READER COMMENTS ON

"Hannah Giles: James O'Keefe Did It, Not Me!"

(24 Responses so far...)





COMMENT #1 [Permalink]

... Soul Rebel said on 2/25/2011 @ 1:42 pm PT...





But seriously, is this a surprise? Like right-wing nutjobs ever take responsibility for anything they destroy. She does look right at home in that faux leather top though. I mean she could, potentially, make an honest career out of streetwalking after this.

COMMENT #2 [Permalink]

... donna said on 2/25/2011 @ 2:23 pm PT...





technically, she probably had nothing to do with the editing of the video. that would be all o'keefe. let's face it she may have been only playing a ho but she is sort of acting ho like in real life as well. no offense to sex workers. after throwing her buddy under the bus like that, that kind of work might actually make an honest woman out of her.

COMMENT #3 [Permalink]

... Brad Friedman said on 2/25/2011 @ 2:47 pm PT...





Donna - Just to be clear, whether Giles had anything to do with editing of the tape or not doesn't actually matter. The crime here would be the secret video taping, no matter what they did with the video thereafter. She is, of course, welcome to try her luck with her current defense that it was O'Keefe, not her, who held the camera, though it doesn't seem likely to work in that she certainly knew the secret taping was taking place, and participated in the conspiracy to make it happen. But we'll see what the jury says, unless Breitbart and his funders cough up the funds to settle the case (which they'd probably be very smart to do.)

COMMENT #4 [Permalink]

... john friedman said on 2/25/2011 @ 3:47 pm PT...





Giles defense here admits to guilt in the action. Clyde may have held the pistol but Bonnie was a party to the hold up! They were in it together. In fact, $75,000 sure seems cheap given the damage done. If Breitbart and his funders ultimately have to cough up anything under a couple of hundred million bucks they will have pulled off robbery in addition to illegal wiretapping and slander and everything else related to this tragedy.

COMMENT #5 [Permalink]

... Ernest A. Canning said on 2/25/2011 @ 6:50 pm PT...





Maas made two errors in his initial July 9 article in which he referenced Vera's lawsuit, stating: Two conservative activists who pretended to be a pimp and prostitute and wore hidden cameras in order to catch ACORN workers in compromising conversations are being sued in federal court in San Diego for at least $75,000. First, and I don't know how many times it has to be said before the thick-witted MSM stenographers posing a journalists get it, O'Keefe never posed as a pimp! Second, the description of O'Keefe, a convicted federal law breaker, and his accomplice, Giles, as "conservative activists" is unduly charitable.

COMMENT #6 [Permalink]

... sukabi said on 2/25/2011 @ 7:49 pm PT...





Well, O'Keefe might not have posed as a pimp in the ACORN offices, but he certainly did on TV... and that's apparently enough for the MSM steno team to keep it going... don't see how Giles thinks her defense will work, since she willingly went on TV and promoted the highly edited tapes and claimed during those TV spots that she was well aware of what was going on and was an active part of the taping...

COMMENT #7 [Permalink]

... Ernest A. Canning said on 2/26/2011 @ 6:23 am PT...





Sukabi, the question of whether Giles defense will work is dependent upon how a court interprets the provisions of CA Penal Code Section 632. Giles' attorney has asked the court to apply a narrow interpretation that would limit its applicability to the person who actually records a private conversation without the knowledge or consent of one of the parties. No doubt Vera's attorneys will argue that this is an unduly restrictive reading of 632; that the statute should apply to all who conspired to commit the act, which would then not only bring in Giles but perhaps Breitbart as well.

COMMENT #8 [Permalink]

... Adam said on 2/26/2011 @ 8:00 am PT...





No doubt Vera's attorneys will argue that this is an unduly restrictive reading of 632; that the statute should apply to all who conspired to commit the act, which would then not only bring in Giles but perhaps Breitbart as well. Wouldn't that be nice. Let's hope. From what I've seen, fascists don't get punished much for breaking the law in the United States.

COMMENT #9 [Permalink]

... sukabi said on 2/26/2011 @ 1:34 pm PT...





Ernest --- is that the ONLY code that is being cited in the suit? hasn't she knowingly participated in a conspiracy to defraud / defame both individuals and organizations? and isn't there something on the books to address that? I don't know anything about the law, other than this crap just ain't right. and none of those involved should be able to walk away to play another day.

COMMENT #10 [Permalink]

... VERI said on 2/26/2011 @ 5:14 pm PT...





Why is it that The Right never want to take responsibility for their actions. Instead, taking the time to blame others? Classic. Should have gone for $7.5 million.

