- What do patriotic singer Steve Vaus, political think
tank Free Congress Foundation and various Second Amendment-rights organizations
(and Jeff Rense.s www.rense.com) have in common with white supremacists,
neo-Nazis, promoters of violence and religiously motivated killers of
homosexuals and abortionists?
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- They have all been listed on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's
"Digital Hate 2001," a compilation of some 3,000 "hate sites
across the Internet." A flurry of complaints prompted removal of the
list from the group's website until a revised version is posted after the
first of the year.
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- Founded in 1977 by Simon Wiesenthal, a survivor of the
World War II Nazi death camps and famed Nazi hunter, the <http://www.wiesenthal.com/Wiesenthal
Center has spent decades fighting anti-Semitism and other racial bigotry.
Yet the respected group may have irreparably damaged its reputation with
"Digital Hate 2001," the center's third compilation of supposed
hate websites. The list may also have damaged others' reputations as well,
prompting talk of legal actions.
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- Among the blacklisted is singer and songwriter Steve
Vaus, who makes a living selling his patriotic albums, which he offers
through his website. Vaus is known for his spirited and passionate lyrics,
including those of his 1996 song, "We must take America back:"
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- "The American dream has become a nightmare. Signs
of the times are on cardboard on corners in town. There's a cancer called
crime in our cities, and an unspoken fear ... we're on our way down.
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- "We must take America back. Put an end to the gangs
and the drugs in the streets. And the fact that the bad guys most always
go free, that is wrong. We need leaders who lead us, not stick us and bleed
us, then take all our money and send it abroad. We must take America back.
We need prayer in the schools and more things 'Made In U.S.A.' It's the
least we can do for the red, white and blue. We must take America back.
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- "There's a hell here on earth in some city schoolyards.
When bullets and birth control outnumber books something's wrong. There's
a hunger for good news and heroes, but good news is no news so all of the
heroes are gone."
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- In his song "I'd rather die on my feet," Vaus
expresses his love for liberty and calls all Americans to remember the
price paid for freedom. At no time does he advocate violence or an overthrow
of the government.
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- "Our colonial fathers showed us the way, led the
battle for freedom that guides us today. Their spirit lives on in true
Americans who answer the call, protect and defend.
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- "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees.
There's no point to life without liberty.
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- "So I'll stand for what's right as long as I breathe.
I'd rather die on my feet, than live on my knees.
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- "Every time I hear children say the pledge of allegiance
it makes me think of the price we pay for (our) freedom. To keep America
first, last and forever, we must stand our ground fighting together."
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- Vaus said he has no idea why he was listed among the
Wiesenthal Center's hate websites. Upon learning of his inclusion in
Digital Hate 2001, Vaus called the center asking for an explanation, but
did not get one. On Oct. 31, the artist consulted his lawyer, David Branfman,
and sent a letter to the organization.
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- "To suggest that my site or my music qualifies as
'hate' under any circumstance is not only totally false, but I believe
it may rise to the level of slander or defamation," he wrote.
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- After demanding a formal apology and retraction to be
posted on Weisenthal's website, Vaus did not hear back from the center.
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- "I had a very difficult time getting straight answers,"
Vaus added.
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- So did WorldNetDaily. Asked what criteria were used to
determine what constitutes a "hate website," Wiesenthal Center
spokesman Rick Eaton responded, "That's not a question I can give
you an answer to."
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- Eaton admitted "there were some sites that should
not have been listed on there," and said there was the possibility
some sites were listed by accident. He added that many sites not appearing
to be problematic now "may have had material that qualified them"
as hate sites at the time the list was created, though he further admits
he does not have any proof to back up his claim. Eaton said the revised
list will be "substantially different" from the one removed this
fall.
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- "We are confident when the new list comes out, nobody
will be offended," Eaton told WND.
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- Eaton's tone was very different from the one used by
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Los Angeles-based center. Cooper
told WND that in all cases, the center "followed the cheese of these
extremist groups" and was led to believe the websites are hate-motivated.
Cooper also said he was "not in a position to answer" questions
related to criteria used to identify cyberhate. Additionally, the rabbi
quickly interjected it would be more accurate to label the listed websites
as "problematic" rather than hateful, despite the fact that the
center's list is called "Digital Hate."
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- As a result of the center's lack of explanation, questions
remain as to how the <http://freecongress.org/ Free Congress Foundation
ended up on the list. Founded by veteran Republican activist Paul Weyrich,
FCF describes itself as a politically and culturally conservative think
tank. Weyrich said through a spokesman that he did not wish to comment
on the matter.
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- Vaus believes the Wiesenthal Center's refusal to explain
its actions is a danger sign.
