MovieChat Forums > Glenn Beck (2006) Discussion > ACORN story is missing quite a few facts...

ACORN story is missing quite a few facts.

posted 15 years ago by kungfuU
6 replies | jump to latest

(Old bat and switch technique.)

http://mediamatters.org/research/200909100058
From the September 9 edition of Fox News' Glenn Beck:

"Trust me. Everybody now says they're going to be talking about health care. I don't think so. Tomorrow you will see an exclusive -- stuff on tomorrow's program. Don't miss it."

(What is this earth shattering revelation? It must be extraordinary to push "health care" out of the Fox news cycle!)

(ACORN fired two dishonest workers. Video of two dishonest ACORN workers, preceded the firings. Two workers that is the start and end of the huge controversy.)
"Fox covers ACORN video in at least 17 segments on six programs."
(Beck/Fox didn't quite tell the whole story. I wonder why? )

"Beck obsessed with linking groups to ACORN. Illustrating the conservative penchant for using ACORN as a bogeyman, Beck himself has devoted segments to tenuous or tangential "connections" between ACORN and the following people and groups: AmeriCorps, AARP, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, PRLDEF, and SEIU. Beck has also fearmongered about ACORN while attacking President Obama and his policies."

http://tinyurl.com/www-newshounds-ACORN-facts

In Their Zeal To Change Subject From Health Care To ACORN, Fox News Overlooks Issues With Gotcha Video Reported by Ellen - September 11, 2009

"Media Matters counted at least 17 segments on six programs devoted to airing and discussing portions of a video made by anti-choice zealot James O'Keefe who specializes in using deceptive practices to trick his targets into embarrassing themselves."

"O'Keefe said his goal was "posing the most ridiculous criminal scenario we could think of and seeing if they would comply." Predictably, Sean Hannity was so enthusiastic about the prospect of smearing ACORN - and President Obama along with it - that he failed to tell the "we report, you decide" network's viewers that the filmmakers reportedly went to several ACORN offices, where their ploy was unsuccessful, before finding someone to fall for their scheme. Hannity also failed to mention O'Keefe's background,......."

"How many times did O'Keefe try his charade before he found someone who took the bait? We never learned."

"Hannity, never at a loss for his own self-importance, announced that the show would later go into the "criminal issues." But somehow nobody ever got around to mentioning the potential criminal liability of those great journalists because it's a crime in Maryland to record someone without their permission."

"Meanwhile, Hannity and Flynn lamented that ACORN gets "millions of dollars" from the US government. Funny, ACORN received $13 million from the Bush administration and I never saw anyone, in more than 5 years of watching "fair and balanced" Fox News have a care about that."

http://www.newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p=1396
Prostitution And Criminality Rampant At Fox News
Mark

"The big story on Fox News yesterday was the undercover video of ACORN employees improperly advising a couple of conservative activists, posing as a pimp and a prostitute, on how to deceive the IRS and acquire funds to operate their illegal business. The video was featured throughout the day on just about every program on the Fox network."

"Both of the women who appeared in the video were terminated the same day as it was exposed."

"So far anyone has been able to determine (including Fox) the events depicted in the video were limited to the two people caught up in the sting. Of course, everyone from Glenn Beck to Sean Hannity implied that the the video documented what they alleged was the rampant corruption of the entire ACORN organization."

"Just yesterday, Fox News ran another ACORN story under an intentionally misleading headline that read "ACORN INSULT." So did the Fox Nation, whose version of the same story said "Arrest Warrants Issued for 11 ACORN Workers." But what actually happened was that ACORN had discovered evidence of fraud and reported it to the state attorney's office. So while Fox portrayed ACORN as crooked, it was ACORN who turned in their own people and were praised by law enforcement for their diligence."

"Following the Fox model of culpability it would be easy to declare Fox News guilty of numerous abhorrent crimes."

"Earlier this year, Fox News producer Aaron Bruns was arrested for trafficking in child pornography. Another Fox Newser, Don Broderick, committed hit-and-run on a bicyclist. Fox News contributor Dick Morris was famously caught with a hooker, whom he let listen in on phone calls with the White House. And Bill O'Reilly himself was the subject of a sexual harassment case that he settled privately for millions of dollars."

"With evidence like this it is pretty clear that Fox News is a venal criminal enterprise, steeped in the most repulsive sorts of violence and sexual assaults. That is, if we use the Fox criteria for establishing guilt. And while ACORN fired their offending employees, three of the four Fox felons above still report there for work."

"Fox News, and the whole of the Rupert Murdoch empire, is by design a vicious smear machine and ought not to be taken seriously by anyone interested in the truth."

[–] hitking 15 years ago

This incident and its trumped up importance by Fox didn't pass the smell test from the first time I saw it.

I don't think Beck should have run with this one.

Do you know how their visit to that office ended? Was any paperwork started?

[–] kungfuU 15 years ago

Do you know how their visit to that office ended? Was any paperwork started?

Sorry, I don't know.
Just speculating, but I don't think any paperwork was started. If there was any paperwork, Beck would of presented it (or at least referred to it). If I can find a reliable article, I'll post it.

http://www.newshounds.us/ will probably be following this story intently; that site will be a good place for facts.

