Another ACORN job bites the dust
posted at 8:47 am on September 18, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Maybe this will be the new attack on James O’Keefe and Hannah Giles. They’re making the unemployment situation worse! They’ve turned into a two-person recession, now responsible for at least five jobs lost in ACORN offices across the nation. ACORN announced that the star of the San Diego episode of Survivor: Community Organizer has just been voted off the island:
A San Diego ACORN employee who appeared to give human-smuggling advice to a pimp and prostitute in an undercover video made by conservative filmmakers has been fired, 10News’ Juliette Vara reported.
ACORN’s David Lagstein issued the following statement regarding Vera:
“After release of the second San Diego video by the unscrupulous partisan videographers, we have reevaluated our assessment of the incident that occurred last month. No paperwork was filed, but the video reflects unacceptable conduct that contradicts the earlier statements of ACORN Organizer Juan Carlos Vera. He has been terminated. San Diego ACORN and ACORN offices around the country are continuing to halt our service programs pending the results of the evaluation of the independent Advisory Council and we are continuing to fight on our campaigns: stopping foreclosures, affordable, accessible health care, and a strong education for all children.”
Well, that’s a new one. ACORN calls O’Keefe and Giles “unscrupulous,” and to prove it, they stand behind their employee — the better to kick him out the door. What’s more unscrupulous: providing advice to a pimp on how to hide a child-prostitution ring, or filming a man providing advice to a pimp on how to hide a child-prostitution ring? If ACORN wants to keep arguing the former over the latter, they’re going to find their public relations at about the NAMBLA level.
Interestingly, KGTV confirmed that Juan Carlos Vera did what the other ACORN staffers never considered: he called the cops. National City police confirmed that Vera contacted them after O’Keefe and Giles left, but that he didn’t get enough information for them to investigate. Unfortunately, he waters down his his own case by claiming that he only helped the pair because he thought they were in danger. And … that’s why he called the cops afterward?
If ACORN really thought these videos didn’t represent what really happened in their offices, none of these five would be unemployed today. That’s the bottom line here, and it speaks much louder than their silly press releases.
Blowback
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Calling FBI, where are you?
faraway on September 18, 2009 at 8:49 AM
There’s no honor among
thieveschild sex slave traders.Dr.Cwac.Cwac on September 18, 2009 at 8:50 AM
Dana Loesch is starting to connect the community organizing dots.
forest on September 18, 2009 at 8:50 AM
I read something else where Mr. Vera claimed he sounds complicit in the tapes because English isn’t his first language. That’s an interesting excuse for supporting child sex slave brothels.
BadgerHawk on September 18, 2009 at 8:51 AM
Now if only we had videos showing how the voter fraud worked …
eforhan on September 18, 2009 at 8:52 AM
That will give him more time to work on his Presidential campaign.
With a resume like he has, he’s ready to step right in and start royally screwing up right away, like his hero and role model, Barry Obama.
NoDonkey on September 18, 2009 at 8:52 AM
What we now need is for Acorn to continue to stand behind the employees they fired, so that those same employees can file massive wrongful termination suits against them.
We know they will too, since they work for an organization that helps people get something for nothing.
If I were an ambulance chasing attorney, I’d be contacting these ex employees now.
MagicalPat on September 18, 2009 at 8:54 AM
Michael Moore is covering this now?
Advocate For Change on September 18, 2009 at 8:54 AM
rico anyone.
they have shown a pattern of lawlessness at acorn, why are they not being shut down completely?
trailortrash on September 18, 2009 at 8:54 AM
They’re suspending their so-called service operations, not so much for an internal audit as for fear their may be other Hanna/James teams out there.
TXUS on September 18, 2009 at 8:55 AM
Jay Leno does his part …
J_Crater on September 18, 2009 at 8:56 AM
That’s not necessarily true. ACORN knows that the videos represent what happens at their offices nationwide but they can’t stand behind those caught because somebody has to be offered up while the hand-picked kangaroo court pretends to be investigating.
The time for self-regulation is long past. The DOJ needs to investigate and the IRS needs to pull ACORN’s tax-exempt status.
highhopes on September 18, 2009 at 8:56 AM
But…but…according to crap6, the Meth Head in San Berdoo didn’t really kill her husband, so the rest of the video doesn’t count.
kingsjester on September 18, 2009 at 8:57 AM
They really should have dirtied Giles up to make her a more believable prostitute.
Speedwagon82 on September 18, 2009 at 8:57 AM
He called the cops afterward. As in, he saw the first couple tapes on Fox News and, after severely soiling himself, went into full-blown CYA mode and called the police.
