# ACORN workers caught on tape apparently advising on child prostitution **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 11, 2009, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681 "2009-09-11T13:19:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/241 "2009-09-12T16:32:45Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Sixth _city_, not tries. We really have no way of knowing how many times he tried this before he found someone willing to take the bait. All we’ve got is his gotcha ya video showing that he caught someone- and we’re supposed to paint the entire organization with that brush he’s trying to sell us. > > As I wondered, above- how long would he have kept doing it 'til he found someone that would take the bait? > > If I have a box filled with thousands of red and blue marbles, and I keep pulling marbles out until I get a red one… what usable information does that give us as to the percentage of red and blue marbles? I agree that we really have no way of knowing. O’Keefe claims that ACORN is lying about the multiple attempts, so it comes down to who you believe. But, DC and Baltimore are not that far apart. Finding two offices in this area suggests it was not too difficult to find ACORN employees wlling to help. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/242 "2009-09-12T16:45:22Z")
ACORN is huge. If you try hard enough, you can find an employee who will be corrupt or stupid. We could eliminate, government, insurance and banking institutions if we applied these methods across the board. We should get rid of lawyers, some are corrupt. get rid of baseball, some players were using steroids. It is a witch hunt. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/243 "2009-09-12T16:52:52Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > ACORN is huge. If you try hard enough, you can find an employee who will be corrupt or stupid. We could eliminate, government, insurance and banking institutions if we applied these methods across the board. We should get rid of lawyers, some are corrupt. get rid of baseball, some players were using steroids. > It is a witch hunt. Read post #222 above. As long as they are the recipients of federal grants then they should be investigated if there is any evidence of wrongdoing. Not just one video but years worth of scandals. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/244 "2009-09-12T18:45:27Z")
Does the Republican Party recieve any Federal grants? No? Lucky thing. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/245 "2009-09-12T20:54:04Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > ACORN is huge. If you try hard enough, you can find an employee who will be corrupt or stupid. We could eliminate, government, insurance and banking institutions if we applied these methods across the board. We should get rid of lawyers, some are corrupt. get rid of baseball, some players were using steroids. > It is a witch hunt. Can you ever imagine gonzomax saying this, about say an employee of Blackwater caught torturing somebody? “Blackwater is huge. If you try hard enough, you can find an employee who will be corrupt or stupid. It is a witch hunt.” No? Didn’t think so. And as I’ve pointed out repeatedly, corporations are explicitly held liable for the actions of their employees when those employees are doing their job. I cited many examples of unauthorized employee behavior that nonetheless caused the company to be heavily fined. Why do you think delivery vans have those signs on the back that say, “If you see this employee driving dangerously, call xxx-xxxx”? It’s because if the delivery driver speeds and hits and kills someone, the liability will be on the company, regardless of how hard they try to keep their employees from speeding. The courts have ruled on this many, many times. Why should ACORN get a pass? ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/246 "2009-09-12T21:10:12Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > Very sad that it took these two videos for the census bureau to cut all ties with ACORN. I would have assumed the 400,000 fraudulent voter registrations would have been enough. But, thank goodness they have cut all ties nonetheless. The videos were the last straw. Senator Shelby (R-AL) expressed his [concern](http://www.census.gov/po/www/foia/09-077.pdf) to President Obama in March over ACORN’s involvement in the Census. (The file is a PDF.) And he’s not entirely wrong. In fact, ACORN’s involvement may cost the Census a good bit of cooperation and goodwill among the right wing; after the voter registration kerfluffle, they don’t trust ACORN, and by extension, the Census. It wasn’t just the videos, it was the perception that ACORN was out to compromise the Census for its own ends, and the perception that ACORN is somehow dirty. