Earlier this week, the Brooklyn D.A. concluded a five-month investigation of the Brooklyn ACORN videos, finding “no criminality.” Following the release of the findings, Rupert Murdoch’s own New York Post, of all places, reported it this way:
The video that unleashed a firestorm of criticism on the activist group ACORN was a “heavily edited” splice job that only made it appear as though the organization’s workers were advising a pimp and prostitute on how to get a mortgage, sources said yesterday.
…
Many of the seemingly crime-encouraging answers were taken out of context so as to appear more sinister, sources said.
Using similar language, the New York Daily News reported a law enforcement source as noting: “They edited the tape to meet their agenda.”
The New York Times, the so-called “paper of record,” while reporting that the DA found no criminality, offered no such coverage of the DA’s office explaining that the videos were deceptively and misleading edited and promoted as if they revealed something they actually didn’t. The language used by Times reporter Andy Newman even appears to defy the paper’s own Public Editor Clark Hoyt’s recommendation — as he shared it with me via email personally — to “avoid language that says or suggests that O’Keefe was dressed as a pimp when he captured the ACORN employees on camera.” (More specific details on that in my post from yesterday.)
In the meantime, as the Times continues to fail, last night Stephen Colbert mocked the entire ACORN “pimp” hoax as we’ve been revealing it over the last several weeks and, along with it, James O’Keefe, Andrew Breitbart, Fox “News” — and, yes, indirectly, the New York Times — by sharing his own “exclusive,” damning, and heavily-edited video interview…
Related: Yesterday ACORN launched a campaign to fight back and “Demand Accountability” from the Times and the other media outlets that have grotesquely misreported this story and have still failed to correct their damagingly inaccurate coverage. More on that campaign and how you can add your voice to it, right here…
Stephen Colbert interviewed Sean Hannity and wore a pimp suit.
Defund Hannity.
Look, just because Sean Hannity is a big fan of people who illegally record private conversations, tamper with the phones of U.S. senators, and encourage the muders of federal judges — all in the interest forwarding a racist agenda — it does not mean that he… Umm, wait… Never mind.
Looks like Colbert lied (according to Bradblog standards) at 2:25
Can you point to the charge of wiretapping in the affidavit?
Do not expect Fox Noose to suddenly become credible, however, CBS,NBC,ABC,CNN, NYT,USA Today, WSJ,Bloomberg, Reuters, AP, UPI, McClathchy, Gannett,Hearst, and others need to say how badly they failed in this instance. They all failed miserably. And the only people hurt were those served by ACORN. But who gives a hoot about some poor black people. To the media who fail to apologize for this simple failure I say bah. You are the same toadies who cover healthcare reform like a prizefight. No in depth reporting just repeating the most egregious statements. Boooooooooo!
Mitch @ 1:
ROFL!
Paul L. @ 3:
You’re right! I think you and “Big Journalism” and “Retracto” should spend as much time as possible demanding a retraction from Colbert! Should prove well worth the effort! Good luck! Let me know if I can help!
Paul L @Comment #3
Okeefe’s criminal charges…
(scroll down 1/4 of the page)
The complaint reads in part…
Also…Affadivait part 6
read the whole affadavit here
Oh, Colbert…you’ve done it again! What genius.
Colbert RULES, though he was probably riding Brad’s coat tails a bit on this.
And sorry for the unrelated comment, but was wondering if Brad will be writing about the recent House Foreign Affairs Committee vote regarding the Armenian genocide. Let’s see who gets damaged by the nasty info that’s about to be leaked!
Here’s a link to the story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/357...ld_news-europe
and to the vote:
http://foreignaffairs.house.gov...038;show=votes
so you can keep your eye on the likely targets. Itneresting that Gregory Meeks voted CON; I’ve seen his name over on TPMMuckraker, so he’s probably got some laundry that he’d rather not air! (Not that I have any idea of what his actual views may or may not be…just being snarky).
Just FYI Cosimo – 60 Minutes did an excellent retrospective piece on the entire Turkey/Armenia Genocide “controversy” on Sunday.
Sadly, of course, they didn’t touch any of the related Sibel Edmonds stuff (even though they covered her story in 2006 and re-ran it several times since). If I remember to grab the segment, however, from Sunday’s show, I’ll try to post it, since it offers a good primer on the entire background of the insane 100 year fight.
