Whoops: Anti-ACORN Bill Ropes In Defense Contractors, Others Charged With Fraud

[babylonsister]

Ryan Grim

Whoops: Anti-ACORN Bill Ropes In Defense Contractors, Others Charged With Fraud
First Posted: 09-22-09 02:03 PM | Updated: 09-22-09 05:26 PM


Going after ACORN may be like shooting fish in a barrel lately -- but jumpy lawmakers used a bazooka to do it last week and may have blown up some of their longtime allies in the process.

The congressional legislation intended to defund ACORN, passed with broad bipartisan support, is written so broadly that it applies to "any organization" that has been charged with breaking federal or state election laws, lobbying disclosure laws, campaign finance laws or filing fraudulent paperwork with any federal or state agency. It also applies to any of the employees, contractors or other folks affiliated with a group charged with any of those things.

In other words, the bill could plausibly defund the entire military-industrial complex. Whoops.

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) picked up on the legislative overreach and asked the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) to sift through its database to find which contractors might be caught in the ACORN net.

Lockheed Martin and Northrop Gumman both popped up quickly, with 20 fraud cases between them, and the longer list is a Who's Who of weapons manufacturers and defense contractors.

The language was written by the GOP and filed as a "motion to recommit" in the House, where it passed 345-75.

POGO is reaching out to its members to identify other companies who have engaged in the type of misconduct that would make them ineligible for federal funds.

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/22/whoops-anti-acorn-bill-ro_n_294949.html

[KharmaTrain]

1. Get This Thing Passed...And Fast...

Karma is a real bitch :rofl:

My hopes are this quick rush to judgement based on what appears to be doctored "evidence" by a partisan with an agenda and big money backers. The real scam here is O'Keefe as his stories and modus operendi unravel. The more we learn the bigger this thing stinks and those who were quick to pounce on ACORN look like fools.

But if this enables us to rid the public dole of such murderers and leeches as KBR, Blackwater/Xe, Halliburton and a bunch of other GOOP welfare queens, I'm all for it!

[babylonsister]

2. Isn't this a riot?! Unintended consequences! nt

[KharmaTrain]

4. I Shared This WIth Friends Yesterday

When the Huffpo piece came out, it was one of those WTF moments...followed by gfaws then the thought that we found something too good to be true. We shared in hushed tones cause we didn't want too many people get in on what we knew. :rofl:

This story along with all the responses about the female libido and Tom DeLay made for much amusing reading. :rofl:

:hi:

[redqueen]

11. No kidding.

Let's hope it's treated like the Patriot Act... sent to the floor immediately, voted on immediately, and passed with... well let's face it now that the news is out re: the profiteering crowd, many won't vote for it.

[KharmaTrain]

14. Even Better...Flood faux and hate radio with Emails Demanding It....

Ah...I love when I connect with my inner 13-year old bomb thrower... :rofl:

All of us "concern Americans" need this bill passed FAST...like yesterday. We should flood the telephone lines, emails and LTTEs calling for this bill to be passed pronto as our national security rides on it. The longer it languishes the longer these subversive groups are destroying our country...(they think ACORN, I'm meaning Xe) and we can't let this outrage go any longer.

Astroturf, astroturf, astroturf.

:rofl:

[Barack_America]

3. There go the Medicare HMOs.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Do it! Ram it through!

What a clueless bunch of knee-jerks this Congress is. Biting the hand that feeds them. :rofl:

[suffragette]

6. Oopsy. They might be thinking on these words from another POGO

after this.

[thunder rising]

7. Boeing?? The Tanker bribes?

[Tippy]

8. This is just to funny for words.....

I would very much like to see this story walking around for years....345-75. It looks like anyone can be a congressman...Inteligence is no longer required....do you think it's contagious? Can we name this "The Palin Syndrome"

[drm604]

9. Is it even clear that ACORN fits any of the criteria in that bill?

Lockheed and Northrop Grumman apparently do, but does ACORN? Have they actually been charged with breaking federal or state election laws, lobbying disclosure laws, campaign finance laws or filing fraudulent paperwork with any federal or state agency? Have any of their employees been charged with such things? I'm talking about being legally charged, not charged in the court of public opinion.

[unpossibles]

10. excellent nt

[Luminous Animal]

12. Greenwald interviews Grayson here

ttp://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/radio/2009/09/23/grayson/index.html

Quote:

"The amount of money that ACORN has received in the past 20 years altogether is roughly equal to what the taxpayer paid to Haillburton each day during the war in Iraq."

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/news/guide.htm
http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/

[babylonsister]

13. Wow. Now why doesn't someone with a loud voice point out that

'little' discrepancy? All aided and abetted by rethugs? :grr:

[rucky]

15. Awesomeness.

What other things can we apply equal standards to?