Ask Your Local Law Enforcement Officer

The Wilson/Lyons/League of the South faction of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has attempted to discredit Save the SCV by branding our supporters as, among other things, leftists and McCarthyists, liberals and bigots, Nazis and Communists, etc.

These particular labels usually contradict each other and are occasionally mutually exclusive. Lashing-out in all directions in the hope that something will stick is a common smear tactic.

The most popular smear used by CIC Wilson’s supporters has been the effort to brand Save the SCV advocates as supporters of Morris Dees and the liberal-activist Southern Poverty Law Center. This charge is based on the fact that Save the SCV gathered and disseminated information from sources including articles in an SPLC publication: the Intelligence Report, formerly known as Klanwatch.

These articles disclosed that more than forty high-ranking and influential SCV leaders currently or until recently have been connected with the neo-secessionist League of the South and the immigration-reform and thinly-veiled racist Council of Conservative Citizens. CIC Wilson knows that if the message is true and unassailable, the best strategy is to attack the messenger.

Since SCV leaders are unable to credibly deny these allegations, they have instead attempted to portray Save the SCV as a partner of the SPLC. CIC Wilson and Kirk Lyons are concerned that Save the SCV repeated the SPLC condemnation of the tactics and philosophy of their friends at the League of the South. League president Michael Hill publicly supported Wilson’s unsuccessful power-grab at the recent Asheville convention.

One quotation often used by Wilson supporters is taken from an article in a Greensboro, N.C. newspaper: "The League of the South organization . . . is designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report, which is highly respected among law enforcement agencies".

Another "damning" quotation: "The SPLC's Intelligence Project has been recognized for years by law enforcement as the premier information-gathering organization in the nation in regard to extremist activity" has also been used in an attempt to condemn Save the SCV as an operative of the liberal SPLC.

The SPLC’s motivation or political orientation is no more of an issue in the current SCV conflict than is the political orientation of a newspaper or television station. Either the SCV is being taken-over by extremists or it is not; that is the issue.

Whether the SPLC is regarded as a credible intelligence-gathering organization or not, should be a concern to SCV members. So, who reads and believes what the SPLC has to say? Your own police or sheriff's department, that’s who.

The SPLC's Intelligence Project is headed by a former Montgomery, Alabama police officer.  Four times each year over 50,000 law enforcement agencies and officers receive the Intelligence Report. Law enforcement agencies across our nation read the Intelligence Report and respect the SPLC, its intelligence assessments, and its training courses on bias and hate crimes.

The second quotation highlighted above is from retired Charlotte, N.C., Police Captain and former commander of that agency’s Special Information (Criminal Intelligence) Bureau, and co-founder of Save the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Walter Hilderman. He is not alone in his opinion of the Intelligence Project.

Listed below are just a few testimonials from other law enforcement officers regarding the SPLC, SPLC publications, and their experiences in taking SPLC courses on bias and hate crimes. These courses are sponsored in conjunction with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and educational institutions like Auburn University and California State University-San Bernardino:

"We have found Klanwatch to be an invaluable asset, both in the publications provided and the assistance given when requested. This group of individuals has consistently provided information in a timely and professional manner." Robert Vanderhee, Supervisory Special Agent, Criminal Intelligence Section, New Mexico department of Public Safety.

"It is a great advantage for us to have the Southern Poverty Law Center Militia Task Force available to give us a background on incoming new (extremist) leaders." Sgt. J.D. Mauck, Criminal Intelligence Division, Shawnee County, Kansas Sheriff's Office.

"The publications and information your organization [SPLC] develops and disseminates are of high quality and very useful. Klanwatch and the Militia Project are the only nationwide systems that inform us as to what is going on around the country." James Sewell, Tampa Bay Regional Director, Division of Criminal Investigations, Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

"This course has provided me with the motivation and knowledge to pursue organizational change in how we respond to hate and bias crimes." Captain, Fayetteville Police Department, P.O. Box 1988, Fayetteville, AR 72702

"This online course was great and [I] would highly recommend it. It was better than many courses I have taken on the subject and feel this course should be mandatory for all police officers in North America. It will help police understand the actual make up of our Nations and the forces that are present in our society that cause a great risk to our freedoms." Inspector, Amherstburg Police Service, Ontario Canada.

"I found the online hate crimes course an outstanding tool to find out what other agencies are doing to combat this ever present menace on society. It is also great to see the way that the course can change in mid stride with out having any effect on the outcome of the course. I find it very well designed and full of information I can use now. Thank you SPLC and Auburn University." Patrol Officer, Pulaski Police Department.

"I recently completed the Hate/Bias Crimes course and have to say that I was able to gain a better perspective on all the different hate and bias related incidents that occur in our community and country. Most importantly, it has taught me to recognize and respond to these types of incidents in a manner that is most appropriate for the victims of these crimes. I thought it was a great opportunity to learn what other departments have experienced and how they responded to a particular crime/incident. Being that this is an on-line course, it fit well into my already busy schedule of taking care of my children and working evenings, I was able to complete the course at my own pace". Public Safety Corporal, Syracuse University, Department of Public Safety.

"This course has provided me with an amazing amount of information, resources and insight. The on-line learning format is an innovative way of allowing participation from professionals nationwide and beyond. I highly recommend this course to anyone needing to understand the complexities of hate and bias crimes." Sensitive Crimes Officer, Department of Public Safety, Bucknell University, Lewisburg PA

"Both the Introductory and Advanced Courses in Bias and Hate Crimes are extremely informative and very educational. My entire Command Staff has participated in this unique online opportunity, now the remainder of the department will be enrolled. This is an outstanding opportunity made available by the Southern Poverty Law Center in collaboration with Auburn University Montgomery and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)." Chief of Police, Illinois State University Police Department

The SPLC has designated the League of the South and the Council of Conservative Citizens as "hate groups." SPLC has made no such determination concerning the SCV. They do state that the SCV has been for many years an honorable history/heritage organization that has recently come under the influence of extremism.

Whether a hate group or not, the LoS is a neo-secessionist, extremist organization. Their goal of secession makes LoS philosophy incompatible with the goals and philosophy of the SCV.

The SCV Constitution clearly states that the SCV is to be a "patriotic" organization that exists in the "name of a reunited country." Any association, such as membership in a neo-secessionist organization, or action, such as appointing neo-secessionists to SCV leadership roles, is in direct conflict with our own constitution.

We SCV members should either live by and support our constitution as it is written or allow Ron Wilson, Kirk Lyons, and the League of the South faction to change it to reflect their goals. Either way, let’s stop lying to each other and to the American public about who and what we are. After all, law enforcement agencies across the nation already know the truth.