Meet the Ratners: Defending ACORN is Their Family Business
by Chris BergToday the Center for Constitutional Rights sued the federal government on behalf of ACORN. They are alleging that Congressional efforts to defund ACORN constitute an unconstitutional Bill of Attainder. This tired argument has been thoroughly rebutted, but the Center for Constitutional Rights is going to make it anyway. Republican National Lawyers Association Chairman David Norcross has noted that: “The actions of Congress to defund ACORN clearly do not meet the definition of a Bill of Attainder.”
Real Estate Developer Bruce Ratner and Bertha Lewis
The Center for Constitutional Rights is going to stand up for this corrupt organization, and I think I know the reason why. It’s all about family.
The President of the Center for Constitutional Rights is Michael Ratner. Michael Ratner is a well known liberal lawyer who has fought against the Patriot Act and Guantanamo Bay. He also teaches at Columbia Law School.
If you haven’t heard of Michael, that’s all right, I’m sure you’ve heard of his brother Bruce. He’s a prominent developer and owner of the New Jersey Nets. His company is Forest City Enterprises.
ACORN had been supporting Bruce Ratner’s plans for a massive new arena for the team and his surrounding real estate development plan. Last September as the embattled community organization was dealing with the repercussions of the Rathke embezzlement Ratner came to the rescue with a $1 million loan and a $500,000 grant. The money, which helped ACORN through some of its darkest days, also bought their silence as criticism of Ratner’s development became widespread.
Now we see Michael Ratner’s Center for Constitutional Rights fighting to overturn Congressional efforts to defund this corrupt organization.
These two brothers are working hard to defend this troubled organization. One brother provides the bail money while the other defends them in court.
This lawsuit filed against the United States, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, OMB Director Peter Orszag, and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, will be defended by the Department of Justice. I’m not confident they will provide the most zealous defense. Their track record under the Obama administration has been less than stellar. Attorney General Eric Holder has resisted Congressional calls to appoint a Special Counsel to investigate ACORN; instead he has launched an investigation of whether the Department has given ACORN any grants. The Department of Justice was victorious in a lawsuit against members of the Black Panthers accused of voter intimidation and then voluntarily dismissed the charges. It seems that the Department’s zealous advocacy and investigation ends where supporters of President Obama may be implicated in wrongdoing.
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29 Comments
Today they think they can shakedown congress for funding. Shakedowns can work if they are private and secretive. In the public, shedding light on cockroaches seens to make them scatter. Suing the U.S. and being engaged as a "confidential assistant" sounds like conflict of intereest. Surely that is the chicago way.
Any chance to see Kimbo Slice in a MMA Match against Michael Ratner and Mayor Daley?
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They'll use the extortionist tactics that they've always used. They'll shout and scream, and the MSM will cover it. They'll shout and scream, and the simple minded will believe anything they hear often enough. They'll shout and scream, and they'll get a following. They'll shout and scream, and if WE let Congress, they'll get their funding.
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The RAT NERDS? Of course Ive heard of the corrupt RAT NERDS. They made there money the same way John the CORSLIME made his. These pukes are like the SOPRANOS OR THE REST OF THE MOB.
Id rather see BROCK LESNAR-YOU KNOW he can do it. Kimbo is only a street thug.
My friends might have to pay these boys a visit from Sicily, ya know, just to say hi….they don't know who they're messing with, if they think AOCRN can play this game in the new world of the internet…..we will have more video to show….
If you want to understand the background to bills of attainder (and what informed the framers minds), you need to understand Greek (Athenian / Spartan especially), Roman-Greek (begin with Plutarch and proceed [backwards, lol]), and British history (from Henry VIII on, de minimis).
For this to pass the straight face test requires each and every one of YOU to be massively ignorant of the evil The Founders were trying to prevent. It isn't enought to read The Fathers, you need to read WHAT THEY READ! I understand Julianne Hough is 100% babeliscious, but she ought not to be on your "to do" list. Turn off your tvs and explore that which your fathers read.
I think your right, and they have no standing, but there seems something a bit fishy about this bill of attainder charge, I think it will go an unexpected way soon.
You know if we passed some kind of truth in advertising law for these organizations the problem would be half solved.
These guys would be known as "Center for Mobocracy Handouts" and who would feel comfortable defending that?
Why bother with a real fighter, put a 10 year old girl in the ring, I am pretty sure she could kick either of their sorry asses.
Now I would like to see a MMA guy sit in a wheel chair outside of a SEIU rally with anti-obama flags etc. few of his friends disperesed close by.
