My Two Cents: Elizabeth Hasselbeck Thinks #BlackLivesMatter Is A Hate Group

In Texas last week a sheriff’s deputy was gunned down at a gas station by a black man and some in the media instantly began speculating that it had something to do with the Black Lives Matter movement, even though there was not one single shred of proof. And, of course, one of those people was Fox News bimbo, and certifiable loon, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who asked:

"Why has the Black Lives Matter movement not been classified yet as a hate group? I mean, how much more has to go in this direction before someone actually labels it as such?"

And this is a prime example of the ignorance of the so-called news pundits on Fox. There was not an iota of evidence that the shooting had anything to do with Black Lives Matter — a movement created in response to the multitudes of black Americans shot, many times fatally, by police officers — but that didn’t stop Hasselbeck from bringing it up, I’m guessing,  because she has no idea … go figure … what constitutes a Hate Group.

Well, the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has long kept a reliable list of Hate Groups defines them as:

“[having] beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics

[…]

Hate group activities can include criminal acts, marches, rallies, speeches, meetings, leafleting or publishing. Websites appearing to be merely the work of a single individual, rather than the publication of a group, are not included in this list. Listing here does not imply a group advocates or engages in violence or other criminal activity.”

So, Elisabeth, there’s your answer. 

It's quite clear that the BLM movement was created to fight against the beliefs and practices that attack or malign an entire class of people. Black Lives Matter exists in the hope of ending violence against people of color by law enforcement; it’s a fight for equality and against violence; that is not hate. But I guess it’s just too easy to spout ignorance than to actually take a moment to think.

Of course, to fuel the fire, and try to support her insipid beliefs, Hasselbeck showed news footage of a group of Minnesota protesters chanting, "Pigs in a blanket, fry them like bacon" while carrying a Black Lives Matter banners, as proof of her point. What she failed to mention, because it wouldn't suit her desire to skew the news, was that those protesters were not part of the BLM movement; in fact the Black Lives Matter movement never supported, endorsed, or approved those protesters.

Keep on topic, Elisabeth. A police officer was murdered; tell that story, but don’t try to label it the fault of a group that is desperately trying to save lives, to end violence, to keep the peace, and to further the cause of equality. You aren’t helping anyone, you aren’t solving any problems, you are inciting and enflaming the issue.

Shame on you.

Daily Kos