Friday, September 18, 2009

Acorn update

Fired Baltimore employees plan to file a criminal complaint today against the creators of the video that got them in hot water

13 comments:

John Galt said...

OK, so you're only allowed to do investigative journalism in Maryland with the consent of the investigatee ???

So.... this is a really GOOD place to be a criminal.

So... there are going to be a lot of them here.

So... Baltimore is pretty much a haven for lowlifes, giving (at least locally) credence to the conservative theories of an underclass conspiracy intent on undermining traditional American values.

John Galt said...

In foreign relations, we term these 'insurgent strongholds' and require jurisdictional authorities to undertake military action to eradicate the insurgents, or else our Delta Force will do it for them.

So, why would it be any different inside America ??

ppatin said...

Yay, Galt is back!

Those ACORN scumbags have some nerve. At least this incident has totally discredited their organization. I don't think that ACORN is the eeeeevil boogeyman that idiots like Glenn Beck make them out to be, but they're still a pretty obnoxious organization that we'd be better off without.

John Galt said...

I know their people ( at least locally ).

Many of them are every bit as rotten as they are said to be. They think of themselves as counterculture heroes; Robin Hoods.

The Baltimore, DC, and Brooklyn (NY) offices may be worse than that in Boise, ID, but make no mistake:

these people are out to screw you, mostly to benefit their friends and kin.

Anonymous said...

"Hmm - I lost my job giving illegal and clearly unethical advice. So I'm going to get the filmers in trouble! That'll teach them!"

I understand the rationale behind prosecuting every criminal, I guess... but aren't there more important things to send people to jail for in this City? Oh, wait - there are...

Galt, Patin and I - it's like old times...

Anonymous said...

60 Minutes has done undercover and hidden camera reports for years. Prosecute CBS.

ppatin said...

"60 Minutes has done undercover and hidden camera reports for years. Prosecute CBS."

It's legal in most of the US. Maryland has exceptionally strict laws about that sort of thing.

Anonymous said...

Then those laws should have been challenged and declared unconstitutional. They are private citizens, not law enforcement where warrants and such are needed.

ppatin said...

I didn't see anything in the Constitution that protects the right to wiretap someone.

Aaron said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Aaron said...

I think there is a different standard for law enforcement wiretapping than between private citizens. If you're the police and have probable cause, you can listen without consent. Between you and your brother-in-law or community organizer, though, and you need informed consent from both parties.

The only real crime I see here is the "pimp" outfit. I don't know if the guy really thought people dress that way, or if just he had post-meeting plans for a frat party up at JHU.

Anonymous said...

I guess we need to let ACORN do what they want and we should give them the funding due to them from the "Stimulus" Bill. They are just being picked on.

Bruce Garrett said...

The laws in Maryland regarding recording conversations need a little tweaking...particularly where they apply to recording the activity of government agents (like...oh...the police...). However, Maryland's laws should be well understood, particularly by right wing operatives, ever since Linda Tripp ran afoul of them taping a phone conversation with Monica Lewinsky. Yes, the ACORN employees behaved reprehensibly. But I'm having a hard time deciding who to hope gets burned more from this. Seriously.