According to the Washington Post article, The $1,300 Mission to Fell ACORN, James O’Keefe (pimp player)and Hannah Giles (hooker player) did not even know each other personally when they hatched the plan to nail ACORN. They had exchanged emails and talked on Facebook. Giles was studying journalism from a conservative point of view at Young America’s Foundation and had done a study on O’Keefe’s sting on Planned Parenthood. O’Keefe III describes himself as a progressive radical. Now what the hell is that? Is that a new name for Tea Partier? O’Keefe’s work can be found at the Big govt website.
According to MSNBC :
Though O’Keefe described himself as a progressive radical, not a conservative, he said he targeted ACORN for the same reasons that the political right does: its massive voter registration drives that turn out poor African Americans and Latinos against Republicans.
“Politicians are getting elected single-handedly due to this organization,” he said. “No one was holding this organization accountable. No one in the media is putting pressure on them. We wanted to do a stunt and see what we could find.”
Who is Hannah Giles? She is the daughter of Doug Giles, a Miami pastor of ClashChurch. Doug Giles is also the author of A Time to Clash: Papers from a Provocative Pastor, a paperback that sells at Amazon.com. He also authored an internet opinion piece entitled “What Obama’s Town Hall Charade and Pam Anderson’s Breasts Have in Common,” where he accuses President Obama of ‘rent a mob’ tactics, using ACORN to get his health care bill passed. Nuff said. Hannah was just doing Daddy’s work on the not-so hidden agenda.
What bothers many people about this Giles/O’Keefe sting operation is what they don’t say. For instance, they leave out the part where they were shown the door in Philadelphia and a police report was filed. Perhaps if some of their skits included at least one of the times they were asked to leave, their documentation would be more believable.
Many people, at this point, would probably welcome a GAO investigation of ACORN. However, 2 kids with a strong not-so hidden agenda and an hysterical commentator on Fox News who only reports some of the news just looks like a witch hunt to most. Right now it just looks like the Far Right would go to any lengths to nail any organization they are trying to pin on President Obama.
It seems like a good place to start would be an independent explanation of who is ACORN and what they do. They were around long before Obama was presidential material, so attempts to tie them to him is ridiculous. O’Keefe and Giles lied about who they were and what they were doing. Most people are skeptical of liars. It just sounds like 2 sets of bad actors: O’Keefe/Giles and ACORN. Do the means really justify the ends? This is all turning into one big GOTCHA that will backfire later.
Congress needs to act responsibly. They need to order an independent audit and order a criminal investigation on many fronts. Where have they been? ACORN didn’t just fall out of the tree.
You have to admit, they have focused attention on a real immorality that exists within parts of the left wing. Facilitating child prostitution? That’s what the ACORN workers in Baltimore and San Diego were up for.
The woman in the 4th video, who said she killed her husband and that Heidi Fliess was her idol, was just playing with them I think. They bought it hook line and sinker.
Rick, I am not sure I would classify that as the left wing. Did you really see those people who seemed to be going along with their bull as left wing people? I didn’t see them as political. I don’t see most people as political though. I mostly saw them as just going along to get along.
One thing that struck me during the first 2 films is how middle middle class the ‘actors’ were and how not everyone has firmly entrenched middle class values. I would say that the suggested behavior was very much immoral. Operative word, suggested. I also am willing to bet that those women had been told by someone not to put anyone down or to turn up their nose at others.
I saw the guy in San Diego as someone who needed to go to jail. He was a sleeze bag who wanted part of the action. Big difference in him and little urban ladies who might have really not known how to handle the situation.
I still think ACORN needs a GAO investigation, just not one by these 2 clowns. I would have probably played them too. A moth eaten chinchilla coat, a can and a floppy hat? Give me a break.
The sad thing is, the little ladies who made suggestions were probably fired…knee jerk reaction. The Sleeze bag in San Diego–nothing happened to him.
Do you really think that this case of immoral stupidity can rightly be applied to millions of people who didn’t do anything wrong? That doesn’t seem fair.
I don’t know how I feel about federal money going to Acorn. Probably not a good idea because so many Americans have been made to resent, hate, or distrust the word Acorn. If that’s public opinion then public funds should not go that direction.
But what is at the root of all that resentment, hate, and distrust? It’s because they help poor people and people of color, partly by encouraging them to vote. These people have no less right to vote than any other American citizen. But all of this anger is generated because more votes from this demographic hurts Republicans.
Gosh. Rather than being angry about poor people and people of color voting, and taking steps to minimize that, why can’t Republicans expand the scope of their platform so that they have something, anything, to offer these people???
I’d prefer that approach to this one. But I understand where Republicans are coming from on this as well.
Whatever one’s opinion is about the filmmaker, an important revelation came out through these films re: underage/child prostitution and how some find it easier to look the other way than do the right thing. The employees in question don’t strike me as being politically motivated as much as they are criminally motivated (and deficient in the moral compass department). I am glad to hear that the Acorn staff in the Phillie office called the police and filed a report. That is what should’ve happened in each instance.
