# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/41 "2009-09-11T15:41:44Z")
The story to the most recent linky-dink says that the incident depicted occured on July 25 of this year. What took so long? ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/42 "2009-09-11T15:43:33Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > So what? Oh, I know for you the top people at ACORN would have to be caught gang-fucking an underage prostitute at an ACORN office, wearing ACORN t-shirts, taping it and selling copies for YOU to be concerned in the least. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/43 "2009-09-11T15:44:06Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Do you know that Acorn never committed election fraud? Because I’m confused, you’re stating it as fact, but it didn’t happen. You should make a better effort to educate yourself on things before you talk about them. > > I’m sure you’re not actually stating things you know to be false, of course. Don’t worry. [I’m not](http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009189). 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:** [September 11, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/44 "2009-09-11T15:44:24Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > ACORN has been involved in enough shady shit to have congress at least look into them and possibly stop giving them taxpayer dollars. Conyers claimed his committee was going to investigate ACORN but was called off by the powers that be. I wonder who that was… Cite for ACORN engaging in “shady” behavior? I don’t know what “powers that be” you imagine that you’re referencing, but if your insinuating it was the White House, you’re wrong. The White House has no authority to call off Congressional investigations. Basically there just didn’t turn out to be anything much to investigate. No evdience was ever shown for ACORN engaging in fraud. Don’t believe everything you see on Fox News. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/45 "2009-09-11T15:45:44Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > The story to the most recent linky-dink says that the incident depicted occured on July 25 of this year. What took so long? I’m sure it took FOX News that long to fabricate the tape. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/46 "2009-09-11T15:46:02Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Don’t worry. [I’m not](http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009189) A WSJ editorial from 2006? Are you serious? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/47 "2009-09-11T15:46:07Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > ACORN has been involved in enough shady shit to have congress at least look into them and possibly stop giving them taxpayer dollars. Conyers claimed his committee was going to investigate ACORN but was called off by the powers that be. I wonder who that was… What “powers that be” specifically stopped this notional investigation? On what date was this decision made and implemented? Something verifiable, please. I have no idea who you are or whether your statements are accurate. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/48 "2009-09-11T15:47:50Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > Oh, I know for you the top people at ACORN would have to be caught gang-fucking an underage prostitute at an ACORN office, wearing ACORN t-shirts, taping it and selling copies for YOU to be concerned in the least. This is a non-responsive answer to my question. What exactly are you trying to assert about ACORN as an institution? ---
**Author:** ![Strassia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@Strassia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strassia)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/49 "2009-09-11T15:48:21Z")
I can’t see the video at work, so just a couple of comments: 1. About the inconsistency charge. The **local** office fired two employees, the **national spokesman** denies any institutional wrongdoing. They are not the same entity. It is entirely likely, even probable, that the local office saw what happened and took action before relaying all details to the national office. 2. I am always suspicious of heavily edited gotcha type footage. I would like to see the full footage before deciding whether it shows two dupes who were tricked or two people willing to look the other way in a case of child prostitution. From what I have read there are a number of ways this could have happened, with varying degrees of culpability to the ACORN organization. Since I think that it would be beyond bizarre for any group to actually be pro-child prostitution, worst case is probably a general policy not to inquire about legal issues (probably aimed at being able to help undocumented workers or adult sex workers) that has fostered a climate of willful blindness to _any_ evidence of illegal activity of any type. Best case, the edited portion has some part of the exchange that completely changes the context and meaning of the whole thing Not having seen the footage, I can’t really comment on how likely that is. Most likely case is probably between these two. Either two employees went beyond policy in their willful blindness, or the local office culture informally went beyond the national policy in encouraging it. Coupled with parts that have been removed that show it not quite as bad is it now looks. In other words, hard to say what happened, but since it took them six tries to get a heavily edited video to look incriminating, whatever the real problems are, they are not as wide spread as ACORN detractors would like them to be. I would also say that at least some ACORN personnel needed more training in how to avoid even the appearance of wrong doing, at the very least. Jonathan ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/50 "2009-09-11T15:48:30Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Cite for ACORN engaging in “shady” behavior? You actually need a cite for this?!? > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I don’t know what “powers that be” you imagine that you’re referencing, but if your insinuating it was the White House, you’re wrong. The White House has no authority to call off Congressional investigations. Basically there just didn’t turn out to be anything much to investigate. No evdience was ever shown for ACORN engaging in fraud. Don’t believe everything you see on Fox News. Ask Conyers…those were his words. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/51 "2009-09-11T15:50:20Z")