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- "I think it shows how incredibly irresponsible some
of these organizations are," he remarked. "It shows the danger
zone we all get into when, as citizens, we allow someone else to do our
thinking or our decision-making. It underscores the importance of each
of us determining for ourselves what's right, what's wrong, what's good,
what's bad, rather than relying on someone else to make that judgment for
us.
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- "The Wiesenthal Center has certainly made some mistakes
in judgment," Vaus continued. "How often does that happen in
the mainstream media, for example? Too many people are like sheep that
allow themselves to be led by someone else's judgment."
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- Like Vaus, Janalee Tobias is unnerved by the Wiesenthal
Center's actions. The president of <http://www.wagc.com/Women Against
Gun Control, Tobias is a stay-at-home mom in Utah whose organization was
listed by the center as a hate site.
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- "They're not prepared to give an answer? I don't
understand how that could be. Women Against Gun Control was apparently
on that list for a whole year," said Tobias. "They were prepared
to put our names on the list. Everyone knows, especially Jews who survived
the holocaust in World War II, they know that lists do not compile themselves.
This is a very frightening thing, and we just want to know what the criteria
is for those lists, and who compiles the list. Who compiled it, and why
weren't we contacted? To generalize like that is so very damaging to groups."
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- Tobias has been politically active in her community for
many years and says she has experienced harassment as a result, which she
says goes with the territory. "But when you get put on a list of hate
groups with the KKK and groups that truly are admittedly violent,"
a group deserves to know why, she said.
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- Every member of Women Against Gun Control must take a
pledge to exercise safety and responsibility when handling firearms, Tobias
explained. The pledge includes a promise not to cause bodily harm to anyone
unless one is acting in self-defense.
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- "Now what is so hateful about that?" she asked.
"We never encourage violence of any sort as an outlet (of expression).
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- "I'm prepared to discuss with them why we would
be on a list," the activist continued. "We just want to know
why, as soon as media started calling us, they took us off the list. Who
knows how many groups have been damaged by that very serious allegation
of that person or that organization being a hate group?"
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- Tobias acknowledged that the origin of the Wiesenthal
Center was "very honorable -- to bring justice to Nazi war criminals.
We're just afraid that they've become a political tool for the gun-hating
left."
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- Bill Palmer, another Second Amendment-rights proponent,
runs a website listed on Digital Hate 2001. Palmer is a <http://www.billpalmer.com/magician
and actor who performs at children's parties, including bar mitzvahs.
But he has not had a single offer to perform for the Jewish ceremony since
his site appeared on the hate list. He normally performs at about a half-dozen
bar mitzvahs per year.
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- Palmer said he would join a class-action lawsuit if one
is filed against the center. He also noted his conversation with Eaton
in which the spokesman said very few people in the Jewish community have
purchased the Digital Hate compact disk, casting his lack of bar mitzvah
offers as merely a coincidence.
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- "I just thought it was an awfully strange coincidence,"
Palmer remarked, adding that officials at the Wiesenthal Center surely
"don't want to have this happen again."
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- Eaton told WND he did not know how many CDs the group
has sold, but said the 2000 version of the disk was distributed to 20,000-30,000
people.
-
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- The Wiesenthal Center is selling the Digital Hate 2001
CD -- a report and analysis of cyberhate -- for $20 through its website.
On the cover is a picture of a blonde-haired boy looking at a computer
screen displaying a Nazi insignia. The program contains a sampling of the
thousands of supposed hate sites identified by the group. The rest of the
list is accessible through an Internet link contained in the program. However,
when the link is activated, a message appears saying the website is being
revised.
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- WND was told by the center an updated list would be posted
on Dec. 1. Eaton now says, however, he expects the list to be completed
by Jan. 2.
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- Julie Foster is a staff reporter for WorldNetDaily.
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- COMMENTARY:
-
- "To suggest that my site or my music qualifies as
'hate' under any circumstance is not only totally false, but I believe
it may rise to the level of slander or defamation. "
-
- -- Singer-songwriter Steve Vaus, whose website is listed
on the Simon Wiesenthal Center's list of hate sites
-
-
- "That's not a question I can give you an answer
to."
-
- -- Rick Eaton, spokesman for the Wiesenthal Center, asked
what criteria the center uses to determine what constitutes a 'hate website'
-
-
- "Everyone knows, especially Jews who survived the
holocaust in World War II ... that lists do not compile themselves.
This is a very frightening thing ..."
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- -- Janalee Tobias, president of Women Against Gun Control,
also listed as a hate site
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-
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- Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Los Angeles-based
center, told WND that in all cases, the center "followed the cheese
of these extremist groups" and was led to believe the websites are
hate-motivated.
-
-
- "We are confident when the new list comes out, nobody
will be offended."
-
-
- -- Rick Eaton, Wiesenthal Center spokesman, noting 'there
were some sites that should not have been listed on there'
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