Andrew Breitbart launched his new site today, BigGovernment, with an undercover invesigation of ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). Officials with the controversial community organizing group were videotaped telling two journalists—who were passing themselves off as a pimp and a prostitute—how to commit welfare fraud, evade federal taxes, and cover up a conspiracy to traffic in underage prostitutes.
This is the story that Glenn Beck has been teasing, saying that people will be going to jail once the story breaks. And at National Review Online, Andy McCarthy says this is going to be a “huge story.” Really? I have two words for anyone who thinks this is going to be a significant story: Lila Rose.
Rose is the incredible young activist who launched several successful undercover investigations that exposed the racism and statutory rape cover-up by Planned Parenthood. She has caught dozens of employees at abortion clinics openly telling her that they will remain silent, despite a requirement for them to report such cases of rape. The result? A few employees were fired and . . . well, that’s about it.
Rose received some media attention—mostly on conservative outlets—and her picture is now posted in Planned Parenthood clinics across the country. But no abortion clinics were closed because of her investigation. In fact, Planned Parenthood still receives federal funding despite their conspiracy to cover-up crimes against children. (Another group, Yes on 73, has recorded over ninety instances of PP employees saying they will help cover-up such crimes.)
That’s why I’m skeptical that any significant action will be taken against ACORN. A few low-level officials will be sacrificed for PR purposes, but the main leaders and functions of the organization will not be affected. Indeed, I’ll be pleasantly surprised if this is still a story being talked about next week. While the he American media—and the the American public in general—loves a good scandal, conspiring to commit crimes against children just isn’t sexy enough to be given much attention.
September 10th, 2009 | 2:01 pm
ACORN gives new meaning to Heart of Oak….
September 10th, 2009 | 3:01 pm
[...] Carter writing at First Things: “Andrew Breitbart launched his new site today, BigGovernment, with an undercover [...]
September 10th, 2009 | 4:11 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Bobby Ayers, Ryan Marr, Teeny, Catholic Notions and others. Bobby Ayers said: RT @ROFTERS: ACORN Conspiring to Cover-Up Child Prostitution? Yawn http://bit.ly/1qbjKZ [...]
September 10th, 2009 | 6:52 pm
Is there any evidence the Catholic bishops helped fund this ACORN affiliate through the Catholic Campaign for Human Development? Funding was cut just last year after the voting fraud controversies.
September 10th, 2009 | 8:55 pm
One particularly odd bit from the transcript:
“anything that is not government approved is against the law: that’s rule number one.”
I wonder if there’s a relationship here between the thought that running underage prostitutes from el Salvador is okay and the belief that everything not explicitly permitted is proscribed. I mean, I honestly wonder that. I’m not making a point.
September 10th, 2009 | 10:49 pm
“conspiring to commit crimes against children just isn’t sexy enough to be given much attention, if the conspirators are in sympathy with ideologies of the mainstream press and the Democrats. If ACORN stood for Associated Concervatives Offering Religious News or PP stood for Praising Parenthood, these stories would be all over the nightly news.”
There. I fixed it for you.
September 10th, 2009 | 11:27 pm
[...] time to break ties with this group, denounce them and defund them. Update: Joe Carter shares some great background info on those involved in the undercover investigation. He’s also skeptical anything will be [...]
September 11th, 2009 | 7:55 am
I think you are right, Joe. Staff can frequently step over the line; without written guidelines from the top, its hard to have the transgressions implicate those upstream. Knowledge is a start, so its good to know that these things are happening, because it makes the general specific. But nothing lasting will be done in the short-term. We should temper our outrage and see reality.
September 11th, 2009 | 9:01 am
[...] Mr Carter notices an ACORN expose. [...]
September 11th, 2009 | 9:02 am
[...] Mr Carter notices an ACORN expose. [...]
September 11th, 2009 | 11:27 am
ACORN sounds like some kind of nut to me and I feel sorry for these woman cause “IT” really is not only their fault cause humanity is only as strong as our weakest link. Go Figure!
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