> [@Strassia](#): > > I can’t see the video at work, so just a couple of comments: > > 1. About the inconsistency charge. The **local** office fired two employees, the **national spokesman** denies any institutional wrongdoing. They are not the same entity. It is entirely likely, even probable, that the local office saw what happened and took action before relaying all details to the national office. > > 2. I am always suspicious of heavily edited gotcha type footage. I would like to see the full footage before deciding whether it shows two dupes who were tricked or two people willing to look the other way in a case of child prostitution. > > From what I have read there are a number of ways this could have happened, with varying degrees of culpability to the ACORN organization. > > Since I think that it would be beyond bizarre for any group to actually be pro-child prostitution, worst case is probably a general policy not to inquire about legal issues (probably aimed at being able to help undocumented workers or adult sex workers) that has fostered a climate of willful blindness to _any_ evidence of illegal activity of any type. > > Best case, the edited portion has some part of the exchange that completely changes the context and meaning of the whole thing Not having seen the footage, I can’t really comment on how likely that is. > > Most likely case is probably between these two. Either two employees went beyond policy in their willful blindness, or the local office culture informally went beyond the national policy in encouraging it. Coupled with parts that have been removed that show it not quite as bad is it now looks. > > In other words, hard to say what happened, but since it took them six tries to get a heavily edited video to look incriminating, whatever the real problems are, they are not as wide spread as ACORN detractors would like them to be. I would also say that at least some ACORN personnel needed more training in how to avoid even the appearance of wrong doing, at the very least. > Jonathan Excellent post. (Sorry for the +1) ---
**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:** [September 11, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/52 "2009-09-11T15:50:20Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > You’re damn right it says something about Dominos. It says they haven’t the first clue about how to screen a potential applicant. That there are multiple employees in the ACORN example is especially damning. What is the procedure for screening out people who might advise people how to lie on their tax forms? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/53 "2009-09-11T15:50:48Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > You actually need a cite for this?!? Yeas, we need a cite for this. Again, who are you and why should anyone trust your unverified statements as factual? ---
**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:** [September 11, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/54 "2009-09-11T15:52:16Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > I’m sure it took FOX News that long to fabricate the tape. Is anyone saying the tape is fabricated? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/55 "2009-09-11T15:52:16Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Don’t worry. [I’m not](http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009189). > > Regards, > Shodan Oh, I see the problem here. You don’t understand what election fraud is. Do us a favor and read up on it, kay? As Dio mentioned above, Acorn hires people to get registrations. Some people try to crook Acorn out of money, so they fill out fake registrations for the bounty. Acorn can’t throw these sheets away, because that would be disenfranchising people if, against all odds they were real. Are you following along? Good. Acorn flags the suspicious registrations. In any case it doesn’t matter, because if someone turns in a voter registration form for Batman Von Superman III, he’s not going to show up. Now that you’ve had it explained to you that you’re wrong, I trust that you’ll stop posting half-assed opinion pieces as fact, right? See, you’ve had your ignorance fought! ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/56 "2009-09-11T15:52:33Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > What “powers that be” specifically stopped this notional investigation? On what date was this decision made and implemented? > > Something verifiable, please. I have no idea who you are or whether your statements are accurate. [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/25/conyers-abandons-plan-probe-acorn/](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/25/conyers-abandons-plan-probe-acorn/) ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/57 "2009-09-11T15:53:20Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > What is the procedure for screening out people who might advise people how to lie on their tax forms? I have no idea what in the hell you’re talking about. This is not simply a case of a couple workers trying to help a guy tell a little fib on his tax forms. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/58 "2009-09-11T15:53:56Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > And if this was a left-wing sting of a right-wing organization which turned up abetting of child prostitution I’m sure you would feel exactly the same, **Diogenes** , wouldn’t you? > > Of course you would. Yet another attempt at a self-satisfying _tu quoque_ based on your imagination. The rest of us are discussing the real world. :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [September 11, 2009, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/59 "2009-09-11T15:54:32Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > You actually need a cite for this?!? Of course. What do you think this is, Free Republic? > [@](#): > > Ask Conyers…those were his words. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681/60 "2009-09-11T15:57:10Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Cite? Post #56. Try to keep up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/acorn-workers-caught-on-tape-apparently-advising-on-child-prostitution/509681.md?page=4)