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<\/a>William J. “Doc” Schmitz, Junior Vice Commander-in-Chief of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), observes U.S. Soldiers, assigned to Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, as they participate in a simulated shooting drill at the Gunfighter Gym, 7th Army Training Command\u2019s Grafenwoehr Training Area, August 7, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Emily Houdershieldt)<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n
MONTGOMERY, Ala. \u2014 The Southern Poverty Law Center has announced it would include prominent American veterans\u2019 organizations\u00a0American Legion<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Veterans of Foreign Wars<\/a>\u00a0in its listing of hate groups, sources confirmed today.<\/p>\n In a written statement signed by SPLC President J. Richard Cohen, the organization said both the VFW and Legion were included since many of their members sympathize with radical, extreme-right-wing ideals such as freedom, safety, and family values.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate to criminalize a group of decorated war veterans,\u201d Cohen said, from somewhere deep within a fog of pit sweat in his corporate think-tank steam room, where Sen.\u00a0Bernie Sanders<\/a>\u00a0(I-Moscow) was seen relaxing in the nude.<\/p>\n \u201cBut these people revere statues of soldiers who have fought in wars where minorities and women weren\u2019t allowed to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the SPLC, members of the Legion and VFW are well-known for inciting extreme hatred against enemies of the United States, and for engaging in violent behavior. VFW members, for example, have been known to carry out shootings, stabbings, and bombings in countries around the world for more than 100 years.<\/p>\n All told, members of the Legion and VFW have been responsible for the deaths of\u00a0billions of people<\/a>, SPLC said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are some of America\u2019s oldest and most deadly hate groups,\u201d said Cohen.<\/p>\n The SPLC issued an email alert to its followers notifying them of the new danger of the extreme veterans\u2019 organizations, while others learned of the inclusion with a new posting on its\u00a0\u201cHatewatch\u201d website.<\/a><\/p>\n