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/247 "2009-09-12T21:20:08Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Can you ever imagine gonzomax saying this, about say an employee of Blackwater caught torturing somebody? > > “Blackwater is huge. If you try hard enough, you can find an employee who will be corrupt or stupid. It is a witch hunt.” > > No? Didn’t think so… Gee, **Sam** , are you really sure Blackwater is the comparison you want to make here? What with the corpses of innocent civilians scattered about? I mean, its your rubber ducky, squeeze it anyway you want, but still… ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/248 "2009-09-12T21:52:59Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > …It wasn’t just the videos, it was the perception that ACORN was out to compromise the Census for its own ends, and the perception that ACORN is somehow dirty. But that’s all it is, a perception. Firmly based on an innuendo, which is in turn founded on suggestion. I’ve met these people, they are freshly scrubbed liberals with used cars and threadbare, second-hand suits. So earnest they set my teeth on edge, so sincere they make me want to drink. These people do not hatch plots, they hatch free range chickens. They have one crucial weakness: they are poltically disposed to trust the poor, they suffer from the unfortunate misperception that poverty enobles a person. It does not, if anything, poverty corrupts and degrades. The very reasons why we are determined to stamp it out, Goddess willing. (Its somewhat reminiscent of the radical black movements of the late 60’s, who got tangled up with the goofy idea that black criminals in prison were _all_ political prisoners, that ripping off the Man was a legitimate political action. That a thug steeped in the paranoia of prison life was somehow more “real”.) Its a delusion, of course, poor people are no more trustworthy than anyone else. A sincerely dedicated person is a _lot_ more trustworthy, but there isn’t any blood test for that. Bless their hearts, they mean well. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/249 "2009-09-12T22:33:15Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > But that’s all it is, a perception. Firmly based on an innuendo, which is in turn founded on suggestion. > > I’ve met these people, they are freshly scrubbed liberals with used cars and threadbare, second-hand suits. So earnest they set my teeth on edge, so sincere they make me want to drink. These people do not hatch plots, they hatch free range chickens. Gee, that doesn’t match my impression of the people in that video at all. They strike me more as cynical manipulators of the system than freshly scrubbed earnest liberals. Your description might be accurate for the ACORN office in Berkeley, but I don’t think it’s representative. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/250 "2009-09-12T22:37:16Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > But that’s all it is, a perception. Firmly based on an innuendo, which is in turn founded on suggestion. > > I’ve met these people, they are freshly scrubbed liberals with used cars and threadbare, second-hand suits. So earnest they set my teeth on edge, so sincere they make me want to drink. These people do not hatch plots, they hatch free range chickens. > > They have one crucial weakness: they are poltically disposed to trust the poor, they suffer from the unfortunate misperception that poverty enobles a person. It does not, if anything, poverty corrupts and degrades. The very reasons why we are determined to stamp it out, Goddess willing. > > (Its somewhat reminiscent of the radical black movements of the late 60’s, who got tangled up with the goofy idea that black criminals in prison were _all_ political prisoners, that ripping off the Man was a legitimate political action. That a thug steeped in the paranoia of prison life was somehow more “real”.) > > Its a delusion, of course, poor people are no more trustworthy than anyone else. A sincerely dedicated person is a _lot_ more trustworthy, but there isn’t any blood test for that. > > Bless their hearts, they mean well. You can believe this nonsense if you choose. Hey, maybe you are right. But, the fact remains that they are receiving tax dollars for some of their projects. As long as that is the case I don’t give a fuck whether they are criminals or just trustworthy idiots…makes no difference. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/251 "2009-09-12T22:39:12Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Does the Republican Party recieve any Federal grants? No? Lucky thing. Spare us the sarcasm…if you have some point to make then feel free. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/252 "2009-09-12T23:25:43Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > But that’s all it is, a perception. Firmly based on an innuendo, which is in turn founded on suggestion. > > I’ve met these people, they are freshly scrubbed liberals with used cars and threadbare, second-hand suits. So earnest they set my teeth on edge, so sincere they make me want to drink. These people do not hatch plots, they hatch free range chickens. > > They have one crucial weakness: they are poltically disposed to trust the poor, they suffer from the unfortunate misperception that poverty enobles a person. It does not, if anything, poverty corrupts and degrades. The very reasons why we are determined to stamp it out, Goddess willing. > > (Its somewhat reminiscent of the radical black movements of the late 60’s, who got tangled up with the goofy idea that black criminals in prison were _all_ political prisoners, that ripping off the Man was a legitimate political action. That a thug steeped in the paranoia of prison life was somehow more “real”.) > > Its a delusion, of course, poor people are no more trustworthy than anyone else. A sincerely dedicated person is a _lot_ more trustworthy, but there isn’t any blood test for that. > > Bless their hearts, they