Disgraced ACORN taints Occupy Wall Street with corruption

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
10/27/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Group may be unscrupulously soliciting money, recruiting shills.

The disgraced community activist group ACORN, appears to have reared its ugly head once again. This time, in support of the Occupy Wall Street protests. As the unscrupulous and unethical activities of the reconstituted group are exposed, they taint would could otherwise be a growing protest movement in the country.

A Fox news report suggests ACORN may be unethically supporting OWS.

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NEW YORK, NY (Catholic Online) - As reported by Fox news, the former director of the New York branch of ACORN, Jon Kest, and his affiliates are now canvassing communities seeking donations for various causes, then funneling the money to the Occupy Wall Street movement. They are masquerading as New York Communities for Change (NYCC).

The NYCC was formed in late 2009 after ACORN lost Congressional funding in the wake of scandal.

Fox news is reporting that they have spoken to several people, including homeless shills who have been recruited by the organization and paid $10 per hour to participate in protests. Fox news is making an effort to uncover the truth about the connection between Occupy Wall Street and the NYCC.

There is nothing illegal about fundraising, nor going door to door to do it. However, misrepresenting oneself then spending that money on a cause for which it was not collected is fraudulent.

The NYCC and ACORN are virtually the same organization. According to reports, they use the same offices and even old ACORN stationery. The NYCC has hired approximately 100 former ACORN affiliated staff from other cities, and is reputedly paying some of them $100 a day to participate in Occupy Wall Street events.

If these reports are true, they cannot help but to discredit what has otherwise been a growing protest movement. Occupy Wall Street has enjoyed broad public support and has spread across the country. The supposedly leaderless movement has attracted articulate and well groomed supporters, often disaffected college students and graduates, who face bleak prospects for their future.

While many people may agree that the national conversation must change to focus on people, rather than politics, and on health and education, rather than bickering, it is nothing but a tragedy to see that corrupt agents of the dis-establishment have hijacked the message for their own political ends.

It is unclear how much money the NYCC is providing to the Occupy Wall Street movement. In fact, the NYCC may even be taking advantage of Occupy Wall Street movement--it is impossible to tell just what their fundraising and accounting practices are, however it appears that the recruiting of shills suggests possible unethical behavior.

These allegations warrant investigation. If the NYCC is engaging in corrupt and deceptive practices, then the Occupy Wall Street movement will have no choice but to disassociate itself from the organization, no matter how much financial support it may be providing.

If this disassociation does not occur, then the movement itself is tainted, and will have no hope of succeeding in its stated goals, whatever they may be. That is another part of the problem faced by the occupiers,there is little clarity concerning their goals.

That's assuming, of course, that its stated goals are its actual ones.

� 2011, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: ACORN, occupy Wall Street, corruption, homeless, disgrace

