# "ACORN did absolutely nothing wrong" no longer true **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 6, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467 "2011-04-06T23:23:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/341 "2011-04-07T18:36:53Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I don’t think **Whack-a-Mole** is right wing, although the adjective just before that is hard to argue against. > > I notice that your spelling gets worse when you go into your robotic denial mode. Why is that - are you typing with one hand? Prove ACORN had a partisan agenda. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/342 "2011-04-07T18:37:49Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > You can say it all day long and shout it from the mountains, but you will never be right. > > You’re arguing that black is white and that ain’t gonna fly, Dio. Bricker is right. I know it galls you to admit it, but there it is. Pots and kettles flying around all over the place in here today… ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/343 "2011-04-07T18:39:08Z")
By the way, in the furtherence of nitpickery, I note several articles saying that the plea was “no contest” rather than “guilty”. Does this matter? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/344 "2011-04-07T18:44:54Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > By the way, in the furtherence of nitpickery, I note several articles saying that the plea was “no contest” rather than “guilty”. Does this matter? It’s a touch confusing, but [this article](http://www.lvrj.com/news/acorn-pleads-guilty-to-felony-compensation-for-registration-of-voters-119367839.html) from the LVRJ says: > [@](#): > > After months of negotiations and some legal wrangling, mostly because of a federal court-appointed bankruptcy trustee not wanting to deal with the criminal case, **ACORN entered a guilty plea to one count of felony compensation for registration of voters**. > [@](#): > > **Another defendant in the case, Amy Busefink, who in November pleaded no contest to two counts of conspiracy to commit the crime of compensation for registration of voters, a gross misdemeanor** , is appealing to the Nevada Supreme Court and challenging the constitutionality of the statute. When I search for “acorn no contest,” what I get are blog posts from November, so that’s probably what you’re seeing. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/345 "2011-04-07T18:46:26Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Prove ACORN had a partisan agenda. Where did I claim they did? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/346 "2011-04-07T18:47:14Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > By the way, in the furtherence of nitpickery, I note several articles saying that the plea was “no contest” rather than “guilty”. Does this matter? Two different cases. edited to add: **Bosstone** got there first. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/347 "2011-04-07T18:48:19Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > No worries. It’s the kind of thing that can happen to anyone, in a thread. I just don’t envy you the dressing-down that’s coming from **Whack-a-Mole**. > > Well, as I understand it, the submitting official has to sign, when he accepts the blank forms from the clerk, that he understands the rules associated with collecting registrations. So it’s not just a matter of failing to look up the law; the law is staring you in the face when you accept the blank forms. Do you have a cite that this particular law is staring you in the face on the form? Something like “It’s illegal to pay by the registration”. > [@Bricker](#): > > Could it still be a mistake? > > Anything is possible, but a guilty plea admits that it wasn’t a mistake. So bascially we have only speculation that they made a mistake, against the signed notification and the guilty plea (and the general admonition that when you’re the executive director of ACORN Nevada you have some kind of duty to understand the laws governing your conduct in Nevada.) Come on. You’re a lawyer, and you know very well that ignorance of a law is no defense. All ACORN’s guilty plea says is that they violated the law, which no one disputes. It in no way indicates that ACORN knowingly violated the law. No person at the level of executive director is combing through any laws. If anyone is at fault here, it is the legal department of ACORN for not doing a thorough enough review of law and ACORN policy. Because, let’s remember here, what ACORN did is standard practice in this type of work. It’s not as though they invented some wacky scheme that recklessly encourages fraud. Per piece pay exists in a wide variety of industries from salesmen to factory workers to translators to artists. I don’t even agree that it increases the likelihood of fraud. While it may encourage unscrupulous workers to try to cheat their employers, it also gives employers a greater incentive to verify the work of their employees. Fraudulent or incomplete work is rejected, and the employee doesn’t get paid. On the other hand, the only option a company has with hourly employees is to fire them. They have no way to claw back the wage earned. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/348 "2011-04-07T18:54:36Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Where did I claim they did? In post #178, you said “if this were a Republican organization…[blah blah blah, some bullshit].” The implication there is that ACORN was a Democratic organization, which it wasn’t. The “if this was a Republican organization” hypotheticals are moronic, because it _couldn’t_ be either a Republican or Democratic organization. I’m glad you’re willing to admit that ACORN had no partisan agenda. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/349 "2011-04-07T19:02:01Z")