Now back to on-topic comments! 🙂
HAW HAW HAW- that was fantastic- thanks a million-
BTW- the Sibel Edmonds piece in Hustler was also incredible. It has very disturbing parallels to “The Franklin Scandal” by Nick Bryant, America’s second best investigative reporter. Using pedophilia as entrapment in bugged DC townhouses. It’s extremely depressing, but important. I know I plugged his book before, but it is an eerie coincidence- because I plugged it before the Edmond’s piece came out. Our legislators are controlled.
These guys like Paul L and Patterico love to come along and play “word games”, don’t they? Colbert said “wiretap” so forget about the whole thing! Not the main point! The other day Patterico said that O’Keefe didn’t ask permission from a parole officer to go to CPAC and I posted where he said it in the Washington Examiner. Yeah, Paul L, take the advice and read the affidavit. You’re implying O’Keefe did nothing wrong THERE, too, like Patterico was implying O’Keefe did nothing wrong with ACORN. You’re trying to get the conversations bogged down in details.
The main point Colbert is making is that even HE could splice/edit up a video to make someone look bad. He did what O’Keefe does, but to Hannity. THAT’S THE F*CKING POINT, YOU IDIOT!!!
Next they’ll say “Well, O’Keefe wasn’t arrested”. Yeah, just some guys dressed in blue with cop hats on that said “Police” put some steel thingy’s on his hands and took him to some weird building where there were rooms with bars on them and………..GET LOST!
I think it especially important to note that this video is especially devastating because Brad Friedman has, for weeks now, cut through the hard-right’s web of ACORN deceit with laser-like precision.
“Isn’t It Ironic…”
That for Colbert to say “wiretap” is wrong according to the right wingnut defenders, but to them it’s perfectly clear that O’Keefe pretended to the ACORN workers that he was setting up an underage brothel….
Psssssssst…Paul L.
Perhaps you missed the memo – the Colbert Report is SATIRE.
Granted Stephen Colbert comes closer to real news than Faux Noise..but it’s meant to be FUNNY, not necessarily technically ACCURATE.
Bless your heart
Dear Ernest Canning,
I’ve fallen behind in this ongoing O’Keefe/Acorn imbroglio. I have things that need attending so there’s a good chance I shall remain not caught up. But I wanted to respond to this from you which I caught this morning along with two other comments to which I finally was able to respond. You said–
COMMENT #155 [Permalink]
… Ernest A. Canning said on 3/4/2010 @ 7:06 am PT…
To my friend David Lasagna. I have been listening. I don’t think that you, at this point, understand the totalitarian mindset that is behind the ACORN smears. I haven’t as yet responded because that will be the topic of a post currently in the can.
Ernest– thanks for listening, responding, and thanks for your concern. I’m not sure what it is you think I don’t understand but I certainly will continue to look forward to your next post where we may have a chance to discuss this further.
all the best,
Dave
Anaximenes was part of an ancient Greek philosophical tradition that proposed that everything in the Universe is made up of one element, in his case : Air. If he meant the “hot” variety, modern philosophical observation may prove him right.
OK, now that that’s off my chest….please, Please, PLEASE do something about allowing your Canadian fans to watch and listen to some of your multimedia content. Whenever there’s any Comedy Central link anywhere on the web, Canadians get the totally uninformative message “In Canada, Comedy Central Videos are available on the Comedy Network”. So we click on that and get linked to Comedy Central…and believe me, that’s just not as funny as it sounds.
Plus, most of your radio stuff just won’t stream to Canada for some reason. So when you’re replacing an ex-Air American (sorry his name escapes me) and announce it on your blog, your Canadian fans are greeted with the web version of static.
I don’t know if it’s a Canadian Government plot, to either keep us from being political, or from getting too funny, but basically what I’m saying is I’m pissed off. There, now I feel better.
Otherwise keep up the GREAT work…and Breathe, the air’s just fine.
Perhaps it’s just me, but when I look into Michelle Malkin’s eyes, I get the distinct impression that young lady’s elevator doesn’t get off at the top floor.
David Lasagna, here’s the permalink to the earlier comment you made to which I was responding.
Brad assures me that my new piece will be posted soon. It will provide context, and, hopefully, clarity.
We live in a time where a 25 year old rightwing punk can create a hoax video and the congress rushes through legislation to defund their target based on the video with no trial. Then when there’s a trial and the results are ACORN is not guilty and the perpetrator is found to have edited the video to suit their agenda, the congress still keeps the legislation and the (not) “liberal media” doesn’t issue retractions. Then with something important like health care where 45,000 Americans are dying a year, they say they can’t rush through legislation, it’s impossible.
