# ACORN "pimp" arrested for illegally accessing Senate office; tampering with phone system **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 26, 2010, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586 "2010-01-26T23:13:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/181 "2010-06-02T16:46:13Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Wow. Way to miss the point. If you two watched the Lincoln assassination, I bet you’d be outraged that his wife failed to report a gunshot injury within 24 hours as required by DC law. As opposed to Bricker who, if it suited his purpose, would swear that Booth should at most be charged with discharging a firearm in city limits because any rational person can see that Lincoln had that bullet behind his eyeball when he came into the theatre and therefore there’s no evidence whatever that Booth discharging a derringer, which was clearly a blank anyway, did any damage, and speaking of damages Booth is owed medical bills and pain and suffering for breaking his leg due to Ford Theatre’s negligent flag draping. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/182 "2010-06-02T16:48:03Z")
Well, if the charge is violation of probation then he’ll automatically get the same judge. **Bricker** , aren’t the supervised convict population (ie., parolees and people on probation) supposed to remain in the state, or something? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/183 "2010-06-02T16:57:36Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > As opposed to Bricker who, if it suited his purpose, would swear that Booth should at most be charged with discharging a firearm in city limits because any rational person can see that Lincoln had that bullet behind his eyeball when he came into the theatre It wouldn’t suit Bricker’s purpose. Lincoln was a Republican. (Nicely put, though. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/184 "2010-06-02T17:04:22Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Oh, well that just makes it fine and dandy then. Well, I don’t think O’Keefe wanted to make federal employment his career, so … yes, it kinda does make it fine and dandy. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/185 "2010-06-02T17:06:45Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Well, I don’t think O’Keefe wanted to make federal employment his career, so … yes, it kinda does make it fine and dandy. Well, making license plates isn’t really a career so I agree. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/186 "2010-06-02T17:07:08Z")
I’m just wondering what his aim was. Surely it wasn’t to blow the lid of the pernicious extra half-hour at lunch break cabal. Was he expecting Obama himself to walk through the office one day ordering everyone to change Race to ‘African American’ on all the forms or something? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/187 "2010-06-02T17:10:07Z")
I anxiously await his incisive piece on the Hawaii Department of Health’s Vital Records office, and its systematic practice of turning Kenyan babies into Americans. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/188 "2010-06-02T17:11:12Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > True, not illegal, what about the fact that he lied on his application about never working for the Census before? Or the fact that he accepted the job under false pretenses with no intention of completeing the work? > > The bottom line is the guy is on parole, he is a convicted criminal, a known liar, a grandstanding charlatan who goes fishing at the bottom rungs of these organizations hopin he can find an unscrupulous employee or at least to edit to make look unscrupulous. I am pretty sure he was not a convicted criminal when he made those tapes, since he only became a convicted criminal on May 26th. I’m also pretty confident that there’s no crime involved in his intending to quit even when he took the job. Finally, I am pretty confident that the practices he attempts to expose here did, in large measure, actually happen. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/189 "2010-06-02T17:13:24Z")
Are you pretty confident that he did not lie to the Census Bureau about having worked for them before? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/190 "2010-06-02T17:14:16Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > As opposed to Bricker who, if it suited his purpose, would swear that Booth should at most be charged with discharging a firearm in city limits because any rational person can see that Lincoln had that bullet behind his eyeball when he came into the theatre and therefore there’s no evidence whatever that Booth discharging a derringer, which was clearly a blank anyway, did any damage, and speaking of damages Booth is owed medical bills and pain and suffering for breaking his leg due to Ford Theatre’s negligent flag draping. What does this even mean? My analogy was that by focusing on O’Keefe’s lack of bona fides and other crimes, and ignoring the falsified hours, there was a definite missing of the point going on. This analogy of yours means that I… that I… what, exactly? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/191 "2010-06-02T17:15:18Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Are you pretty confident that he did not lie to the Census Bureau about having worked for them before? No, I’m pretty confident he did tell that lie, at least by omission. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/192 "2010-06-02T17:16:35Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I’m just wondering what his aim was. Surely it wasn’t to blow the lid of the pernicious extra half-hour at lunch break cabal. Was he expecting Obama himself to walk through the office one day ordering everyone to change Race to ‘African American’ on all the forms or something? His video focuses on the aggregate waste – that if the extra hours are an organization-wide practice, the Commerce Department wasted $48 million in wages. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/193 "2010-06-02T17:19:55Z")
