What does Scaife bring?
The previous two posts detail how, by filling a vacuum within the Republican Party, Rightwing Extremism bought the GOP.
Some of the names who bought the GOP are Scaife, Bradley, Coors and Koch.
These are the biggest 4.
Richard Mellon Scaife has made a career out of funding rightwing groups, including, to date, $36,788,240 ($51,311,995 in 1998 $$s) to Paul Weyrich's Free Congress Foundation and the Heritage Foundation (1), both of which have radical agendas, support radical causes, and have ties to fascists, Nazis, death squads, anti-abortion zealots, Christian Reconstructionists, gay-scapegoating groups, and racists. (2)
But what about the other groups Scaife funds? Some are very benign causes. Some have benign-sounding names, but work with other groups for causes that are of more concern.
The LATimes article, "Prop. 187 Backers Call Davis Inclusion Pledge Insincere," (05/11/99, A19), indicates that the Pacific Legal Foundation are serving as the attorneys for the original authors of Proposition 187. The Pacific Legal Foundation is funded by Scaife, to the tune of $4,730,000 ($8,616,602 in 1998 $$s) to date.(1) Proposition 187 was perhaps the most successful racist stealth movement in California history, partially financed by the frighteningly racist Pioneer Fund ( Religion in Politics - THE PIONEER FUND ).
This measure legislates discrimination against illegal immigrants, denying them health, education and welfare benefits. The measure was passed by voters who were unaware of the true agenda of the backers of Proposition 187, and who also felt overburdened at providing for California's large illegal-immigrant work force. Since its passage, Proposition 187 has been challenged on constitutional grounds by several groups, and last year was declared unconstitutional in a federal court. Although Proposition 187 does not limit its discrimination to one racial group, clearly it targeted California's large Hispanic immigrant population.
Besides the moral and constitutional concerns of Proposition 187, however, there are other alarming consequences to ALL Californians if such a measure is implemented. Only the most obsessed zealot would fail to see the horrific public health impact of denying any resident access to basic health care, including immunizations and treatment of diseases. One has only to look to Russia, with its rampant spread of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (and other diseases) following the disintegration of its health system, to get a glimpse as to what would happen if Proposition 187 was implemented. The reality is that ALL California residents--and visitors--are at risk from contracting fatal communicable diseases if one group of the population is denied access to health care. Bacteria and viruses are equal-opportunity killers, and do not care about the immigrant status of their hosts.
The Pioneer Fund helped finance the original Proposition 187 efforts. Founded in 1937, the Pioneer Fund through the decades has worked to fund eugenics (a fancy name for the "science" of racism) research, including funding for the research for "The Bell Curve" ( Religion in Politics - RACISM & BELLCURVE ). (4) The Pioneer Fund keeps a low profile, and works behind the scenes to promote eugenics. However, it has links to many well-known, high- profile conservative groups and leaders.
It is noteworthy that Hitler was so impressed with the writings of one of the founders of the Pioneer Fund, Harry McLaughlin, that McLaughlin was offered an honorary degree from Dr. Carl Schneider, a professor of "racial hygiene" at the University of Heidelberg, dean of its medical school, and "scientific advisor" for the extermination of handicapped people in Germany. (3) Indeed, Nazi Germany's Nuremberg Laws are based on McLaughlin's writings.
One of the Pioneer Fund's past board members was Tom Ellis, associate of the religious-right's Tim LaHaye, and ex-president of the Council on National Policy. Ellis' role in the Pioneer Fund's efforts are described by Russ Bellant in "The Coors Connection":
"Ellis is a top political operative of Jesse Helms, running various political organizations that make up the Helms empire. Ellis was a director of one of the groups which supports the Helms network--the Pioneer fund, a foundation which finances efforts to prove that African-Americans are genetically inferior to whites. Ellis has said, 'The eventual goal of this movement [racial integration] is racial intermarriage and the disappearance of the Negro race by fusing into the white.' While Ellis has since disavowed his segregationist position, his associates in the Helms organizational network are still tied to the Pioneer Fund board and receive Pioneer funds. (Bellant-1)
"Recipients of Pioneer grants have included William Shockley, Arthur Jensen, and Roger Pearson. Pearson has written that 'inferior races' should be 'exterminated.' All three, and others, were funded during Ellis' directorship on the Pioneer board. Yet Ellis served on the CNP's thirteen-member executive committee with Holly Coors, Paul Weyrich, and Heritage Foundation president Edwin Feulner until June 1989. Oliver North and Reed Larson of the anti-union National Right to Work Committee recently joined the executive committee." (Bellant-2)
The Pacific Legal Foundation, in its bid to force implementation of Proposition 187, has taken a hard-line approach against any mediation efforts. According to the LATimes article:
"At the meeting, two attorneys from the Pacific Legal Foundation made their arguments in writing and in speeches, about why mediation is a poor mechanism for resolving a constitutional question. They also outlined their defense of the constitutionality of cutting off government health, welfare and education benefits to illegal immigrants."
It is unfortunate that the Pioneer Fund's Proposition 187 legacy in California is being furthered by the Pacific Legal Foundation. In taking up the scepter of the Pioneer Fund's racist efforts, the Pacific Legal Fund not only works to further racism in America, but it also provides a vivid indication of the issues it supports, and gives a clear picture of the movements Richard Mellon Scaife is willing to finance.
politicalamazon.com |