THEN…we have Kellogg, Brown, & Root (Halliburton) on real video doing things like electrocuting our soldiers and locking raped women in holding tanks with testimony in front of congress and we keep throwing billions at them. This government lost its moral compass. People like Patterico have lost their moral compass.
What say you, Patterico, about defunding KBR/Halliburton?
NO COMMENT! I’m sure you won’t comment on defunding KBR/Halliburton. They’re only ripping off our government in the BILLIONS!
And what say you about Blackwater, Patterico? NO COMMENT, I’m sure! You only pick on ACORN because they registered one million mostly poor blacks who don’t vote Republican. This is the fact, pure and simple.
Let’s see if Patterico has any comments on KBR/Halliburton or Blackwater. He won’t, because those corporations are do things that fall into line with “his side”.
O’Keefe/Breitbart would never do a sting on a white/right filthy rich corporation ripping off the government. And to defund ACORN, he’ll fabricate and splice a video, though.
KBR gets $35M contract despite electrocutions
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2...ntract_020709/
Patterico, did you report on this on your website? And urge defunding of KBR? It’s downright unAmerican if you didn’t! It would mean you don’t care if American soldiers die, as long as a company did it that’s “your guys”.
The new $35 million KBR contract, Big Dan, is only a part of the linked story which notes:
KBR, of course, is a former division of Halliburton, the company where Dick Cheney was the CEO before the left of the 2000 election made him VP. Now, KBR, after electrocuting our soldiers, shows its loyalty to Uncle Sam by relocating its HQ to Dubai.
Here we are in 2010 still enmeshed in a war of choice that Joseph Stiglitz estimated in 2008 had already cost $3 trillion — an unprovoked war of aggression to make the world safe for Exxon-Mobil and Chevron profits; a war initiated on a pack of lies emanating not only from the Bush/Cheney White House but the same Fox Noise crowd that is “appalled” that a few low level workers at a benevolent community organization could be taken in by right wing scam artists like O’Keefe & Giles.
But hey, as Colbert notes, the Fox Noise crowd and their Republican Congressional allies succeeded in cutting off funds to an organization that helps protect people from mortgage scam artists and helps to prevent these defrauded victims from being evicted, so it’s a “win-win.” (Funny when Colbert said it, but not really funny when you think about it).
An academic study long-ago released by the Lancet reveals the war has “liberated” more than one million Iraqis from their obligation [and ability] to breathe. Millions more Iraqis have been sent into exile. This never needed war in Iraq has costs the lives of thousands of US & UK soldiers; maimed and crippled for life tens of thousands more.
Three trillion dollars and counting for this endless war and occupation–and here, at home, our economy is in free fall, unemployment has reached levels not seen since the Great Depression, our schools are underfunded, our infrastructure is collapsing, growing numbers of Americans are left to wonder where they will find their next meal, let alone how they can afford the extortionate cost of health insurance courtesy of a cartel whose CEOs have all the empathy of Mob boss, and the happy bankers and Wall Street tycoons are scheming for their next multi-million dollar bonus checks.
But hey, we’ve got our Patterico to focus on the minutia of the doctored ACORN video tapes, while he ignores his legal duty to enforce CA PC 632 against his right-wing soul-mates, the phony pimp and phony hooker, so it’s all good.
Hi, checked in and (of course) no comment from Patterico on KBR’s electrocuting American soldiers.
But, what I really wanted to say, is I watched the Colbert video again and you can notice some really funny things like when Colbert splices Hannity saying he needs hooker boots and condoms, the FOX “news” ticker below Colbert instantly ticks: “HANNITY: ‘I NEED HOOKER BOOTS AND CONDOMS'”.
Patterico is an unAmerican coward for not posting about how KBR should be defunded for electrocuting American soldiers.
Texas is ‘number one’ in executions, murders, children in poverty, industrial pollution
http://existentialistcowboy.blo...xecutions.html
“But hey, we’ve got our Patterico to focus on the minutia of the doctored ACORN video tapes, while he ignores his legal duty to enforce CA PC 632 against his right-wing soul-mates, the phony pimp and phony hooker, so it’s all good.”
As I have told you, I prosecute gang murders, not violations of Penal Code section 632. It’s no more my duty to prosecute such violations than it is yours, Ernie.
I don’t think I have ever seen a comment of yours that doesn’t have at least one falsehood. You have an amazing track record of utter dishonesty. Do you lie to your clients the way you lie about me?