COMMENT #11 [Permalink]

... ghostof911 said on 2/26/2011 @ 6:37 pm PT...





Should have gone for $7.5 million. Agree. Although $75,000 might seem a satisfactory award for Mr. Vera, it is chump change for the deep pockets that fund this group. They are certainly not going to contest for that amount. Perhaps Mr. Vera needs the money more than the discovery that would occur if he sued for a higher amount and the suit did go to trial.

COMMENT #12 [Permalink]

... Gus W said on 2/27/2011 @ 8:19 am PT...





The $75k is extremely modest - Breitbart could write that check in a heartbeat but they are trying to avoid the headline saying they are admitting guilt. Usually settling out of court comes with buying silence so Vera is seemingly making a principled stand. Also they would be opening up the gates for lawsuits from anyone else caught on tape in states that ban secret recordings. ACORN of course should be suing for millions after showing the pattern of deception and fraud in informing the Congressional vote against them.

COMMENT #13 [Permalink]

... Ernest A. Canning said on 2/27/2011 @ 8:22 am PT...





Re Subaki @9. As I have not read Vera's complaint, I am not in a position to say what specific legal theories have been advanced on his behalf. What I can say is that Giles' motion is directed at the question of whether she is a "person" who engaged in activity proscribed by CA Penal Code Section 632 which states, in pertinent part: Every person who, intentionally and without the consent of all parties to a confidential communication, by means of any electronic amplifying or recording device, eavesdrops upon or records the confidential communication, whether the communication is carried on among the parties in the presence of one another or by means of a telegraph, telephone, or other device, except a radio, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), or imprisonment in the county jail... Where Giles' lawyer argues that the statute applies only to the individual, O'Keefe, who conducted the recording, Section 632 says: The term "person" includes an individual, business association, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, or other legal entity, and an individual acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of any government or subdivision thereof, whether federal, state, or local, but excludes an individual known by all parties to a confidential communication to be overhearing or recording the communication. The fact that a partnership, corporation or business association is defined as a "person" within the meaning of Section 632, to me at least, implies that those who conspire to illicitly record the confidential communication, and, in the case of Giles, aid in its perpetration, can be charged with a violation of 632.

COMMENT #14 [Permalink]

... Off the Grid said on 2/27/2011 @ 8:52 am PT...





How fitting that this is NOT your top story. This blog sucks donkey nuts.

COMMENT #15 [Permalink]

... Ernest A. Canning said on 2/27/2011 @ 11:18 am PT...





Wow! So “Off the Grid” can scour the internet, find a story that broke just yesterday about an election in Ireland in which that nation’s people punished a 60-year ruling party because of a “broad banker bailout” and then allege that, because a citizen blog with limited resources had not, as yet, culled this from the thousands of breaking stories of manifest importance throughout the world and posted it at the top of the blog, it means that, in “Off the Grid’s” inelegant words, The BRAD BLOG “sucks donkey nuts.” Well, “Off the Grid,” you are certainly entitled to your opinion, however worthless and absurd it may be.

COMMENT #16 [Permalink]

... Steve said on 2/27/2011 @ 11:53 am PT...





Do us all a favor "Off the Grid" and stay off the grid with your idiotic comments!

COMMENT #17 [Permalink]

... Dave Maass said on 2/28/2011 @ 9:44 pm PT...





Hi Brad - It's Dave Maass from CityBeat. Please check out the updated edit of my post, "Hannah Giles throws James O'Keefe Under the Bus." I hope that fixes the problem and you'll update your blog accordingly. Also, since you pointed out an error on my blog, I hope you won't mind if I return the favor. My name is spelled Dave Maass. Peace, Dave

COMMENT #18 [Permalink]

... karen said on 3/1/2011 @ 11:51 am PT...





Brad - I was just talking to a friend and she commented on how the Kochs of the world were able take a situation where 90 percent of us across all demographics were ready to pick up the pitchforks and torches over the bank bailouts to the point now we are arguing about scraps like how overpaid teachers are. They systematically smear and take out institutions like Acorn and Unions that support populist stances by reframing people's outrage towards them, rather than corrupt govt and crony businesses and elite. Although your relentless, persistent exposure and the the work of Wikileaks and Anonymous give great hope, it seems we should be on the offense more. Anon exposure seems like something in right direction, but how we present the issues, we have the power to reframe as well as they do. No, we do not have the money, but we have people with all types of skills. While they lie to smear activists and orgs working for regular folks, we can smear them with their own actions, with facts. We just have to present it the right way and pound at it. Time for populists, corruption fighters to go on the offense. There has to be a way.

