CNN: Salon's Joe Conason - Entrapment Video Of ACORN Employee Is "Propaganda" Not "Journalism"

[Turborama]

Run time: 01:46 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ptwuwh0FB_o   Posted on YouTube: September 11, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: September 11, 2009 By DU Member: Turborama Views on DU: 6900

 
CNN: Salon's Joe Conason says the people who carried out this sting could have broken Maryland laws against entrapment

Needless to say, a quick search on YouTube shows that BecKKK is trying his utmost to smear President Obama with this.

Here he is interviewing the girl that says she set it all up and acted as the 'prostitute'. She seems to have got her lines wrong because she says she was jogging along one day and "saw an acorn" and said to herself "hmmm, I don't like them". BecKKK also introduces the video at the begining and lies that they were talking about 13 year old girls when his very own subtitles say that "there are 13 of them". There's something very fishy about this interview and the truth needs to be found about who was really behind this. Considering his ongoing campaign to smear ACORN, it's quite possible that it's got BecKKK's hoof prints on it somewhere along the line.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhUIoSBq4tw

From the http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4054553">LBN post:

ACORN workers taped allegedly advising on prostitution, fraud

Source: CNN

=snip=

Calls to ACORN’s Baltimore offices were not immediately returned Thursday. A local spokeswoman told the Associated Press that both employees seen in the video were fired. “The portrayal is false and defamatory and an attempt at ‘gotcha journalism,’” said Scott Levenson, a spokesman at ACORN’s national offices, told CNN. “This film crew tried to pull this sham at other offices and failed. ACORN wants to see the full video before commenting further.” The conservative filmmakers unsuccessfully attempted similar ruses at the group’s offices in Philadelphia, Los Angeles and New York, Levenson said.

[Reform]

1. no excuse

those two women are sick, seriously, child prostitution?
no excuse for what they thought they were doing i don't care if it is entrapment.
how can anyone defend these women, its just wrong im sorry.

[Turborama]

2. Where is the evidence they were discussing "child" prostitution?

BecKKK lies about it when introducing the clip but the only use of the word "13" was when they talked about the amount of girls, "there are 13 of them". They did say "very young", but there is no mention of actual ages or of them being "children".

This isn't a defense of the ACORN woman, her actions were very wrong and she has been rightfully fired. I'm more interested in exposing how BecKKK lies, magnifies and distorts things for his (Murdoch's) own unhidden agenda, to rapidly bring down President Obama by any means possible.

[Wizard777]

6. The legal language in Maryland is human trafficking of a minor.

In this case 13 counts of Conspiracy to commit human trafficking of a minor. No entrapment there. They voluntarily taped their confessions and planning session. Then publicly posted it. It's a pretty open and shut case.

[Curtis]

9. Actually,

I'm no fan of Beck for sure, but the video showed them repeatedly discussing that these 13 girls were under the age of 16. The ACORN tax lady even repeated that statement saying something to the effect that she didn't need to worry about getting the girls W-2's because they are under 16 and aren't supposed to work anyway.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[frylock]

18. did you take a wrong turn at albacracky, fuckface?

[Wizard777]

21. LMAO He won't be learning law at Hopkins. Maryland State Pen maybe. But not Hopkins.

:rofl:

[LMLV]

23. The ACORN workers were aware of the young prostitutes ages

See page 19 of the transcript of the video -- they were told the girls were 15.
This is the truth !!!

[marshall]

5. In other words, it's a "the b!tch set me up" defense

And since Barry did get elected to office again, I guess that strategy works.

[Wizard777]

7. Actually they set themselves up. The tape proves that they were conspiring to traffic minors.

You can't commit a crime or conspire to commit a crime to gain evidence of crimes by others. If they had no intent to traffic in minors. Why are they seeking housing to traffic them from and advice on how to launder the money made? The tax fraud they are accusing the Acorn workers of. That's an overt act in furtherance of the agreement between the "pimp" and "prostitute" needed to prove the human trafficking conspiracy.

[Turborama]

11. OK, I just watched the complete video again

Only in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgqORp48uik">part 2 does the "pimp" tell the 1st ACORN woman that they'll be "performing tricks" and she either doesn't hear him, thinks he means the 15 year olds are magicians or wilfully ignores what he said. The second woman they talk to wasn't around when they mentioned their ages or the "tricks" thing. she did give some advice about how to hide from another hostile pimp, though.