Patty @28
I swear that I read somewhere that lawyers, especially DA’s were sworn to uphold ALL laws….I’ll admit I’m not an attorney so someone will have to advise me on this.
But has anyone ever heard a a DA publicly defending a video taped crime and the perpetrator of said crime ?
Also regarding any falsehoods that Ernest posted…Patty do you care to specifically spell those alleged falsehoods out ?
or did you just say that as a throwaway smear of Mr. Canning?
Ad hominem attack statements make you look so desperate Patty.
Try sticking to the facts of the issue sir…OH! I forgot that all of your “facts” have been refuted.
Right on Big Dan and Earnest!
Well, ‘Rico,
You’ve certainly made your opinion known about ACORN and the Giles/O’Keefe videos.
And, if you will not be prosecuting for possible violation of PC 632 — if that has nothing to do with your job — then you would be free to give your opinion on it, wouldn’t you?
So, how about it?
I see that our local Deputy DA Patrick Frey aka Patterico can come in and continue his nit-picking rants while he continues to ignore just how badly Colbert demolished the entire thrust of the phony ACORN sting.
Frey asserts that since he is not the one who would be called upon the enforce PC 632 in his office; that the task would be assigned to someone else, it’s perfectly okay for him to not only defend an accused federal felon but to actually rely on the content of audiotapes recorded in violation of a criminal statute (PC 632) that his office is charged with enforcing. After all what is a little crime that may have been committed by his right-wing soul mate, O’Keefe” when measured against Pat Frey’s need to score political points at his right-wing blog.
This same Deputy DA cries big crocodile tears when, after repeatedly ignoring Brad Friedman’s admonishments as to the need for civility at this blog (He continued to call anyone and everyone who did not agree with him a liar, and worse), Brad simply placed his comments in “moderation.”
At his own Patterico’s Pontifications, fearful that his flimsy arguments would be exposed, he blocked mine.
Whether he subsequently restored my ability to post a comment at his site, I really don’t know as I’ve not tried. What I do know is that this Deputy DA allowed one of his right-wing nut followers to post what bordered on a terrorist threat against me, and yet he failed to so much as admonish that person’s behavior — this despite the fact that I defended him at this site by noting that I’ve not seen evidence that he actually posted comments here during his office hours.
I posted at his site as ruleoflaw. Here is the comment that was made at Patterico’s Pontifications.
Now I realize that you did not make that statement, Pat. No doubt within the realm of your razor-thin excuses, you’d argue that you can’t be held responsible for what someone else wrote at your site.
But then, how do you explain your effort to condemn a nationwide organization with over 400,000 member families in 75 cities on the basis of the fact that a few low-level part-time employees were entrapped by the O’Keefe/Giles/Breitbart partisan, deceptive hoax?
You can’t have it both ways, Mr. Frey. You can’t claim responsibility of a nationwide, benevolent organization for actions by a few low level employees, which actions per both the former MA Attorney General and the Brooklyn DA’s office did not amount to a crime, and then tell us that you are free to ignore a criminal violation of PC 632 because someone else in your office is charged with the responsibility for enforcing that particular law.
You can’t come in here with your crocodile tears because Brad Friedman placed you in “moderation” for your lack of decorum, yet fail to police your own site against a thinly veiled terrorist threat against me.
You, Emperor Pat, have no clothes.
I have been really been enjoying watching Patterico piss into the fan that is TheBradBlog. What will he have to tinkle about today? He always ends up all wet for some reason.
Thanks, Chris Hooten. I’d busted a gut already with Colbert. Your latest has me in stitches. Now I can’t get rid of the picture in my mind of Patterico, eyes stinging, hair slicked back and steam rising from the piss in his face.
What ever happened to the truth? I believe Washington DC should be cleaned out and disinfected and then get back to the constitution.
The way is is now, the individual and small business trying to get ahead will never make it, because nobody cares about anything but their own pockets, and it doesn’t matter what party they stand for.
Yes I’m a small business owner and it’s just disgusting how crooked everything is.
visit me at
Chronic Inflammation
And
What causes inflammation
Today we become Cuba… our government is no longer a servant of the people but our big brother (at least that’s what Cuba’s president likes to think of himself). We are commanded to purchase health insurance or face steep government fines. We are commanded to shut up, keep quiet and file in line. The demise of checks & balances ushers in a new era of tyranny from whichever political party happens to be in majority. Today, I can honestly say that I’m no longer proud to be an American.