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1 - 10 of 25 Comments

JoAnn
1 year ago
Rob: The Republicans have passed at least 15 bills that Harry Reid is sitting on, but BHO would rather go around the country creating more division and class warfare, campaigning and playing the blame game. It is he and his minions that stirred up these "useful idiots." It's their agenda. Create a crisis and then build on it. I believe Rahm said it best. "Never let a good crisis go by." If they don't have a crisis, they create one. I believe he was quoting Saul Alinsky. It's the "bottom up, top down and inside out" strategy Van Jones, a self-professed communist and former "green jobs czar, also encourages.. BHO should be in DC where he belongs if he is so concerned about the economy and jobs. Oakland has now been designated as the Capitol of OWS. Oakland is where Van Jones is from. Now why am I not surprised? God bless.
vance
1 year ago
Rob, Harry Reid and Obama dominate 2/3 of the government. Harry Reid has refused to put the 15 Jobs Bills to a vote. Harry Reid refuses to put a budget to a vote. The unemployment figures have all to do with the 435 new EPA regulations on businesses that make it more expensive to run a shop. These and the multitude of regulations from the EPA continue to run businesses out or out of the country. Your beloved Steve Jobs has his IPad and IPhones made in China. Why? As far as tax cuts go, they are not low enough. Big Greedy government doesn't need to plunder our pay checks any more.
Judy
1 year ago
YES, some people do post on Catholic Online who are not Catholic, and who have their own agendas. So be it. God Bless them all. MIKE: God love you, but what planet are you living on? Since time immemorial, there has never been the absence of gross greed, political or corporate corruption, equal economic equality, or, the lack of war. It simply is Not Reality. Not in this world. It is nirvana. For even in Heaven there will be "many mansions" and I remember hearing somewhere, that they won't all be equal or of the same size. Are these things you spoke about, and that I mentioned above, Good to strive for? Yes. Just like we struggle daily for Sainthood. When protesting first began, and it was civil and peaceful, not having to call upon authorities, I was fine w/it. But now, it has turned into something ugly and degrading. Jesus would have no part of that. Also, where do you get your statistics of "...99% of Catholics" ? Who took the poll? How many were polled? Of what ethnicity? Of what level of education? If you took statistics in college, and printed that number on this post w/no backup, after what you said, I feel sorry for you. It also says something about what you wrote and those that agree w/you. Further, "Why should fraud be censored"??? Fraud is fraud. Why would we wish Big Brother to cover up? Why would we desire deception and deceit swept under the rug? Fraud also implies: imposture, trick, swindle, guile...need I go on? Jesus Only Way is the Truth. Some Catholics I am sure were fooled by the above words in the last election. As I have said before: I am Catholic. I am Independent. I listen, watch, and observe. Sometimes respond. And when I do, it is always in prayer. God Bless You Always.
Rob
1 year ago
vance, I would simply tell you to read the analysts reports for the downgrade. But we've been here before. Maybe our broken government could get around to passing something to help the American people if they all weren't such ideologues only interested in their re-elcections. I've accepted the fact that nothing will get done until 2012 and it's hardly all the fault of Harry Reid and you know it. Record filibusters belog to which party? But it will be interesting to see what ideas whomever takes over for Obama will have? So far all I hear about our tax cuts and funny how Obama keeps extending them but yet they don't create jobs by the admission of your own post vance. I sure hope the party has better ideas than that.
vance
1 year ago
Rob, the debt limit debacle rests squarely on the shoulders of your Dear Leader just as the mounting unemployment since we last shared our posts. Since then over 800,000 New Unemployment Claims have been filed. There are 15 Jobs Bills including one that Obama approves still locked up in the Senate by Harry Reid. The Marxist Democrat Party has not passed a budget since Obama took office. We have one more long year until Obama is voted out of office. Obama should be impeached over his criminal activity with Fast and Furious.
Rob
1 year ago
vance, I can agree with you to a point on the differences. No disputing the vast differences on the protesting styles etc, but I disagree completely that there has not been any fallout from the tea party. The entire debt limit debacle costs us greatly. It threw the markets into complete disarray and drove up our borrowing cost. And quite honestly didn't achieve anything but signaling to our creditors that we don't have our you know what together. Just because you don't see it like you do the OWS protest doesn't mean there has not been a cost.
Bud
1 year ago
Where are the two rulers of New York State and City, i.e., Bloomberg and Cuomo? From what I read, they are too busy trying to organize more gay marriage tripe!
JoAnn
1 year ago
Vance: Hey, friend. Good to hear from you again. Thanks for pointing out that the OWS and Tea Party are like night and day. I posted some of the supporters and the sources on the other topic regarding "Criminal supporters of OWS. Check it out. God bless.
vance
1 year ago
This to clear up the difference between the Tea Party and the lawless Occupiers. The Tea Party protests DIDN'T block traffic, destroy small businesses, cost the cities money, destroy property, urinate, deficate, and fornicate in public. The Tea Party Rallies always left the area clean as if nothing happened. The Tea Party protest was about Obama, Reid, and Pelosi bankrupting our nation, shredding the Constitution of our Nation and destroying our nations industries. The Occupiers are waving the banner of Communism. The same communism that is starving millions of North Koreans, persecuting and executing Catholics for practicing their faith, and yes, the Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez Communism. Yes, they are the Chinese Communist who impose forced abortions and a One-Child policy. This is the same Communism that keeps the masses dirt poor, suffering, and exploited with the Communist "Boot Heals" on their necks. The Tea Party and the Occupiers have nothing in common.
Theresa
1 year ago
OWS: what is it? To all appearances, it is directed against WS--else why are they THERE?
I guess it's easy to blame everything on WS.... No doubt, there's corruption on WS, but is that the only place, or the main place? I'm not quite as concerned these days about WS--as the "Community Organizer" ensconced in Washington!

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