They are already looking into the story, as we speak.
http://www.newshounds.us/2009/09/12/glenn_becks_guest_hannah_one_day_i _was_jogging_after_work_and_i_saw_an_acorn_um_i_was_like_hmm_you_know_ ive_never_seen_them_before_i_dont_like_them_and_um_i_came_up_with_the_ idea.php

While fake-prostitute Hannah sat primly with hands folded, Beck talked to Fox News analyst, Judge Andrew Napolitano, to confirm the illegality of these acts. Napolitano said that ACORN is "funded by the federal government [yes, $13 million from Bush alone], which imposes certain standards," and that "this particular woman ... was uncritically helpful in facilitating criminal activity ...." Napolitano cited eight potential charges, and said, "Beyond that is the fact that she enabled, she helped ..." He said there could be five years in prison for each charge, "And I rattled off about eight of them."

The one he didn't rattle off is the one about whether Hannah and O'Keefe broke Maryland law by secretly recording the ACORN workers.

(Judge Napolitano didn't mention anything about paperwork. I'm guessing there wasn't any.)

Need to find a decent transcript. This is much better.
http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message878548/pg1

A Judge on Glen Beck's (Fox News) show, when asked by Glen Beck,

BECK: "As a Judge, is this an open and shut case against these people?
What's illegal? and if so, if this was brought before your Court, how much time would these people serve?"

JUDGE: "Well, we start out with the fact that ACORN is funded by the Federal Government which imposes certain standards on their employees.

We go to the fact that this particular woman who did most of the talking clearly was uncritically helpful in facilitating criminal activity:

. Prostitution;
. Organizing prostitution;
. Bank fraud;
. Filing false documents with the Federal Government;
. Immigration Violations;
. Impairing the welfare of a minor;
. Bringing women over inter-state lines for immoral purposes;
. Bringing minors over inter-state lines for immoral purposes;

There's a slew of potential conspiracy charges. Beyond that, is the fact that she enabled, she helped, she told them how to break the law.

BECK: How much time in prison?

JUDGE: Approximately five years for each of those charges and I rattled off about eight of them.

Excerpt transcribed from 'Glenn Beck' Exclusive
Woman who posed as prostitute to expose corruption at ACORN
September 10, 2008

(The judge didn't mention any paperwork, but that doesn't prove anything. I'll keep an eye out, for any mention of paperwork.)

http://rositatheprolesnastylittlebloggingproblem.wordpress.com/2009/09 /11/every-time-i-see-that-beautiful-conservative-white-girl-shaking-he r-beautiful-assets-i-laugh-and-laugh-that-sounds-like-spam-doesnt-it-h annah-giles-and-james-okeefe-are-at-it-again/
Let's see, at the end of the Baltimore thing, we were leaving and she said, "You know what since you're starting out this new business. I'm going to give you a discount on what it will cost for me to do your taxes." So instead of a $150 to fill out a form and do all my paperwork, she gave me the price of $50, so that's a $100 off because I'm a new businessperson trying to establish myself and, you know, bring underage girls in for a sex company.

[–] hitking 15 years ago

I doubt there was anything started in writing, that would be fraud.

[–] kungfuU 15 years ago

I think you are right.

[–] Loomis_Orange 15 years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM708EjH0bs

Exactly how much fraud is needed for this country to denounce ACORN? Look where this stuff goes back to! How Much Do You Need?

Whither goest thou, America, In thy shiny car in the night? ~ Jack Kerouac

[–] kungfuU 15 years ago

Exactly how much fraud is needed for this country to denounce ACORN?

Beck and the numerous Fox segments could of reported the whole ACORN story, but didn't do so. That doesn't bolster Foxs credibility. Showing some facts and hiding others, is propaganda. You can't pick and choose what facts are beneficial. I don't trust Fox propaganda. I also don't trust Bill Clinton (at least about his fidelity), he cheated on his wife and he lied about it. Not worth being impeached over but it was still a lie.

Bush gave money to ACORN, I don't see any reason why I should denounce Bush or ACORN. If I believe that ACORN to be corrupt, then I have to also believe that Bush is corrupt.

Any group is going to have some bad apples. Some individuals are going to be rotten down to the core. I don't condone the actions of certain bad apples; and I'm not going to stigmatize an entire group, by the actions of some.

If I go by your logic, I would have to brand the GOP as the party of pedophiles. That isn't true! Not at all! I can show a long list of GOP pedophiles. http://911review.org/Alex/Republican_Pedophiles.html That list proves absolutely nothing. A few bad apples are just that. A certain percentage of any group, is going to be downright bad. I could repeat the GOP pedophile list over and over, to make it appear that the GOP is swarming with pedophiles. But that is a slimy trick that has no merit.

I don't like that trick. I don't care which party tries to use is.

(EDIT)
ACORN wants potential voters to be registered. Some people are lazy and pretend to register potential voters. These people are defrauding ACORN! If you owned an Asian restaurant; and HS kids threw away your door flyers (instead of hanging them on doorknobs), that is a problem. Khan's Rice Palace is being ripped off. The same thing with ACORN. Fake names won't add a single potential voter to the list. Getting one real person to register takes effort. It takes no effort to pretend that Mickey Mouse is now registered. It doesn't increase the voter turnout. Even if Mickey Mouse comes to the polls, they still need show ID. Disney dollars just don't cut it.

I've heard about prosecutors thanking ACORN for pointing out these lazy miscreants. If I was ACORN, I'd be angry about people pretending to talk to people. Going to Taco Bell and stealing names off of gravestones, is not going to add a single name to the list. These people are stealing from ACORN.

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/09/acorn_praised_by_prose cutors_for_fighting_voter_re/
ACORN Praised by Prosecutors for Fighting Voter Registration Fraud