how to teach those in need ! the ACORN Scandal
#1
09-21-2009, 05:20 PM
how to teach those in need ! the ACORN Scandal
two ACORN workers are seen apparently advising the couple to lie about her profession and launder her earnings to get housing aid.
The video is only the latest problem for the group, which had nearly $1 million embezzled by its founder's brother and has been accused of voter registration fraud. The House and Senate voted last week to deny federal funds to ACORN.
"Reasons to Lose Federal Funding," stupidity should be at the top. Workers for Acorn, the national community organizing group, recently were caught in an amateur sting so ridiculous it could have been a comedy skit, pulled off by a 25-year-old filmmaker, Bergen County native James O'Keefe.
Dressed as a caricature of a pimp from a really bad movie and accompanied by a scantily clad 20-year-old woman posing as a prostitute, O'Keefe visited Acorn offices seeking advice on how to buy a house and start a business in it -- a brothel. Which, by the way, would employ underage girls from El Salvador.
Anyone with a lick of sense would have started looking for the hidden camera. Or called the cops -- which is exactly what Acorn says its workers in Philadelphia did. But Acorn workers at offices in Brooklyn, Baltimore, Washington and California were caught on videotape counseling the preposterous pair on disguising their business and avoiding taxes. An Acorn employee in Baltimore suggested the hooker describe her job as "freelance performing artist" and the pimp consider claiming the young prostitutes as dependents.
What, they couldn't have just sent them to Barnes and Noble for a copy of "Prostitution for Dummies"?
Those snipping sounds you hear are ties to Acorn being cut: The Senate quickly voted to prohibit the Department of Housing and Urban Development from giving it federal housing money. (Proponents of the ban said Acorn had received $53 million in federal funding since 1994.) The Census Bureau dropped Acorn as a partner. House Republican leader John Boehner asked President Obama to cut off all federal financing: "It is evident that Acorn is incapable of using federal funds in a manner consistent with the law," he wrote.
Acorn (the Association of Commuity Organizations for Reform Now) has worked in low- and moderate-income areas for higher minimum wages, more affordable housing and increased voter registration -- all noble causes. But it came under fire during the last election for hiring voter-registration workers who turned in phony names. Since then the group has put in place a new management team, and in response to O'Keefe's videos, Acorn CEO Bertha Lewis has announced its service programs will not take on any new clients until after an independent review of its procedures and re-training for all its frontline staff. As for the workers whose indefensible behavior made them video stars, they've been fired.
Acorn contends the videos were doctored, O'Keefe was turned away at other Acorn offices, and the sting was part of a right-wing effort to destroy the group. Indeed the organization has become a favorite target of conservative groups. But it's clear it needs to clean up its act. And the federal government should turn off the spigot until it does.
http://news.lalate.com/celebrity/hom...ectlink&id=885
The video is only the latest problem for the group, which had nearly $1 million embezzled by its founder's brother and has been accused of voter registration fraud. The House and Senate voted last week to deny federal funds to ACORN.
"Reasons to Lose Federal Funding," stupidity should be at the top. Workers for Acorn, the national community organizing group, recently were caught in an amateur sting so ridiculous it could have been a comedy skit, pulled off by a 25-year-old filmmaker, Bergen County native James O'Keefe.
Dressed as a caricature of a pimp from a really bad movie and accompanied by a scantily clad 20-year-old woman posing as a prostitute, O'Keefe visited Acorn offices seeking advice on how to buy a house and start a business in it -- a brothel. Which, by the way, would employ underage girls from El Salvador.
Anyone with a lick of sense would have started looking for the hidden camera. Or called the cops -- which is exactly what Acorn says its workers in Philadelphia did. But Acorn workers at offices in Brooklyn, Baltimore, Washington and California were caught on videotape counseling the preposterous pair on disguising their business and avoiding taxes. An Acorn employee in Baltimore suggested the hooker describe her job as "freelance performing artist" and the pimp consider claiming the young prostitutes as dependents.
What, they couldn't have just sent them to Barnes and Noble for a copy of "Prostitution for Dummies"?
Those snipping sounds you hear are ties to Acorn being cut: The Senate quickly voted to prohibit the Department of Housing and Urban Development from giving it federal housing money. (Proponents of the ban said Acorn had received $53 million in federal funding since 1994.) The Census Bureau dropped Acorn as a partner. House Republican leader John Boehner asked President Obama to cut off all federal financing: "It is evident that Acorn is incapable of using federal funds in a manner consistent with the law," he wrote.