Please provide a cite where I claimed ACORN had a partisan agenda. Or admit that you lied. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/350 "2011-04-07T19:03:25Z")
I just did. You implied it. I cited the post number. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/351 "2011-04-07T19:04:46Z")
Please provide a cite where I claimed ACORN had a partisan agenda. Or admit that you lied. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/352 "2011-04-07T19:05:12Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > But you knew that the story was from Fox News, **Bricker**. Now you’re trying to mislead people _again_. You had to have known the story was from Fox, because you copied/pasted text from the article itself in your OP. > > Damn, man, admit that you were so overjoyed at seeing “ACORN guilty” that you allowed your common sense and honesty to take a backseat to your gloating, and be done with it. Stop digging yourself deeper into the liar hole. No. I knew there had been an interview with Fox News. The text I pasted said, “ACORN attorney Lisa Rasmussen told Fox News that a plea agreement was worked out…” That doesn’t mean that the entire story comes from Fox News, does it? In fact, it seems to me to indicate that the rest of the story is being written by a third party. It seems to me that if that ran on Fox News, it would be more natural to say, “ACORN attorney Lisa Rasmussen said that a plea agreement was worked out…” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/353 "2011-04-07T19:06:21Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Please provide a cite where I claimed ACORN had a partisan agenda. Or admit that you lied. What exactly did I post that you think is a lie? Quote it. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/354 "2011-04-07T19:07:12Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > It seems to me that if that ran on Fox News, it would be more natural to say, “ACORN attorney Lisa Rasmussen said that a plea agreement was worked out…” It seems to me that if that ran of Fox News, it would say: “ACORN COMMITS VOTER FRAUD WHILE RAPING THE STATUTE OF LIBERTY”. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/355 "2011-04-07T19:11:28Z")
So you now admit that you were lying. Good. Now you can admit that you are lying about ACORN as well. Go ahead. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/356 "2011-04-07T19:12:07Z")
RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE RABBLe ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/357 "2011-04-07T19:14:21Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > So you now admit that you were lying. You have not explained what it is you think I was lying about. Quote the exact words that were a lie, or admit you yourself or a liar. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/358 "2011-04-07T19:14:37Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > So you now admit that you were lying. Good. > > Now you can admit that you are lying about ACORN as well. Go ahead. I don’t suppose asking you to grow the fuck up would do any good? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/359 "2011-04-07T19:16:16Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > No. I knew there had been an interview with Fox News. The text I pasted said, “ACORN attorney Lisa Rasmussen told Fox News that a plea agreement was worked out…” > > That doesn’t mean that the entire story comes from Fox News, does it? > > In fact, it seems to me to indicate that the rest of the story is being written by a third party. It seems to me that if that ran on Fox News, it would be more natural to say, “ACORN attorney Lisa Rasmussen said that a plea agreement was worked out…” My first clue was at the very beginning of the article where, in bold letters, it read “**[nation.foxnews.com](http://nation.foxnews.com)**” ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467/360 "2011-04-07T19:17:41Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Some are. Some are debating on good faith, and frankly it’s those guys that make it impossible for me to sustain my rage against the assholes that are not. You start a troll post, one that promptly was kicked from GD to the Pit, that includes a misleading quote about voter fraud (which while the title of the article was not something you took pains to point out was wrong either) and then complain about debating in good faith? That’s rich. :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-did-absolutely-nothing-wrong-no-longer-true/577467.md?page=19)