NARLO Threatens SPLC with Class Action Lawsuit

SPLC:
You have listed the National Association of Rural Landowners (Washington State) in your intelligence report of “Patriot” groups. You make patriotism sound like a bad word. Your disclaimer is hollow at best and the implication is, if you are on the list, your organization is a “bad” organization and is either against the New World Order, engages in groundless conspiracy theories and is profoundly anti-government, whether you have proved these allegations or not. They are simply “off the wall” charges with no evidence, used for your own devious purposes.

We were never contacted by the SPLC and asked to be included on the list, or to discover whether we were an organization that fit the “pattern” you have described as being an “active patriot group”. Your inclusion of our group on your list would be construed by those reading that list, that we were anti-government, a hate group and stupidly engaging in conspiracy theories, which are absolutely false.

We hereby request that you remove the National Association of Rural Landowners from your list within 20 days, or we will commence a lawsuit in U. S. District Court, Western District of Washington and charge you with violations of federal law and seek both actual and punitive damages. We have already conferred with our attorney.

Further, we will contact others on the list and encourage them to sue you in U. S. district court in their state for baseless allegations that would never hold water in court.

Your organization is well known for its left-leaning agenda and the way to support your agenda and build yourself up with your audience, is to go on the attack of organizations with which you disagree. It’s a well known strategy and used by those without honor.

Respectfully,
Ron Ewart,
President NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RURAL LANDOWNERS
P. O. Box 1031, Issaquah, WA 98027 425 222-4742
e-mail: r.ewart@comcast.netwebsite: www.narlo.org

From: xxxx xxxxx
To: r.ewart@comcast.net
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 9:17 AM
Subject: Re: Web contact form
Dear Mr. Ewart,

We’ve received your email of April 22 threatening to file a lawsuit against us if we do not remove your group from our list of so-called “Patriot” organizations.

You falsely assert that groups on that list would be construed by anyone reading the list as “hate groups.” As you know, we do list hate groups, which are very different from Patriot groups, and your National Association of Rural Landowners (NARLO) is not on that list.

As you also know, in the introduction to the Patriot list, we say that Patriot groups generally are “opposed to the ‘New World Order,’ engage in groundless conspiracy theorizing, or advocate or adhere to extreme anti-government doctrines. Listing here does not imply that the groups themselves advocate or engage in violence or other criminal activities, or are racist.” You say these are “off the wall charges” with respect to NARLO. Does NARLO “adhere to extreme anti-government doctrines”?

Here are some of the things you say on your website: America is in danger of “treachery and treason from within.” You say, “We have a vicious enemy in our ranks, that is doing everything in its power to put that light [‘the star of America shining bright’] out” and make it clear elsewhere that you are talking about the government. You say that “a revolution may be necessary to re-start the light of freedom.” You prominently publicize a NARLO-made video entitled, “The Coming Civil War.” At one point, you write, “RESIST! RESIST! RESIST!

If government agents do show up [at your property], assume they are up to no good.” You feature a photo on your site with a hand holding a pistol pointed at the camera and the words, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help!” You offer a No Trespassing sign that says specifically, “This includes any and all Government Agents.” After that, your sign says, “Use of necessary force may be used at the sole discretion of the owner(s).” You exhort “the silent majority” to “awaken” and “restore America to its original glory before the socialists took over while we were sleeping.” You say, “Everything that government touches gets screwed up. … They [the government] … separates [sic] you from any liberties you thought were guaranteed to you by our Constitution. … [T]hey lie repeatedly.” You say, “Government’s dirty little fingers are in every aspect of your life, from the moment you are born (social security number and a DNA sample) to the day you have the good fortune of transiting from the Socialist Republic of America to the resounding silence and quiet peace of eternal slumber, where you life-time shackles are finally broken.” You say, “Government has done a good job of turning Americans into brain-dead dolts.” “The sad part is,” you add, “these dolts get to vote.” Does NARLO engage in “groundless conspiracy theorizing”? As noted above, you write that America (“the Socialist Republic of America,” in your words) has been taken over by socialists “while we were sleeping.” But you go further. On a page of your website headlined, “AMERICA’S SOVEREIGNTY IS IN GRAVE PERIL,” you say, “There are national and international forces at work right now to strip America of its wealth, its resources, its constitution, its freedoms and its very sovereignty. There is a dedicated, committed and well-funded effort by this cabal to control our land, our water, our food and our energy. If the American people don’t wake up soon to what is happening to them behind their backs, these forces will be successful and WE THE PEOPLE will be nothing but serfs to a centralized government.”

Then, in a graphic, you depict some of the conspiracies that you apparently fear. One is the North American Union – a baseless conspiracy theory about a secret plan to merge the United States, Canada and Mexico. Two others are the Bildeberg Group (actually, it’s the Bilderberg Group) and the Trilateral Commission. Both of these groups have long been identified by Patriot groups – as well as the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby, among others — as being behind an elitist conspiracy aimed at depriving Americans of their freedoms, or, as you write, their “sovereignty.”