O’Keefe is unfortunately over the top and off-putting. (He’s enjoying his 15 minutes a bit too much in my opinion.) Giles presents a much more compelling case, in the interviews I’ve seen, for why the project is relevant and why she made the films. For revealing the scumbag in CA, I am grateful to the young lady. I hope that he’s being investigated criminally and something comes from this that helps fight human smuggling/child prostitution.
She is politically and religiously motivated. I have a problem with lying about who one is. Lying is lying, regardless of the reason.
I have a disconnect problem with the fact the pimp/hooker/under-age girls being smuggled in from Central America mainly because it didn’t happen. It was part of the sting. Yes, the women should have been horrifed. Why weren’t they? I can’t answer that. The San Diego sleeze bag really didn’t do anything illegal in our sight, although he probably has done lots illegal. He needs to be watched as well as fired.
Congress could have done something about an investigation a long time ago. They chose not to. I wonder why that is?
“Congress could have done something about an investigation a long time ago. They chose not to. I wonder why that is?”
Really? I mean really? Look, the answer is pretty obvious, just look at who did and who didn’t cover this story from the start. Honestly Moon, Jon Stewart couldn’t have said it best: http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-september-15-2009/the-audacity-of-hos
Say what you will, but if it wasn’t for these two ‘clowns’ Acorn would still be getting truck loads of our tax money to continue doing what no one knew (yah right!) they were doing. I feel better about these two than the sleaze bag lawyers that defend people that don’t deserve to live, yet are willing to defend them all the way to the Supreme Court! That, is a waste of out tax money also.
Hello, what do you mean, who didn’t cover it? I said all along I wasn’t going to cover it. This is a blog. Everyone has seen the story 500 times. I hope you realized that I was being sarcastic when I asked why Congress didn’t have ACORN investigated a long time ago. It was not to their advantage to do so.
2nd, I feel like what they acted as vigilantes. I blame
Congress. I am not sure the ends justify the means. Congress had a knee jerk reaction to something that was not even provable in court.
They weren’t doing their job. They were doling out millions of dollars to an organization without any oversight. Does that not bother the rest of you?
Alamo, I know what you mean about lawyers who defend the accused. But under our justice system the rights of the accused hae to be protected. Public defenders are heroes in my mind. And they know very well that there is a cost psychologically when you defend someone who is obviously guilty. But under our justice system it is not for public defenders to decide who is guilty and who is innocent. It should be a jury of your peers or a judge. So therefore the defense attorney is charged with doing his or her best to give the defendent a fair trial.
By the way, did you read the story about the innocent man who was executed in Texas? His children died in a house fire which was life destroying tragedy enough. But then his government sentenced him to death and he died knowing the world believed him to have murdered his children. So did his wife. So sad. Now the truth hasd come out that the arson investigation used was all old wives tales and nothing scientific. .
Talk about Death Panels.
I wasn’t talking about you Moon… I was talking about ‘MSM’.
“They weren’t doing their job. They were doling out millions of dollars to an organization without any oversight. Does that not bother the rest of you?” – uuuuhhhhh (eyes darting left and right) your not talking to me right… The scary thing is that this is just ONE organization. I’m sure there are plenty more out there (both leaning) that are operating with no oversight.
This is exactly what I was soooooo mad over all of the inspectors general changes (some of them even illegal). IG’s are being shoved out (because of who they were investigating in some cases) and replaced by ‘YES’ men and totally unqualified drones. Want links, just ask…
Trust me, things like this are only going to be exposed more and more as time goes on. These two kids inspired other young people to do the same and we are all better off for it regardless of which side these organizations are on!
Seems like a great way to cut government spending. Let’s send these filmmakers to investigate government programs that support “the arts and humanities.” We have bigger fish to fry in this day and age. Let private donations cover it.
We cannot have people running around being vigilantes. The entire thing is ridiculous from start to finish.
It is congress’s job to keep an eye on the money that they designate to these agencies. Hello, you are acting like this business just started with Obama. Acorn has been around for years.
What did you think of all the prosecutors who were fired under the Bush administration? Same types of things.
I sit back and watch, and I fear for the country. I watched similar attempts when Bill Clinton was in office. It was non-stop.
As for MSM, I am not sure who MSM is now, but I certainly don’t trust many of these right wing organizations who continually twist and shape things to stir up the masses.
“It is congress’s job to keep an eye on the money that they designate to these agencies. Hello, you are acting like this business just started with Obama. Acorn has been around for years.”
But it only took 2 kids and a $1,300 budget to light. Congress is too corrupt to even give it a second look.
“What did you think of all the prosecutors who were fired under the Bush administration?” – Lets stick to the subject at hand, if you really want me to Ill comment on this but it’s just a distraction.