mean well. Yabbut perceptions are pretty damaging when all you’ve got to trade on is your good name. The Census has one major problem right now, and that is credibility. I can explain that I (or any Census worker) can go to prison for five years and/or fork over a quarter-mil if I so much as tell anyone the color of the carpeting in the guy’s house, but if all the guy knows is that ACORN is somehow involved, all the assurances in the world mean approximately dick. I’ll give you an example. I’m essentially a shill for the Census Bureau. I’m supposed to meet the public, reassure them that the Census is harmless, and maybe give them a nice tote bag. Most of the people I talk to are pretty cool about it. They know what the Census is about and will most likely fill the questionnaire out and send it back. Talking to them is probably pointless because they’re going to do what they’re supposed to do, or at most, they’ll need a gentle nudge from the nice census taker who comes by to talk to them if they’ve forgotten to mail the questionnaire back. But there are those who are, shall we say, a little paranoid about the ACORN/Census connection. They’re not especially eager to talk to a census taker because as far as they’re concerned, the census taker is working for ACORN, and as far as they’re concerned, ACORN is not to be trusted. I can remind them about the penalties for disclosing information, and that we’re federal employees, just like the mailman. But they don’t care. They know what they’ve heard from the right-wing echo chamber, and that’s all they need to know. But yeah, some of the lefties are so earnest that they make _my_ teeth hurt. And I hang out with these people. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/253 "2009-09-12T23:43:28Z")
“I can deal with my enemies, Heaven protect me from my allies.” - Disraeli ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/254 "2009-09-13T00:20:56Z")
So what is the theory here? ACORN on the whole supports prostitution and would like to turn our cities into brothels? Everyone who works for ACORN is a potential pimp? ACORN just likes pimps? Does anyone really believe that ACORN advocates child prostitution? I don’t really get what this is trying to prove, besides the not-so-shocking “some ACORN workers show bad judgment when put in odd situations.” ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/255 "2009-09-13T00:26:50Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > So what is the theory here? > > ACORN on the whole supports prostitution and would like to turn our cities into brothels? > > Everyone who works for ACORN is a potential pimp? > > ACORN just likes pimps? > > Does anyone really believe that ACORN advocates child prostitution? I don’t really get what this is trying to prove, besides the not-so-shocking “some ACORN workers show bad judgment when put in odd situations.” No, what this shows (in my view) is the likelihood that ACORN fosters a corporate culture that tells its workers that their primary mission is to help the people that come to them for help, regardless of the context. That’s a problem when the people that come to them for help are engaged in crime. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/256 "2009-09-13T00:54:43Z")
Now, friend **Bricker** , I know you have seen some of the seamier side of things, what with being a public defender, and all. Probably have a pretty good idea what a pimp looks like. So do I, for very different reasons which are not remotely relevent. But I know what one looks like too. Here’s a picture of James O’Keefe, who swears that he convinced those ACORN women that he was a pimp and elicited illegal advice, etc. You look at this guy, and you tell me: what is the liklihood that any inner-city type person would believe, for one second, that this American cheese with mayo white boy, is a _pimp_. [http://biggovernment.com/author/jokeefe/](http://biggovernment.com/author/jokeefe/) OK, maybe you can believe it, but I know you’re gonna have to work for it. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/257 "2009-09-13T01:43:44Z")
But he’s not going to try to sell me life insurance, is he? I mean, pimps and hos are one thing (actually two things, er, two groups of human beings) but insurance salesmen are something (note the lack of a qualifier) else altogether. Cuz he really looks like he has a backseat full of brochures from Aetna. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/258 "2009-09-13T01:56:13Z")
Really? Reminds me of a guy who thinks Jesus wants him to sell Amway. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/259 "2009-09-13T02:09:08Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > No, what this shows (in my view) is the likelihood that ACORN fosters a corporate culture that tells its workers that their primary mission is to help the people that come to them for help, regardless of the context. > > That’s a problem when the people that come to them for help are engaged in crime. I am going to agree with and support this. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/260 "2009-09-13T02:27:24Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Really? Reminds me of a guy who thinks Jesus wants him to sell Amway. Wait. So Jesus _doesn’t_ want me to sell Amway? Now what am I supposed to do with all this crap? :p:D [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681.md?page=14)