Might even be funnier if you could get some trained females to do it, just imagine a little Thai girl chocking out some fat union slob, LMAO
if yall want ta see Bertha in axtion then wach this vido from fox…she b tellin how its goin b when we getz that muny from obama……
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4xcEZRy2FY
You, you, you… DIRTY RATS!
Good story Chris. We have to call these scumbags out when we see them. Thank God for BigGov. Finally, the media is doing what the mainstream won't.
These so called community activists are nothing more than criminals who shake down corporations with threats of calling them racists, anti-poor, bigots and naything else you can think of causing a public relations nightmare. The coproation then pay them off the save money. It's against the law to coerest someone to give you money under threats, yet our government does nothing because they are recievers of the cash from these shakedowns as wekll, thru campaign birbes! Wake up America. Acorn is SEIU just a different name. They both have given huge amounts of cash to the politians and rigged elections. SEIU send s thugs out to attack innocent people who question their political sheep. Why doesn't the prosecutors in the attacks charge SEIU? Because SEIU has bought and paid for them. We the people have to stand up and take back our country. don'twiat any longer we haven't much time before its too late! Rebel NOW! Don't wait until your children are held captive by the state to ensure you do as your told.
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I may be a little naive here but I thought you couldn't sue the Federal Government?
Another angle to get stolen funds from the government.
[...] Today the Center for Constitutional Rights sued the federal government on behalf of ACORN. They are alleging that Congressional efforts to defund ACORN constitute an unconstitutional Bill of Attainder. This tired argument has been …Read Original Story: Meet the Ratners: Defending ACORN is Their Family Business – Big Governme… [...]
The Jawa Report did a big story on the Ratners regarding astroturfing nasty rumors about Sarah Palin in September '08. They were, of course, working closely with David Axelrod. The youtube videos they had posted were disappearing one by one as the report was posted. It was fascinating to watch. Infuriating too. They got away with it and that disinformation is still out there.
Truly soulless individuals.
[...] Meet the Ratners: Defending ACORN is Their Family Business [...]
[...] Today the Center for Constitutional Rights sued the federal government on behalf of ACORN. They are alleging that Congressional efforts to defund ACORN constitute an unconstitutional Bill of Attainder. This tired argument has been …Read Original Story: Meet the Ratners: Defending ACORN is Their Family Business – Big Governme… [...]
[...] Today the Center for Constitutional Rights sued the federal government on behalf of ACORN. They are alleging that Congressional efforts to defund ACORN constitute an unconstitutional Bill of Attainder. This tired argument has been …Read Original Story: Meet the Ratners: Defending ACORN is Their Family Business – Big Governme… [...]
Someone from another post referred me to a site called http://www.Dearpolitician.org to write my politicians. The site is really cool in the fact that it automates everything and you can write your President, Vice President, Senators, and Congressman. The really interesting parts are that you can write complete Senate and Congressional committees. After you write what you want to say in the body of the template, you can print them off and mail them yourself or you can have Dearpolitician.org fax them to their offices instantly for FREE. If you want your letters delivered today, go to that site! Just passing along a cool site!
One more important point…Bruce Ratner is the New York Times' landlord. His company owns the Times' sparkling new building on 8th Avenue. They lobbied hard for Ratner to obtain New York "Liberty Bonds" which were intended for the rebuilding the area affected around Ground Zero. Their building is miles away. They also have been abandoned theirtraditional anti-development bias and very supportive of his new arena which would uproot an entire neighborhood (twenty blocks) in Brooklyn. And of course, everyone knows they did not want to touch the (negative part of the) Acorn story…
Marxists stick together, don't they? I'm sure the AG Holder will give them a hand in this matter!
I am embarassed to admit that I didn't even know these filthy rats exiisted.
Where have they been lurking all these years I why did G Bush not take them out in his 8 years in office.
Bertha and the Ratke Bros. are all public enemy No 1's.
Filth that they is…
To paraphrase someone smart. "To get to the root of the problem, follow the money trail."
Into which pocket does the money really go? That's something on which ACORN probably spends millions to avoid disclosing.
I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. ACORN has probably assisted some parties in getting realistic, affordable housing. But I suspect that is the exception rather than the norm. Follow the money. I'm reasonably sure that none of the ACORN executives or managers sit at the kitchen table trying to figure out how to juggle their money to keep their bills and mortgage paid.
ACORN and their ilk appear to be composed of, and supported by those in our society who want their "fair share" of the benefits of our society without contributing to it. Simply put, their job and source of income is to milk the system. Its the overall organizational goal. Again, follow the money. I often wonder how many protesters at their rallies took time off from their JOB to chant the party mantra and intimidate bystanders. Their real job is to try to make sure their "fair share" handouts don't get cut thereby forcing them to break a sweat and do something really useful.
Cash and laziness are an amazing solvent of common sense.