“I certainly don’t trust many of these right wing organizations who continually twist and shape things to stir up the masses.” – can’t argue there but can you trust MSNBC who owes the current administration over $150 BILLION and looks to make BILLIONS more if cap and trade is passed?
“As for MSM, I am not sure who MSM is now” – it’s odd that Fox News beats every other news show out there but they are not considered MSM. I personally consider them to be MSM. Which is odd, you would think that the President would make an appearance on the most watched cable news channel. Which leaves me asking why he has chosen to do a media blitz on any and every channel (including Univision) except for Fox.
According to vpap.org, GE donated to Bolling’s campaign. Go figure.
As for why Obama won’t appear on Foxnews…if you were Obama, would you? Have you really heard how he is spoken of? I wouldn’t go on there. Here’s a news flash about fox: there is very little news. most of what you hear are news commentators. Lets just say the news is given with lots of opinion infused into the dialogue. I have to take breaks from listening to it because of the filters.
If I listened to that station daily and didn’t realize what they were doing, I would probably shoot myself from pure depression.
“Here’s a news flash about fox: there is very little news.” – okay… your from the far left, that is exactly why I posted this: http://mygloss.com/buzz/2009/09/17/jonstewart-rips-media-acornpot-tv-cannabisplanet/
Trust me, I don’t agree with the ‘left’ media but I still check in. That is exactly why MSM is such a joke. Please, click on the link, I found a short 30 second clip.
No, I am far from far left. My children think I am a member of the John Birch society. I am just a little left of center. I am a little right of center on some topics.
Most Americans are in touch with mainstream media, whatever that is–traditional news. The problem with alternative news is there are no standards. On the internet, there is no accountability.
24 hours of cable ‘news’ and the internet have very much affected how Americans learn. I don’t think this is an improvement. People are not necessarily more informed and they are often filled with misinformation. Sorting truth from fiction is time consuming.
Actually, the fact that I am seen as far left is alarming to me.
Hello, First of all, Elena took her time to write an explanation of a religious holiday. Do you really think that is the proper thread to stage a fight with KG? I don’t.
I basically don’t want that fight on this blog. Go fight with her on her blog or go over to bvbl where it is being discussed. Let me be very blunt: There is nothing that fight does to enhance this blog. I am not chosing sides nor have I read what she wrote. However, she is on her blog expressing her opinion. I defend her right to do so.
Pinko wished Elena a happy Rosh Hashana. She called no one out. What she does on her blog is none of my business. What people do here is my business.
I defend our right to not have it discussed here. We don’t have a dog in that fight.
If you would like to leave her a comment here on this thread, do so HERE but not under Elena’s post.
Thanks. I just do not want fights from other blogs over here. We have enough of our own.
OH MAWY GAWHD! I did not know that Doug Giles was a minister. His columns were so hateful and arrogant that years ago I stopped reading them. It blows me away that this guy is a minister.
I’ll read almost anything. I browse the opinion section of the Wash Post and the Wash Times and click on what seems interesting. I read liberal Cynthia Tucker to conservatives like Cal Thomas, Kudlow, Jerry Bowyer, … Everyday I go to Townhall dot com and browse the column titles. I read a Michelle Malkin column yesterday.
Doug Giles is one of the few columnists that I won’t bother reading. I didn’t even read the column about Pamela Anderson’s breasts. I knew there weren’t going to be any pictures anyway. His writing is so arrogant and condescending never intended to express an opinion on an issue or idea but always to demean those that don’t agree with everything he’s ever said or thought in his life. Go read his columns and see if you don’t agree with me on that.
El Guapo, thanks for posting. I had no idea he was a columnist. (well, sort of) I found a nest of his writings on townhall.com. Thanks for letting us know they were there. You are right. He is hateful and a terrible writer.
http://townhall.com/columnists/DougGiles?Bio=true
Doug Giles is a freaking pervert. He probably didn’t mind his daughter dressed like a hooker either. Might have known he was behind this crap.
@Moon-howler
Wait. You didn’t like what he said on another thread, so you dress him down here, on this thread, which has NOTHING to do with what he posted on another thread?
My head is spinning.
Couldn’t you geld him via email?
Ringdangdo, The other thread was just not the place. A tone had been set. I don’t like for comments just do disappear with no explanation. My intention was not to geld but to not let something unpleasant start here.
As a matter of fact, thanks for bringing this subject up. Many visitors here do not leave real email addresses. for example:
[email protected] is probably not an email address. I would say that at least 3/4ths of the addresses I get are of that nature. Pretty hard to email people without a real email address. I stopped trying.
I don’t like taking comments down. I would prefer to not do so. However, I will protect people on this blog and if people want to hurl censorship at me, have at it. A spam filter is a form of censorship. I will remove comments if I feel it is in the best interest of the blog or people on this blog.
Contributors, please update your email on the blog.