COMMENT #19 [Permalink]

... karen said on 3/1/2011 @ 12:13 pm PT...





You know the other thing that occurs to me, despite these folks like Brietbart having great resources and powerful and rich people behind, how amatuerish they are. Really, not one of you folks involved in the video taping thought about the various state's recording laws? How about the way OKeefe got arrested in a federal building, messing with a Senator? Really, that's the smartest punk stunt you could come up with, something that has high likelihood of landing you in Federal court? And HB Gary has crap in emails that screws their clients...who puts illegal plans in emails? Really? I'm not complaining, I'm thankful they are incompetent...but really, how stupid are these people? Does everything coming easily for them via money and power rot their brains?

COMMENT #20 [Permalink]

... Off the Grid said on 3/2/2011 @ 11:56 am PT...





Catching flak. Must be on target. Ernest, great rebuttal. Don't mention anything about the overwhelming defeat of the Ruling party in what may be the first country to LEAVE the euro. Ignore the similar election results in Germany. Don't touch the facts, you might lose a hand. Steve, take a minute and ask yourself why the "leader" in election issues isn't covering the most important elections in Europe. Could it be that the propaganda dictates the coverage? Mighty tough running a blog outside the consensus status quo. Maybe that affects content. Look at Huffington. $$ChaChing$$

COMMENT #21 [Permalink]

... Ernest A. Canning said on 3/2/2011 @ 3:51 pm PT...





No, Off the Grid, "catching flak" does not mean that you are "on target." Not even close! I'd like to suggest that your faux criticism @14 was absurd, but that would give it more credence than it deserved.

COMMENT #22 [Permalink]

... BillCNC said on 3/4/2011 @ 2:03 pm PT...





I looked at the link for donations to support her legal fees, ... the site say's that it's TAX DEDUCTIBLE! WTF, ... I'm paying for her defense through my TAXES? BULL-SH*T!

COMMENT #23 [Permalink]

... kfreed said on 3/9/2011 @ 1:09 am PT...





Recent piece (Mar. 8, 2011) on AOL's "Politics Daily" by an unnamed author is still fasely reporting on O'Keefe's ACORN video while touting O'Keefe's latest NPR "sting": "O'Keefe's Project Veritas gained notoriety in 2009 in another covertly made video that showed individuals posing as a pimp and prostitute seeming to get advice on gaming the tax system from a representative of ACORN, a liberal community activist organization." http://www.politicsdaily...dl1%7Csec1_lnk3%7C205321 My response: Another hack job from James O'Keefe [with Andrew Breitbart lurking in the shadows no doubt] and you're still promoting the false ACORN story. Time to get caught up: "Breitbart confirms he was duped by O'Keefe and the ACORN pimp hoax"

http://mediamatters.org/columns/201003020001 And then there's this from Brad Blog (embedded links to relevant documents): "Gershon's judgment comes on the heels of the completion of a five-month investigation by the Kings County, NY District Attorney's office examining the secretly-taped videos taken of ACORN Housing workers in Brooklyn and released by rightwing activists James O'Keefe, Hannah Giles and Andrew Breitbart. The D.A. released a statement finding "no criminality" last week, after which sources from their office told the New York Post that the videos amounted to a "'heavily edited' splice job that only made it appear as though the organization's workers were advising a pimp and prostitute on how to get a mortgage...[with] many of the seemingly crime-encouraging answers...taken out of context so as to appear more sinister." https://bradblog.com/?p=7736 Then we had the edited Shirley Sherrod video (again distributed by Beitbart in an attempt to smear the NAACP as "racist"). Meanwhile, he'll be answering for it in court as Sherrod has filed suit. Then the fake Planned Parenthood "sting" and now the target is NPR. Anybody noticing a pattern here? The GOP's Tea Party and its minions have been attempting to frame every single one of their perceived enemies (the list is practically endless). The S.S. would have been proud. The Tea Party's "hit list" according to the Tea Party:

http://tpmdc.talkingpoin...-liberal-hate-groups.php BTW, Schiller's assessment of the current Republican tea party happens to be correct. Maybe you could take some time to delve into that instead of using your position to spread GOP Tea Party propaganda. Begin your research on the topic of Christian Reconstruction" here (compiled and tagged for your convenience): http://www.delicious.com/InsaniTEA

COMMENT #24 [Permalink]

... joe frighte said on 3/9/2011 @ 11:48 am PT...