Bruce in NH on September 18, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Here’s a little PR tip for you ACORN nitwits to use the next time disaster strikes: before you start making public statements, get together and organize (you know how to do that, right?) your story. Releasing one contradictory statement after the next (“we were scared for our lives” — “we thought it was a joke and were just playing along” — “we were just trying to be helpful to strangers” — “we don’t really understand English well enough to know what they were saying”) just makes you look like a bunch of corrupt, inept, liars.
AZCoyote on September 18, 2009 at 8:59 AM
i bet there are videos of voter fraud. wonder when they will come out?
kelley in virginia on September 18, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Dear racists,
Shut up already. I’ll get right on this.
- E. Holder
Bruce in NH on September 18, 2009 at 8:59 AM
If he called the cops I’m not sure if he should be fired… he was obviously conflicted… but on the other hand he offered his contacts in Tijuana, wanted to bring them to an immigration rally, said “trust the mexicans” over and over again, said he has cousins who are cops but they wouldn’t drop a on him… and tried to buy Hannah for the weekend…
ninjapirate on September 18, 2009 at 8:59 AM
This guy was even hinted to Hannah that he wanted her “services.”
ACORN: We fire him because we love him.
B.S.
cubachi on September 18, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Pulling the tax exempt status for ACORN? what a joke. we know they use cash from crime and backyard coffeee cans and do not have a trail of records.
seven on September 18, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Obama’s jobs numbers continue to plummet.
Fletch54 on September 18, 2009 at 9:00 AM
WAIT! He offers them advice and assistance on smuggling in underage girls for prostitution and then calls the cops? what did he tell the cops, “I’m helping a pimp and a ho smuggling in illegals”?
ramrants on September 18, 2009 at 9:02 AM
“Calling FBI, where are you?”
As of 2 days ago (via CNN no less) Mueller was claiming he had never heard of any of this. It’s tough to come up with anything other than a false choice of either he is lying or the head of the FBI is so incompetant he needs to be replaced.
metalguy22 on September 18, 2009 at 9:05 AM
Are we allowed to officially say that Juan Carlos Vera “LIED”? I distinctly remembered him saying that he would not call the cops.
fbcmusicman on September 18, 2009 at 9:06 AM
Well of course he contacted the police. He said in the video that he had family that were on the police force, and that he had contacts in Tiajuana to get the girls in.
If the DA in San Diego and the Police Chief are above the board, they will be looking into the conduct of the police relatives.
Just say’in.
PappaMac on September 18, 2009 at 9:06 AM
Perhaps he called the cops hoping to get James out of the way so that the poor, defenseless prostitute would need a new pimp?
myrenovations on September 18, 2009 at 9:08 AM
HA!, that would make them sleepless “How many other videografers was out there”.
the_nile on September 18, 2009 at 9:08 AM
The house of cards is ah tumbling down.
Static on September 18, 2009 at 9:09 AM
So the worse that can happen to these people is to get fired?
They should be behind bars, after all their “contacts” are rounded up and prosecuted. No wonder there is so much corruption when there is no punishment when you are caught.
Hening on September 18, 2009 at 9:10 AM
You see, a scrupulous videographer would have told the ACORN employees that they were being filmed. That’s the way to see what their true reactions would have been. Black is White. Peace is War and we have always been at war with Eastasia.
Kafir on September 18, 2009 at 9:11 AM
The unemployment rate will hit 10% just from ACORN firings.
angryed on September 18, 2009 at 9:12 AM
It kinda sounds like he wanted these two out of the way so he could take control of the underage sex slaves. Remember he was saying they should run the whorehouse in mexico and he had “contacts”
sonofdy on September 18, 2009 at 9:12 AM
Juan’s calling the police afterward was just CYA. He couldn’t or wouldn’t give the police any real information, but he’s protected in case things go wrong. Meanwhile, if O’Keefe and Giles really are who they said they were, he’s still got his contacts for a hot piece of the illegal action.
Your tax dollars at work.
And how is anyone buying ACORN’s story that the videos are false but we’re firing the employees anyway?
jwolf on September 18, 2009 at 9:13 AM
I can’t believe they bought the guy as a pimp.
sonofdy on September 18, 2009 at 9:14 AM
Looks to me like ACORN is Synonymous with BIG BUSINESS now as the left wing looks at things.
Fraud, Corruption, Taking advantage of the poor, etc.
