Ben Carson Responds to SPLC Attacks

The Southern Poverty Law Center, the leftist nonprofit legal advocacy organization which is noted for its legal victories against white supremacist organizations and other groups which it defines as “hate groups”, has a new target:  African-American neurosurgeon and possible presidential candidate Ben Carson.

The SPLC’s main complaint against Dr. Carson seems to be their assessment of him as “anti-LGBT” and opposes same-sex “marriage.”  But there’s more:  Staunchly supportive of President Obama, the SPLC was incensed when Carson spoke in opposition of the President’s health care and tax policies at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast.  The SPLC website’s “Extremist Files” reveals some of their incensed narrative:

Carson’s own story as an “up by the bootstraps” black man reared in poverty translated into an inspiring, magnetic narrative that captured media attention. Soon he was appearing as the keynoter at a rash of right-wing and hate group gatherings, linking gays with pedophiles, comparing the U.S. to Nazi Germany and endorsing biblical economic practices for 21st century America. 

Note that by “hate groups,” SPLC means groups which adhere to biblical teachings.

Now, Ben Carson has offered a cogent response to the group’s rhetoric.  “When embracing traditional Christian values is equated to hatred,” Carson said,

“…we are approaching the stage where wrong is called right and right is called wrong,” he said. “It is important for us to once again advocate true tolerance.

“That means being respectful of those with whom we disagree and allowing people to live according to their values without harassment. It is nothing but projectionism when some groups label those who disagree with them as haters.”

It was my privilege to meet Dr. Ben Carson in the late 1980s, when he visited his mother in Detroit and stopped in the radio station where I worked to promote his first book, Gifted Hands.  Gifted Hands is the story of how Carson, then a talented young neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins, completed the first successful separation of Siamese twins who had been joined at the chest.

Carson has since emerged as an effective spokesperson for traditional American values, authoring such books as America the Beautiful:  Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great and One Nation:  What We Can All Do to Save America’s Future.

He’s also the author of motivational titles such as Think Big: Unleashing Your Potential for Excellence and Take the Risk: Learning to Choose, Accept and Live With Acceptable Risk.

In a televised news report this week, Dr. Carson acknowledged that he will be assembling a fact-finding committee to determine whether he is a viable political candidate for the nation’s highest office, and will possibly announce his candidacy for the office in May.