What struck me was how easily led these two ACORN women were. I mean, look at how the "pimp" was dressed at the begining of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UOL9Jh61S8">part 1 and the sort of fantasy story they were being fed by two well spoken youngsters. I just don't get how they could have been fooled so easily. Also, the two portions of this 'sting' video has parts that have been edited out, it gets cut a few times just as the "pimp" is about to say something.

Something else I just thought of. ACORN says they are "the nation’s largest grassroots community organization of low and moderate income people". When that girl told them she's earning $96,000 a year why didn't it raise any suspicions? Why would they need ACORN's help if they're earning that sort of money? What's in it for these ACORN workers to help people who are telling them about illegal operations and obviously don't need their help?

Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now: http://www.acorn.org/index.php?id=12342

[marshall]

13. Either they were fooled, or they just didn't see anything wrong with what was going on

I agree--they are extremely blase about what purports to be a horrendous act of not only violating our laws but also violating the lives of minors. Not to even bat an eyelash at what was described to them--extremely disturbing.

[marshall]

12. But wasn't that the same sccenario as Barry?

Which was my point--the so-called "b!tch" was in fact engaging in an illegal act--prostitition and drug distribution--in concert with an orchestrated sting.

[Wizard777]

20. Many states have some law enforcement exemptions to some laws.

These people are not Cops. Even if there was a law enforcement exemption. It would not apply to them. They are not Cops.

[paulsby]

10. entrapment is a defense against LAW ENFORCEMENT not private citizens hth nt

[droidamus2]

3. Another AP hit piece

This attempt to smear an organization because of the actions or in this case words of a couple of their employees who were set up is ridiculous. The only reason BecKKK and the rest the wingnuts dislike ACORN so much is they must be very effective at what they do in signing up new voters.

[Turborama]

4. Meet Lila Rose, the new 20-year old face of the anti-choice movement.

She's a veteran at this kind of thing, it wasn't just a spontanious idea.

Getting closer to finding a link between her and BecKKK/Faux/The GOP...

Anti-Choice Abortion Warriors Have a New Poster Girl
By Bill Berkowitz, IPS News. Posted May 30, 2009.

Rose's attack on Planned Parenthood has inspired anti-abortion activists all across the country. One fascinating aspect of her story is how quickly she has become connected to the broader Christian conservative movement, receiving legal and public relations support, education training, philanthropic grants, financial awards, and a tonne of publicity from longtime conservative media operations.

Since 2006, Rose has been going into Planned Parenthood clinics pretending to be a young teenager impregnated by an older man. She described her work by saying that she goes into these clinics in order "to illustrate the abuses and the lawlessness that goes on inside these clinics regularly." Rose tries to entice a Planned Parenthood staff or volunteer to violate the law by telling her to lie about the ages of their adult boyfriends.

=snip=

Rose grew up in San Jose, California, was home-schooled and later attended a part-time Christian school and a junior college. She founded Live Action when she was 15 years old, giving anti-abortion presentations at schools and to youth groups. Over the past few years, she attended workshops at the Leadership Institute, a Virginia-based educational foundation that teaches conservatives how to polish their communication skills.

While a freshman at UCLA, she and James O'Keefe came up with the idea to infiltrate clinics. O'Keefe was the founder of The Rutgers Centurian, a conservative magazine published at New Jersey's Rutgers University.

Full article: http://www.alternet.org/sex/140347/anti-choice_abortion_warriors_have_a_new_poster_girl/

A potential link between her and Rove...

The Leadership Institute

The Leadership Institute is a Virginia based training organisation for potential conservative political leaders.
According to the groups website The Leadership Institute is "the premier training ground for tomorrow's conservative leaders. Conservative leaders, organizations and activities rely on the Institute for the preparation they require for success."

"Since 1979 the Institute's unique seminars and workshops have enrolled more than 61,000 students and taught them how to win. Each year hundreds of Institute graduates obtain positions of influence in public policy because of their Leadership Institute training," its website states.<1>

=snip=

Past Students
Mitch McConnell: U.S. Senator from Kentucky
Jim Gilmore: former governor of Virginia
Karl Rove: Bush 43 political strategist<2>
James Guckert: Talon News "reporter"
David McIntosh: Congressman from Indiana
Mark Souder: Congressman from Indiana
JoAnn Davis: Congresswoman from Virginia
Joe Wilson: Congressman from South Carolina
Grover Norquist: President, Americans for Tax Reform
Ralph Reed: former Executive Director Christian Coalition
Jason Miller: Young conservative leader

Full entry: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Morton_Blackwell_Leadership_Institute

[GivePeaceAchance]

8. OH NO!! Acorn run for the hills, they might register us to vote nooooo!

[GivePeaceAchance]

17. *note I didn't hear the full details of this story before, but the main goal is..

the GOP do not want people registering to vote as high turnout doesn't favor their party that simple. As long as activists individually encourage folks to vote, it can be done with or without ACORNs help.

