ACORN’s Tactics, Hate Crimes in Florida and the Roots of Earth Day
ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis’ scathing email about Brooklyn community activist Daniel Goldstein garners national media attention.
Florida plans on reclassifying crimes against the homeless as hate crimes.
Millions celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
1. POLITICS
ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis’ scathing email about Brooklyn community activist Daniel Goldstein garners national media attention.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Policy Analyst Marc Scribner on Lewis’ motives.
“Why, you might ask, would ACORN, an organization with a stated mission to “[help] those who have historically been locked out,” support wealthy private developer Bruce Ratner’s land grab over the rights of residents? Because even for committed socialist dupes, money talks. Ratner quietly funneled money into the group in 2008 following a funding panic in the wake of a multi-million dollar embezzlement scandal involving high-ranking ACORN officials.”
2. LEGAL
Florida plans on reclassifying crimes against the homeless as hate crimes.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Counsel Hans Bader on why this is a bad idea.
“The idea that every ‘vulnerable’ group needs its own hate crimes law threatens to leave criminal codes littered with special protections for an ever-growing laundry list of protected groups. Turning crimes into ‘hate crimes’ can also make prosecutions considerably more expensive. Often, it is easy to establish that a criminal committed a crime, but very difficult to establish precisely why the criminal committed the crime. Proving why the criminal acted could add enormously to the expense of the prosecution even though the criminal is equally dangerous, and deserves to go to jail, regardless of why he committed the crime.”
3. ENVIRONMENT
Millions celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Risk and Environmental Policy Angela Logomasini on the origins of Earth Day.
“Conservation and public health are laudable goals, but the anti-progressive goals of Earth Day are not. Rather than condemn chemicals or business, we should celebrate the progress that mankind has made in making life healthier and safer. Indeed, human ingenuity and modern technologies should be credited for finding solutions to environmental problems as well as enhancing the human condition. Political approaches taken by modern-day greens have done the opposite.”