving me the feeling that my invitation was an accident. Pretty high cotton, I'd say.

    But I'll be willing to bet nobody will lose their cool.

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