The Southern Poverty Law Center celebrates its latest "victory"

The Montgomery-based SPLC's Morris Dees says that a court ruling transferring an American citizen's ranch to illegal immigrants is "poetic justice."

Ken Masugi responded on the Claremont Institute's Local Liberty blog :

It turns out that the owner of the ranch had a criminal record and is now serving 5 years in a Texas prison. He was acquitted of charges of pistol-whipping the detained illegals (referred to as "immigrants" in the NYT story) but convicted of possession of a firearm, "which is illegal for a felon".

Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center claims this is "poetic justice." It's lousy poetry and contains even less justice. Dees has done laudable work against the Klan and other terrorist groups. This assault against a man who wanted simply to defend his property tarnishes his previous good work. The award of the ranch given the two illegals as compensation for their extra-legal detention bears no relation to the temporary suffering they encountered, when they crossed private property and were detained briefly (and later given material aid) by armed locals.