PappaMac on September 18, 2009 at 9:14 AM
I’ve already emailed two congressmen and called a third today.
you should do the same.
demand a full up FBI investigation.
then call the news outlets–demand obama spill the beans on ACORN.
ted c on September 18, 2009 at 9:17 AM
For the next set of videos, somebody needs to go undercover as an ACORN activist and get the training sessions on tape.
highhopes on September 18, 2009 at 9:18 AM
Now he can get down to the real business of using his smuggling contacts full time.
That ACORN gig was just a stepping stone.
TheSitRep on September 18, 2009 at 9:18 AM
Funny, but if I were ACORN, I would say “yes, there are a couple of bad apples, but here are the stories of all the good we do.”
So where are the success stories about getting people out of poverty, ACORN?
rbj on September 18, 2009 at 9:18 AM
Looks to me like ACORN is Synonymous with BIG BUSINESS now as the left wing looks at things.
Fraud, Corruption, Taking advantage of the poor, etc.
PappaMac on September 18, 2009 at 9:14 AM
Not at all. To the leftwing mind, only motives matter, not results. So big business is evil because they seek profit, but ACORN is noble because they say they want to help the poor. It doesn’t really matter what actually happens in either case.
jwolf on September 18, 2009 at 9:18 AM
Unless they are underage sex slaves.
farright on September 18, 2009 at 9:21 AM
Almost makes up for having the Obese Michael Moore on his show this week. Almost.
angryed on September 18, 2009 at 9:21 AM
She’s great…and locally, she’s all over another tenticle of this octopus: a local food pantry is not only featuring planned parenthood literature, but actually referring their services to people. This same food pantry “fired” a couple of volunteers who objected. The tactics used on these folks (who notified the local churches that have been huge supporters of this food pantry) have been very Alinsky-esque.
Chewy the Lab on September 18, 2009 at 9:21 AM
I think there are videos on other subjects, but until we have videos of kittens being killed, the left will express little outrage.
turfmann on September 18, 2009 at 9:23 AM
RICO RICO RICO!
petefrt on September 18, 2009 at 9:24 AM
As a Survivor fan, I am going to give you my immunity idol the next time you Berak something…
ladyingray on September 18, 2009 at 9:24 AM
One more time. Stop calling them “prostitutes”. They are “Service Employees”. Think SEIU
MikeA on September 18, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Geeze, they should fire the person that writes their press releases.
digitalintrigue on September 18, 2009 at 9:25 AM
lol i love this whole thing
<3 Hannah Giles
blatantblue on September 18, 2009 at 9:25 AM
Leaving aside that Lagstein’s statement is barely literate, what does he mean by stopping foreclosures?
Isn’t that interference with legitimate legal process?
BuckeyeSam on September 18, 2009 at 9:25 AM
Why do I get the impression that they’re more upset that the “unscrupulous, partisan” videographers actually caught them, rather than Vera’s (and, by extension, ACORN’s) unscrupulous, partisan business practices?
Attrition is a bitter pill, isn’t it?
Diane on September 18, 2009 at 9:26 AM
just for my personal vindication, i want to see the video tapes of voter fraud. especially in Virginia.
because one of the Virginia Dem blogs called me every name in the book when i suggested that voter fraud existed & that ACORN was a party to some of it.
kelley in virginia on September 18, 2009 at 9:27 AM
Where are the trolls?
angryed on September 18, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Well, yeah, but it’s not unscrupulous, apparently.
Vashta.Nerada on September 18, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Do those tapes exist
farright on September 18, 2009 at 9:30 AM
And ICE (human trafficking especially given the San Diego tape) and the exempt-organizations division of the IRS (to revoke ACORN’s 501(c)(3) status).
Revoking ACORN’s 501(c)(3) status will reduce ACORN’s non-governmental funding. First, individual donors will no longer get income tax deductions for contributions–which represents an additional federal subsidy to ACORN from taxpayers. Second, foundations making grants to ACORN are most likely required to make grants only to 501(c)(3) organizations. Once ACORN loses that status, grant money from those foundations will dry up. Liberals will then have to fund this POS organization with their own after-tax dollars.
BuckeyeSam on September 18, 2009 at 9:33 AM
I asked yesterday and I’ll ask again here – where are all the HA trolls?
Afrolib?
crr6?
dcwvu?
Come on out, little ones. Defend your ACORN brothers in arms. It’s their time of need and you’re nowhere to be found.
You trolls had a lot to say when the first vids emerged. Just right wing nonsense, you told us. Then the second vids came out. More rightwing nonsense. Then you had less and less to say as the third and fourth vids came out. A fifth set of videos came out yesterday.