Acorn (the Association of Commuity Organizations for Reform Now) has worked in low- and moderate-income areas for higher minimum wages, more affordable housing and increased voter registration -- all noble causes. But it came under fire during the last election for hiring voter-registration workers who turned in phony names. Since then the group has put in place a new management team, and in response to O'Keefe's videos, Acorn CEO Bertha Lewis has announced its service programs will not take on any new clients until after an independent review of its procedures and re-training for all its frontline staff. As for the workers whose indefensible behavior made them video stars, they've been fired.
Acorn contends the videos were doctored, O'Keefe was turned away at other Acorn offices, and the sting was part of a right-wing effort to destroy the group. Indeed the organization has become a favorite target of conservative groups. But it's clear it needs to clean up its act. And the federal government should turn off the spigot until it does.
http://news.lalate.com/celebrity/hom...ectlink&id=885
#2
09-21-2009, 06:48 PM
Acorn video
the under-age prostitute dependents from So America video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UOL9...layer_embedded
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocate for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues. ACORN has over 400,000 members and more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in over 100 cities across the U.S., as well as in Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Peru. ACORN was founded in 1970 by Wade Rathke and Gary Delgado.
Maude Hurd has been National President of ACORN since 1990.
ACORN was founded by Wade Rathke when he was sent to Little Rock, Arkansas by the National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO) in 1970 as an organizer.
Gary Delgado and George A. Wiley were also instrumental to its founding. ACORN's first campaign was to help welfare recipients attain their basic needs, such as clothing and furniture. This drive, inspired by a clause in the Arkansas welfare laws, began the effort to create and sustain a movement that would grow to become the Arkansas Community Organizations for Reform Now, the beginnings of ACORN.
ACORN's goal was to "unite welfare recipients with needy working people around issues such as school lunches, unemployment, Vietnam veterans' rights, and emergency room care.
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UOL9...layer_embedded
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocate for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues. ACORN has over 400,000 members and more than 1,200 neighborhood chapters in over 100 cities across the U.S., as well as in Argentina, Canada, Mexico, and Peru. ACORN was founded in 1970 by Wade Rathke and Gary Delgado.
Maude Hurd has been National President of ACORN since 1990.
ACORN was founded by Wade Rathke when he was sent to Little Rock, Arkansas by the National Welfare Rights Organization (NWRO) in 1970 as an organizer.
Gary Delgado and George A. Wiley were also instrumental to its founding. ACORN's first campaign was to help welfare recipients attain their basic needs, such as clothing and furniture. This drive, inspired by a clause in the Arkansas welfare laws, began the effort to create and sustain a movement that would grow to become the Arkansas Community Organizations for Reform Now, the beginnings of ACORN.
ACORN's goal was to "unite welfare recipients with needy working people around issues such as school lunches, unemployment, Vietnam veterans' rights, and emergency room care.
.
Last edited by stomper; 09-21-2009 at 10:24 PM.
#3
09-21-2009, 07:02 PM
Dale Rathke, embezzled nearly $1 million from Acorn and affiliated charitable organizations in 1999 and 2000, Acorn officials said, but a small group of executives decided to keep the information from almost all of the group’s board members and not to alert law enforcement.
Dale Rathke remained on Acorn’s payroll for another 10 years, until a Aug 2009, when disclosure of his theft by foundations and other donors forced the organization to dismiss him.
Acorn chose to treat the embezzlement of nearly $1 million eight years ago as an internal matter and did not even notify its board. After Points of Light noticed financial irregularities in early June, it took less than a month for management to alert federal prosecutors, although group officials say they have no clear idea yet what the financial impact may be.
A whistle-blower forced Acorn to disclose the embezzlement, which involved the brother of the organization’s founder, Wade Rathke.
“We thought it best at the time to protect the organization, as well as to get the funds back into the organization, to deal with it in-house,” said Maude Hurd, president of Acorn. “It was a judgment call at the time, and looking back, people can agree or disagree with it, but we did what we thought was right.”
