Richard Berman and RottenAcorn.com (yes, it's another ACORN related thread).

[drm604]

On her show tonight Rachel Maddow mentioned Richard Berman and his website rottenacorn.com. To get an idea of the type of person Richard Berman is and the causes he works for, read on.

Rottenacorn.com is located at the IP address 64.225.154.239. Check out some of the other domains hosted at that address:
http://domainbyip.com/64.225.154.239

petakillsanimals.com
consumerfreedom.com
activistcash.com
rottenacorn.com
unionfacts.com
animalscam.com
teachersunionexposed.com
lawsuitaddiction.com
humanewatch.org
sunlightscam.com
cspiscam.com
trans-fatfacts.com
mercuryfacts.org
nannyculture.com
fishscam.com
abionline.org
epionline.org
econ4u.org
unionfacts.org
laborpains.org
physicianscam.com
howmuchfish.com
bermanco.com
negligentdriving.com
petatueanimaux.fr
interlockfacts.com
nodrinktax.com
firstjobs.org
petatotettiere.de
unitehereexposed.com
ufcwexposed.com
seiuexposed.com
obesityscam.com
drinkingresponsibly.com
holyveal.com
lawsuitaddiction.org
coaltruth.org
incometaxfacts.org
bermanandcompany.com
obesitymyths.com
responsibledrinker.com
sweetscam.com
sweetscam.org
teachersunionsexposed.com
mercury-facts.org
mercuryfacts.com
physicianscam.org
teacherunionexposed.com
consumerfreedom.net
teachersunionexposed.org
petakillspets.com
teacherunionsexposed.com
teachersunionsexposed.org
animalscam.org
pcrmscam.net
tunascam.com
consumerfreedom.org
petasavesanimals.com
petakillspets.net
fishtruth.com
spinachiscruel.com
unitehereexposed.net
unitehereexposed.org
thehrssadvantage.com
negligentdriving.org
mercuryscam.net
seiuexposed.org
petakillsanimals.ru
unionfacts.net
petauccideanimali.it
econ4u.com

There are sites such as obesitymyths.com which downplays the dangers of being overweight. Anti-union sites. Sites downplaying the risks of mercury in fish. There are many others including negligentdriving.org.

Check it out. http://negligentdriving.org.

Over the past 20 years deaths caused by drunk drivers have plummeted, but overall traffic fatalities have increased. Why?

Check out the page that specifically discusses drunk driving: http://negligentdriving.org/drunk.cfm

Drunk Driving
"We have proved the point that drowsy-driving can kill. In fact, someone who is the nominated driver at the office party and resolutely avoids alcohol all night is still likely to be in no state to drive when the time comes to drive their friends and colleagues home."
Jo Whitbourn, Britannia Rescue

I had to read that several times to convince myself that I wasn't misinterpreting it. But there it is, a paragraph downplaying the value of the designated driver. Read the front page of the site. Look around it a little. It's written to subtly downplay the problem of drunk driving by discussing it as if it's on a par with being distracted or tired. Why would anyone do that? Who would pay to put up a site that downplays the dangers of drunk driving and also downplays the value of designated drivers?

Check out their "About Us" page: http://negligentdriving.org/about.cfm

About Us

As diverse as the restaurant industry is, we generally have two things in common—we all have parking lots, and we share the highways with everyone else. Both of these considerations have spurred the development of our Negligent Driving campaign, which is designed to educate the public about the many threats to traffic safety, and what they can do to become safer drivers.

Representing millions of employees and tens of millions of customers, restaurants touch the lives of most Americans—and we are weighing in to do our part to educate drivers about the risks associated with their unsafe driving behavior.

The restaurant industry. An industry that profits by people having "one for the road" rather than drinking at home.

Who took their money and put up this despicable website? Richard Berman, the man responsible for rottenacorn.com.

What else do I need to say?

[mzmolly]

1. Great info! The show was awesome tonight and she's continuing ACORN coverage

next week. :hi:

[pnorman]

2. Rick Berman?? Is THAT the scumbag behind that anti-ACORN movement?

Here's just one link to his activities: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Center_for_Union_Facts

pnorman
On edit: one more Rick Berman link: http://www.bermanexposed.org/

[drm604]

3. Wikipedia has some good info on him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Berman

Richard Berman is a Washington-based lobbyist. Through his public affairs firm Berman and Company, Berman runs several industry-funded non-profit organizations such as the Center for Consumer Freedom and the Center for Union Facts. Berman's companies have run numerous media campaigns downplaying the dangers of obesity, smoking, mad cow disease, drunk driving, the minimum wage and other issues.

60 Minutes has called him "the booze and food industries' weapon of mass destruction," and his nickname (from both friends and enemies) is "Dr. Evil", an alias in which he takes pride.

[pnorman]

4. Here's that Rachel Maddow video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDxm--DyavI&feature=email

I didn't see it until after I had found this thread. It helps put it all together!

pnorman

[drm604]

5. Thanks.

I didn't post it because someone already had put it in the video forum, but in retrospect it would have made sense for me to link to it in my OP.

[pnorman]

6. Thanks toYOU for opening this thread!

I knew quite well who Rick Berman was, from my "unionist" perspective. But I had NO idea that he was so central to that anti-ACORN jihad. I'll be using it in a union discussion board very soon. Once again, THANKS

pnorman

[drm604]

9. You're welcome.

This anti-ACORN stuff has really angered me.

[dmr]

7. kick

[malaise]

8. K & R

Must see

[rudy23]

10. That's Dave Berman's Dad, from the Silver Jews

Dave mentioned his evil Dad as one of the reasons he was quitting the band.

[drm604]

11. This rings a bell.

Dave has denounced his father, correct?

[rudy23]

15. Yes. He wrote some essay (I think on Pitchfork) about how the SJ's could never counteract

all the evil his father had done in the world.

It was right when the elder Berman was mounting some PR strategy against Solis, the head of the Dept. of Labor. I met Dave Berman a few months before then. Seemed like a great guy. I bet his Dad's actions tortured him and were a big thing driving his addictions---not like I'd know, but it seemed like it from his essay.

[sabrina 1]

12. 'The Restaurant Industry'

Breitbart's family were in the Restaurant business. Wonder if they know each other?

[drm604]

13. Any idea what restaurant?

Was it a family restaurant, a chain, or what? Are they still in the business?

[sabrina 1]

14. Not off the top of my head

drm, but I will look it up. I came across it in an interview he did a few years with the Weekly Stantard. He said he grew up 'immersed' in the restaurant business as both his parents ran a restaurant. He later worked in it for a while also.

Shouldn't be too hard to find out ~ wiki probably has info on where he grew up, and I'm sure his parents have the same name. When I get back later I'll try to get some info.