And I’m noticing that you have nothing to say.
Why is that, big mouths? You libs had a LOT TO SAY at the beginning of this. Now? Not so much.
Why so silent?
Good Lt on September 18, 2009 at 9:34 AM
Once again, it’s great that this scumbag has been fired, but in the long run, with a corrupt Congress, a corrupt Justice Dept. & a corrupt FBI, what difference will it make.
Jeff from WI on September 18, 2009 at 9:35 AM
On top of all their federal grants (est. $54 million lately), ACORN gets beaucoups state money too.
ACORN Got $200,000 from PA Taxpayers
SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 | by NATHAN BENEFIELD
Look at all the grantees. Ten grand here, twenty grand there… all over the place. ACORN is ubiquitous.
petefrt on September 18, 2009 at 9:35 AM
Setting aside the illegality of all that was presented to ACORN, does it strike anyone as odd that they have no problem that they would help such a place be set up in any neighborhood?
Cindy Munford on September 18, 2009 at 9:35 AM
If you want to know how to run a brothel, not pay taxes, not be prosecuted…just ask Barney Frank.
He should be the “Brothel Czar”…
I want Barney to speak up and support ACORN so bad…please, please, Barney they need you to defend them…
right2bright on September 18, 2009 at 9:36 AM
Charlie Crist thought that the idea ACORN was involved in voter fraud was ridiculous in 2008. Mr. Rubio are you paying attention.
Cindy Munford on September 18, 2009 at 9:37 AM
In the videos, she looked like just another college girl at da club.
bikermailman on September 18, 2009 at 9:38 AM
Hey, suppose I could arrange a blind date for you with Hannah Giles. You wouldn’t have time enough for that, would you?
petefrt on September 18, 2009 at 9:39 AM
Isn’t that interference with legitimate legal process?
BuckeyeSam on September 18, 2009 at 9:25 AM
That’s pretty much ACORN’s whole agenda, isn’t it?
jwolf on September 18, 2009 at 9:39 AM
It’s worth noting that CNN, in response to this flood of videos depicting ACORN as a bunch of thugs willing to be party to housing underage brothels, went on a tear decrying this terrible wave of agenda-driven reporting.
Because, when you have nothing else left, you can always blame the people who proved what a terrible part of society you are.
Spc Steve on September 18, 2009 at 9:40 AM
Where they get the money.
http://biggovernment.com/2009/09/18/taxpayer-funded-serve-gov-filtering-activists-to-acorn/
Where they’re trained.
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/training
joshlbetts on September 18, 2009 at 9:40 AM
BYW, I meant earlier to congratulate Captain Ed on the biting snarkishness of his opening paragraph. I actually thought AP wrote that until I checked the byline.
jwolf on September 18, 2009 at 9:40 AM
Looks like she’s yet another intelligent, self confident, hot conservative woman. Strikeout for AP!
bikermailman on September 18, 2009 at 9:41 AM
O’Keefe/Giles should have pushed him for contact info or had him make a call right then and there to arrange for smuggling/trafficking.
jediwebdude on September 18, 2009 at 9:42 AM
If Hannity can get that Joaquin Valley story more national exposure and center stage it will be one more notch lower for Ogabe in the polls.
Farmers that farm the most productive land in the US on food lines because of a 2″ minnow.
PatriotRider on September 18, 2009 at 9:42 AM
Look at the clock.
You don’t think any of them are actually awake at this hour do you?
Jim708 on September 18, 2009 at 9:43 AM
Unscrupulous Partisan Videographers?
Ummm…maybe it’s just me, but I don’t care if they’re unscrupulous or partisan or angels in hooker costumes, they uncovered some really bad things going on in the ACORN offices. The fault is not on the people documenting the rot, it’s on the rot.
Bob's Kid on September 18, 2009 at 9:43 AM
Y’all wanted RICO…
bikermailman on September 18, 2009 at 9:44 AM
Nutcrackers crackin’ Nuts.
Hold the peanut butter, pass the ACORN BUTTER.
Yoop on September 18, 2009 at 9:45 AM
As the blogfather says, “faster please”.
joshlbetts on September 18, 2009 at 9:46 AM
Once again, women & minorities hardest hit.
/
hoosiermama on September 18, 2009 at 9:48 AM
As the AT article says, get on the horn with your Congresscritter and push for the defunding and an investigation.
bikermailman on September 18, 2009 at 9:49 AM
Hookers, esp underage ones, getting hit? Say it ain’t so!