Finally, you picture the United Nations as one of the forces threatening America – the same United Nations that is identified groundlessly by almost all Patriot groups as a major force pushing for one-world government.

Whatever you may think, it is our opinion that each of these alleged threats are not real — they are simply core Patriot conspiracy theories. NARLO is a classic Patriot organization. Our lawyers have informed us that should you file the frivolous litigation you threatened in your email, we will ask the court to fine you and hold you responsible for all costs associated with having the case dismissed.

Sincerely, xxxx xxxxx
Director, Intelligence Project Editor,
Intelligence Report Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Ave.Montgomery, AL 36104

From: Ron Ewart
To: xxx xxxxx
Cc: netaudr@abc.com ; evening@cbsnews.com ; earlyshow@cbs.com ; 60M@cbsnews.com ; 48hours@cbsnews.com ; ftn@cbsnews.com ; nightly@nbcnews.com ; today@nbc.com ; hardball@msnbc.com ; Special@foxnews.com ; shepard.smith@foxnews.com ; Oreilly@foxnews.com ; sean.hannity@foxnews.com ; Ontherecord@foxnews.com ; wsj.ltrs@wsj.com ; Letters@washpost.com ; letters@newsweek.com ; letters@usnews.com ; ankarlo@ankarlo.net ; becka@kfab.com ; nburns@bennettmornings.com ; marc@marcberniershow.com ; howiecarr@wrko.com ; cartonanddrossi@nj1015.com ; mdavis@wbap.com ; askjerry@jerrydoyle.com ; dave.elswick@mail.citcomm.com ; mike@mikeonline.com ; ggarrison@indy.emmis.com ; steve@gillreport.com ; domg@thebigtalker1210.com ; greenhouse@620wtmj.com ; rob@masterhandyman.com ; bill@kfi640.com ; thom@thomhartmann.com
Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 1:29 PM
Subject: Removing NARLO from the SPLC “hit” list

Mr. xxxx xxxxx
Director, Intelligence Project Editor,
Intelligence Report Southern Poverty Law Center
400 Washington Ave.Montgomery, AL 36104

Re: Your response to our e-mail request to remove the National Association of Rural Landowners from the Southern Poverty Law Center “HIT” list.

Dear xxxx:

From the dictionary general definition – – – Patriot: “….. a person who loves, supports and defends his or her country and its interests.”

From another more current perspective – – – Patriot: “An American patriot is NOT a person who supports his government, if that government purposely breaks the limits placed on it by the constitution and engages in tyranny. If that’s what the American definition of a patriot were, we would not have been calling George Washington, Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, James Madison, Thomas Payne, John Hancock and all the rest of them “patriots” would we? Those true patriots were all men who openly advocated revolt against THEIR government. That’s what made them American patriots in the first place.”

From the Declaration of Independence: “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) sullies the memories of our original patriots, trashes the sacrifices of all those who fought and gave their lives, their limbs and their minds in the defense of our freedom and the preservation of our constitution, and totally ignores that the government, that SPLC so readily supports, has broken the bonds placed upon it by the constitution and thus are acting against the sovereign people of America.

We have never openly advocated revolt against the American government in spite of its unwarranted and unconstitutional attacks on the sovereign citizens of this United States of America. In all of our articles we have specifically opposed open revolt and have cautioned our readers to use the mechanisms of the constitution to seek redress for their grievances. Our “Coming Civil War” video was specific in stating that a civil war was possible, if the government continued on the path that it has is taking. We did not and do not advocate civil war, or revolution, in manner …… yet!

Everything you said in your fourth paragraph is accurate and we encourage citizens to resist a government that has gone totally out of control.

Everything you stated in your sixth paragraph about conspiracies are not wild conspiracy theories on our part. They are easily documented and it would be our pleasure to do just that in court.

Since you seem to be unwilling to remove our name from your “hit” list, we will first set about to expose the SPLC for what it is, in a series of articles. We will also notify everyone on the list and enlist their support in our expose’ of SPLC. We have a national audience and they are growing increasingly angry over organizations like yours that find some perverse pleasure in attacking and smearing the true “patriots” of America …. you know, those crazies who still believe in freedom, liberty, sovereignty, the U. S. Constitution and a government that will adhere to the strict limits of its enumerated powers.

You and your organization are nothing but Judas goats and enablers of an arrogant, out-of-control government and it will be our pleasure to set our sights on SPLC and open up the can of worms you have become.

Finally, if our name is not removed from your list, our lawsuit will proceed. If you want to spend the money to defend the lawsuit, that certainly is ok with us. However, removing our name from the list will be much cheaper in the long run. As far as your bluff about getting the court to hold us responsible for your legal “costs”, that’s what it is, just a bluff.

See you on the news stands and in court.