The irony of wasting Commerce Department money in order to expose the waste of Commerce Department money is evidently lost on both of you. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/194 "2010-06-02T17:23:39Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, if the charge is violation of probation then he’ll automatically get the same judge. > > **Bricker** , aren’t the supervised convict population (ie., parolees and people on probation) supposed to remain in the state, or something? Generally, yes. But he was convicted and sentenced to whatever his terms of probation are on May 26th. It seems pretty clear the video was made before May 26th. So… how could he have violated probation? And… do you people honestly not see this as a sort of desperation grab for something, anything, that he did that was illegal? “He illegally recorded the video!” “No, there’s no law against that.” “Yes, yes, how about this one?” “Um… that’s a Commerce Department policy, not a criminal statute.” “Yeah, well, he falsified his hours!” “Yes, after being told to do so by his supervisor and bringing the issue to severak next-in-line bosses.” “Yeah, well, he didn’t intend to complete his job! That’s a crime!” “No, not really.” “Probation! That’s it! He violated his probation!” “No. He was convicted and sentenced on May 26th, only a week ago.” “Well… he just sucks!!” ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/195 "2010-06-02T17:25:49Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The irony of wasting Commerce Department money in order to expose the waste of Commerce Department money is evidently lost on both of you. No more so than the irony of sending police officers to buy drugs in order to reduce the number of drug sellers, or pretty much any other undercover endeavor that involves capturing wrong-doing by placing oneself in the midst of wrong-doers. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/196 "2010-06-02T17:29:26Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Well, I don’t think O’Keefe wanted to make federal employment his career, so … yes, it kinda does make it fine and dandy. How about lying on his application? ---
**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:** [June 2, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/197 "2010-06-02T17:32:15Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Finally, I am pretty confident that the practices he attempts to expose here did, in large measure, actually happen. What practices are those? That temp workers sometimes engage in petty timecard fraud? Stop the fucking presses. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/198 "2010-06-02T17:32:38Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > His video focuses on the aggregate waste – that if the extra hours are an organization-wide practice, the Commerce Department wasted $48 million in wages. They should really pad their training to make up for those hours. The bottom line is that the employees got trained and paid for the days they had to dedicate to the training. They were asked to be there possibly until 5, but it didn’t take that long. They got trained, so nobody gives a shit. If folks were getting paid and not getting trained, then yes, a big problem. But it isn’t a problem becuase the training went by quicker than expected. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/199 "2010-06-02T17:34:25Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > His video focuses on the aggregate waste – that if the extra hours are an organization-wide practice, the Commerce Department wasted $48 million in wages. I look forward to O’Keefe’s startling expose of workers at the Dept. of Transportation taking an extra 6.5 minutes for lunch. I mean, just add up the number of workers, multiply by the minutes and salary, and you’re talking millions of dollars!!! WASTED!! The horror!!! But keep on defending O’Keefe, **Bricker**. Even an axe-murderer needs a competent defense. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586/200 "2010-06-02T17:34:34Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And… do you people honestly not see this as a sort of desperation grab for something, anything, that he did that was illegal? Yes, I’ve been absolutely desperately trying to find ways to discredit Mr. O’Keefe, as you can see from some of my posts on this subject. :dubious: > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m not sure he can get in trouble for that, since he did report that he was paid for hours he didn’t work. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > For the record, I’m sure there is waste in the Census Bureau. There’s waste in _every_ agency, private and public - and one which has to hire a million temporary workers in a matter of weeks can hardly be expected to be less wasteful than others. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It was a violation of Commerce Department regulations, but not necessarily _illegal_, per se. The regulation probably does not have criminal penalties attached. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-pimp-arrested-for-illegally-accessing-senate-office-tampering-with-phone-system/526586.md?page=11)