/
bikermailman on September 18, 2009 at 9:50 AM
Where’s our resident photoshopper (the same one who did the Shamwow poster??) to do a Survivor spoof?
hoosiermama on September 18, 2009 at 9:50 AM
I read something else where Mr. Vera claimed he sounds complicit in the tapes because English isn’t his first language
In that case he shouldn’t be living here.
LODGE4 on September 18, 2009 at 9:50 AM
Notice all the minorities are getting fired in ACORN, but they still keep the crazy husband-killing white woman in San Bernadino on their payrolls. He has yet to be fired. Hmmm.
mizflame98 on September 18, 2009 at 9:51 AM
It must be so liberating to be an ACORN spokesperson. They have unlimited creative license, constrained by neither wisdom, ethics nor logic.
obladioblada on September 18, 2009 at 9:53 AM
I think Acorn knows it’s finished so they are going crazy trying to justify themselves and going on the offensive with lawsuit threats which of course would never be prosecuted by any sane judge.
LODGE4 on September 18, 2009 at 9:54 AM
Sample letter for your Congresscritter:
It’s my understanding that Rep Issa has conducted an in-depth report on ACORN, finding widespread corruption.
http://republicans.oversight.house.gov/media/pdfs/20090723ACORNReport.pdf
I urge Rep. to push for an amendment for defunding ACORN first, then opening an official investigation into this corrupt organization.
Thank You,
bikermailman on September 18, 2009 at 9:56 AM
Fill in the blanks as necessary.
bikermailman on September 18, 2009 at 9:56 AM
Im anxious to see who wins the rating war on Sunday morning. Chris Wallace is interviewing ole Bertha at around the same time Obama is on.
I think more people would rather hear the acorn boss then the same ole, same ole from Obama.
becki51758 on September 18, 2009 at 9:56 AM
Lies and spin coming from both, what’s the dif?
bikermailman on September 18, 2009 at 9:58 AM
The lies and spin from Bertha should be MUCH more amusing !!!
LODGE4 on September 18, 2009 at 10:03 AM
Question: Is there any truth to the rumor that O’Keefe & Giles got the idea because they had heard that ACORN set up the famous “Obama Girl” in that business?
Jeff from WI on September 18, 2009 at 10:05 AM
HELP HELP HELP
I want to know what song that is they are useing as bumper music in the videos. I have search google and use both apps on my iphone and cant find it.
Starts
“I want to tell you about a girl i kissed, she was ridiculous”
if you know it please post
kara26 on September 18, 2009 at 10:08 AM
Are there more videos coming out? I thought I read that Giles/O’Keefe implied there were more. I’m anxiously awaiting, these videos are just darn entertaining.
mbs on September 18, 2009 at 10:12 AM
There are more videos right? That has got to be driving Bertha crazy! Or should it be crazier?
joedoe on September 18, 2009 at 10:13 AM
Ummm…Mr. Vera…is your family destroyed because YOU made a play for the young prostitute…or because YOU offered advice on how to hide a child-prostitution ring? It’s called content of character, personal responsibility, and honesty… pull those bootstraps up and accept it man! You done wrong!
redwhiteblue on September 18, 2009 at 10:19 AM
It would be very interesting to know how long after the couple left did he call the cops. Immediately, or just long enough for him to contact his bato’s in TJ and find out that the situation stunk worse that a 3 day old fish taco?
This reprobate had second thoughts and only because he thought he was going to get caught. I mean really folks, would a decent citizen even entertain the idea for even a millisecond? The fact that ACORN thinks regular citizens would believe their BS explanations is a reflation of THEIR basic moral values. They can see themselves doing what these ACORN sleazeballs did and believe we think we could be caught up in the situation also.
csdeven on September 18, 2009 at 10:26 AM
I’ve never heard the song, just the title, but might it be “I kissed a girl (and I liked it)” by Katy Perry (IIRC)?
rbj on September 18, 2009 at 10:29 AM
I can see why. O’Keefe obviously intimidated Vera into saying what he did. Vera had to act like he was helping because he was so scared. /s
So O’keefe and Giles are the bad ones, but Vera is the hero…..
Only possible in the twisted liberal world……
rukiddingme on September 18, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Anthony Dini remix, “ridiculous”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpQ7_5vsb8E&annotation_id=annotation_686590&feature=iv
lots and lots of everyone’s favorite prostitute there, too. heh.
Diane on September 18, 2009 at 10:36 AM
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