What I really don't get is how a single instance of an employee having a hypothetical discussion

[daedalus_dude]

with someone turns into the claim that

a) this reflects the organization as whole
b) this somehow suggests that any actual crimes were commited

As far as I understood the case, ACORN was never actually involved with any real underage prostitutes. Only a single instance of an imaginary one, invented by a group trying to bait them.

Sure, the employee fucked up by swallowing the bait. Even if the discussion was a joke, as the employee now claims, it was stupid to even go there.

But then that brings me to point a).

My analogy of the ACORN story: Some troublemaker with a hidden camera travels through the whole United States and approaches McDonalds employees, suggesting they should take a shit on a burger. After searching for months they finally find someone who says "yeah man, I'm totally gonna take a shit on that burger". Then they go on FOX news claiming that its the official policy of McDonalds to have employees shit on burgers, that McDonalds was actually only founded to serve people burgers that have been shit on (regardless of the fact that no actual burger was ever even shit on, no where, ever).

[vi5]

1. Really? You're applying logic and reason?

To a discussion of what the right wing media and their enablers in the mainstream media do and do not get riled up over and view as controversial?

It's a futile effort my friend and will only make your head hurt.

[Zywiec]

2. Which one of the "single" instances are you talking about? n/t

[CJCRANE]

3. Exactly. It was a fishing expedition.

You could target any organization with those tactics.

[mwb970]

4. Like some right-wing organization, for example?

Where are our hidden cameras? Must we never, ever fight fire with fire?

[FormerDittoHead]

6. Are you old enough to remember "TV consumer news"? Ahh. Memories.

It seems that people can't get enough of seeing middle age guys get trapped trying to hook up with teenagers, but it seems that seeing businesses rip you off is "old news".

You would think that it CNBC, for example, could REGULARLY run stories about people getting ripped off in the stock market. Would there ever be a shortage of stories? They have to wait until it makes the REGULAR news to find out about some Ponzi scheme.

Hey CNBC, how about exposing some of these "investment gurus" who promise to make you rich? Oh, wait, THAT'S WHAT *YOU* DO!

[KharmaTrain]

5. It's Red Meat For The Desperate...

How come I get the sneaky suspicion we're going to learn that the "investigative team" was anything but. We'll find out if these tapes were on the up and up or were staged. It'll be real interesting if this thing ever gets to a court room and see their little thread unravel. It's obviously entrapment...and sure made for good teevee, but other than the ACORN sign on the wall, there's little real teeth to the story.

But that doesn't matter. The parallel universe of faux noise and hate radio need enemies and targets for their frustration. ACORN fits that bill nicely as it does something rushpublican universally hate...works in the black community. Many are cocksure that the Democratic party has some sort of hypnotic trance on all black people and ACORN is their agent in some nefarious scheme to disenfranchise those poor white people. As usual in the parallel universe, the opposite is the reality. The rushpublicans are very active in voter suppression and ACORN is a roadblock in their way to keep minorities (specifically Blacks and now Hispanics) from voting.

If the GOOP is ever to win on a national level again, it needs to marginalize or outright destroy groups like ACORN...they need suppressed votes (especially in Southern states) to make elections close enough to either win or steal. Thus not just the demonization of ACORN, but watch for them to go after La Raza as well.

Here's hoping ACORN hangs tough and many of us on the Progressive side of things...the netroots...to offer both support and expose the real motives for what's at work here...