[nolabear]

14. I was surprised at the woman's behavior.

She had a strange on-point attitude, "You want tax advice; here's what you do," as if they weren't talking about real people, real minors being trafficked. It was bizarre. I wouldn't generalize this to all of ACORN, but it was egregious behavior.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[frylock]

19. again, get lost fuckstain

you're really not welcome here. really.

[Wizard777]

22. Yeah but Maryland gets prosecute O'Keefe and Giles first.

:spank:

[Turborama]

27. Faux News: "Undercover" Acorn Prostitute & Pimp May Face Charges In Maryland

Glenn BecKKK's Hero "Undercover" Acorn Prostitute (Hannah Giles) & Pimp (James O'Keefe) May Face Charges In Maryland - 09/13/09:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Our8ZWape5M

[Turborama]

31. Update: ACORN sues hidden-camera filmmakers

As posted in LBN: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4073916

[Why Syzygy]

32. Yipppeee..

Those kids need to be taught that this is a grown up world and their little (unlawful) pranks will not be tolerated.

[funnymanpants]

24. This *is* entrapment

If I understand entrapment, then this video is just that. Entrapment means setting up a trap to catch someone at doing something *he normally would never have done.*

NOT ENTRAPMENT: The police suspect that a person is selling pot. They have video of lots of different cars showing up at the person's house. They disguise themselves as drug buyers, and catch the dealer in the act. It is clear that the guilty person often sells drugs. They have set up the person to prove that he often does an illegal activity.

ENTRAPMENT: Joe Doe has never sold pot in his entire life. A police officer shows up and says "Hey, if you deliver this pot, I'll pay you 2 million dollars." The person, normally obeying the law, can't refuse the money. He falls into the trap.

In entrapment, the guilty person get caught doing something only because the police set up the crime. In other words, there would not have been a crime if the police did not set up a crime. The police created crime, rather than thwarted it.

It strikes me that these women normally didn't give advice on how to hide a prostitution ring. Even if they did normally give out shady advice, it would be up to the prosecuters to show this. I doubt the amateur film crew will be able to establish this.

Someone above said the entrapment only applies to police. I had never heard this, and I wonder if it is true. The same reasons that entrapment is bad applies whether or not police or a private citizen sets up the trap.

[Wizard777]

25. Not Entrapment if you go against both parties as conspirator and coconspirators.

They did not even try to effect a citizens arrest. So this not any kind of a "sting." Those result in arrest and prosecution. How about Investigative journalist expose'? They had no prior knowledge of Acorn advising child prostitution rings. They did not merely observe the criminal acts of acorn employees. They initiated a criminal conspiracy and enlisted Acorn employees as coconspirators. The first amendment will protect the criminal speech used to promote and facilitate the conspiracy. If the tape is found to be an illegal wiretap. Glen Beck, his producers, and Youtube's Web Master could possibly be arrested for disclosing the contents of the illegal wiretap. That is also a crime in Maryland.

[funnymanpants]

26. Yes, I agree

>>They did not even try to effect a citizens arrest.

Right. I only mean it's entrapment if the tape is used to try to arrest the ACORN workers. Otherwise it is of course not entrapment. In other words, I don't think the ACORN workers can be prosecuted.

[Wizard777]

28. The only possible charges outside of the wiretap charges would be Conspiracy charges.

Including conspiracy to operate a house of child prostitution. You cannot prosecute a co conspirator without also prosecuting the conspirator. There is no such thing as a conspiracy of one. So to prosecute the Acorn Workers they would also have to prosecute O'Keefe and Giles as the conspirators.

[vanbean]

33. Nice post.

[fasttense]

29. Well, it looks very damaging, but what was edited out?

It's hard to tell with so much voice over. Could these 2 ridiculously obvious fakes have con these well spoken women so easily? It's hard to believe.

So, I'm wondering if the 2 fake prostitution workers said something to the effect "We're making a movie," Or "We're doing a sting operation and we need your help in identifying legal tax maneuvering," or "we are setting up an operation in Las Vegas."

Anyway, on the surface it appears very damning for those two women. But, one bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch. There are idiots everywhere and just because 2 of them managed to get jobs at ACORN doesn't mean the whole institution is rotten.

Let's see the entire raw footage, before editing, then we maybe able to accurately assess this thing.

[ScottLand]

30. They just can't handle losing an election.