Dale Rathke remained on Acorn’s payroll for another 10 years, until a Aug 2009, when disclosure of his theft by foundations and other donors forced the organization to dismiss him.
Acorn chose to treat the embezzlement of nearly $1 million eight years ago as an internal matter and did not even notify its board. After Points of Light noticed financial irregularities in early June, it took less than a month for management to alert federal prosecutors, although group officials say they have no clear idea yet what the financial impact may be.
A whistle-blower forced Acorn to disclose the embezzlement, which involved the brother of the organization’s founder, Wade Rathke.
“We thought it best at the time to protect the organization, as well as to get the funds back into the organization, to deal with it in-house,” said Maude Hurd, president of Acorn. “It was a judgment call at the time, and looking back, people can agree or disagree with it, but we did what we thought was right.”
#4
09-21-2009, 07:03 PM
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal today cut off state funding for the community activist group ACORN.
Jindal has also blocked any state agency for entering into contracts with the organization.
The executive order also cuts off any future state funding of ACORN, on the heels of a series of embarrassing incidents for the organization.
The governor’s action follows a subpoena of do***ents from the group’s national headquarter office in New Orleans.
According to Jindal’s executive order, “ACORN’s actions make clear that financial involvement with ACORN is contrary to the public policy of the State of Louisiana and the best interests of its citizens.”
.
Jindal has also blocked any state agency for entering into contracts with the organization.
The executive order also cuts off any future state funding of ACORN, on the heels of a series of embarrassing incidents for the organization.
The governor’s action follows a subpoena of do***ents from the group’s national headquarter office in New Orleans.
According to Jindal’s executive order, “ACORN’s actions make clear that financial involvement with ACORN is contrary to the public policy of the State of Louisiana and the best interests of its citizens.”
.
#5
09-21-2009, 07:04 PM
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi & ACORN
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday she is clueless about an amendment to prohibit government funds for embattled ACORN, although it overwhelmingly passed the Senate Monday and the White House is calling for the group to be held accountable.
“I don’t even know what they passed,” Pelosi told The Post yesterday. “What did they do? They defunded it?”
.
“I don’t even know what they passed,” Pelosi told The Post yesterday. “What did they do? They defunded it?”
.
Last edited by stomper; 09-21-2009 at 07:06 PM.
#6
09-25-2009, 09:50 AM
USA Sex Workers March on Washington.
Dec 18 2008
As part of International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, SWOP USA converged outside the White House to get their message to President-Elect, Barack Obama.
This footage shows the speakers at the event, the march, and the protest.
http://deepthroated.wordpress.com/20...-rights-video/
Dec 18 2008
As part of International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, SWOP USA converged outside the White House to get their message to President-Elect, Barack Obama.
This footage shows the speakers at the event, the march, and the protest.
http://deepthroated.wordpress.com/20...-rights-video/
#7
09-28-2009, 05:45 PM
Bank of America and ACORN
Bank of America Corp. is suspending its work with the housing affiliate of embattled community organizing group ACORN. The decision comes as three Republicans in Congress ask Bank of America and 13 other financial institutions to give Congress a complete accounting of their dealings with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now or its affiliates.
In a statement, Bank of America said it would not enter into any further agreements with ACORN Housing Corp. until the bank is satisfied all issues have been resolved. ACORN Housing Corp. and Bank of America have worked together for years on mortgage foreclosure issues.
On Friday, GOP Reps. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, Darrell Issa of California and Lamar Smith of Texas sent a letter to 14 banks requesting disclosure to the House Financial Services Committee of all financial arrangements with ACORN and its subsidiaries or affiliates.
Each of the three congressmen is the ranking Republican on a House panel: Bachus on the House Financial Services Committee, Issa on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Smith on the Judiciary Committee.
.
In a statement, Bank of America said it would not enter into any further agreements with ACORN Housing Corp. until the bank is satisfied all issues have been resolved. ACORN Housing Corp. and Bank of America have worked together for years on mortgage foreclosure issues.
On Friday, GOP Reps. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, Darrell Issa of California and Lamar Smith of Texas sent a letter to 14 banks requesting disclosure to the House Financial Services Committee of all financial arrangements with ACORN and its subsidiaries or affiliates.
Each of the three congressmen is the ranking Republican on a House panel: Bachus on the House Financial Services Committee, Issa on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Smith on the Judiciary Committee.
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