ACORN Chief Executive: "We're Not Afraid"

[Turborama]

Allison Kilkenny - Radio host, writer, www.allisonkilkenny.com
Posted: September 28, 2009 03:14 PM

This morning, I interviewed Bertha Lewis, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Organizer of ACORN, the largest community organization in the country. ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, helps poor people register to vote, fight for fair wages, find affordable housing, and improve the conditions of their local schools. Naturally, Republicans want to destroy them. I asked Lewis how it feels to be a GOP target, about Congress's decision to defund ACORN, and the recent revelations about the source of funds for the infamous ACORN videos created by John O'Keefe.

O'Keefe has repeatedly said that he is "absolutely independent" and received no outside funding to make his films. However, the http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/09/acorn_videomake.php">Village Voice reports that he actually has heavyweight conservative backers including Peter Thiel, one of the founders of PayPal and an early investor in Facebook. Depending on who you ask, Thiel invested anywhere from $10,000 (according to his representatives) to $30,000 (according to early Voice reports) into O'Keefe's ACORN project.

Thiel http://valleywag.gawker.com/335894/peter-thiel-is-totally-gay-people">is a gay man who has railed against the evils of "multiculturalism." He now lives in San Francisco and runs a hedge fund. With the help of his sugar daddy, O'Keefe made the now infamous ACORN videos, an illegal act in itself, says Lewis. "You cannot secretly tape someone without their permission, and so he broke the law," she says.

Though she calls the behavior of the former ACORN employees "inexcusable" and "indefensible," and immediately took action to fire them when she learned of the videos, Lewis also called O'Keefe a man of "questionable character." ACORN has brought a lawsuit against O'Keefe and his partner, better known as the woman who will forever be the ho (her parents must be thrilled) to O'Keefe's pimp, Hannah Giles.

Continues: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-kilkenny/acorn-chief-executive-wer_b_302063.html

[democracy1st]

1. thanks turbo good post

[sabrina 1]

2. 'Questionable Character'

She's very kind. I think he's seriously disturbed, filled with hatred for minorities and the poor, as evidenced by his choice of 'stunts'. Over and over the theme of O'Keefe's stunts is racist. Not to mention by his own account he was accused of racism when in College.