How Did ACORN Become a Target?

By The Rachel Maddow Show

September 28, 2009

  • Video: Blackwater's Youngest Victim

    Blackwater

    Jeremy Scahill: On September 16, 2007, Blackwater employees killed at least 14 Iraqis in the infamous Nisour Square massacre. The youngest victim was nine-year-old Ali Kinani. In this exclusive interview, produced for Democracy Now by The Nation's Jeremy Scahill and Richard Rowley of Big Noise Films, Ali's father Mohammed talks about his son, the shootings, and his struggle to win justice.

  • Blackwater's Youngest Victim

    Blackwater

    Jeremy Scahill: Nine-year-old Ali Kinani died from a gunshot wound to the head in the Nisour Square massacre. His father may be the one man standing between Blackwater and total impunity.

  • Noted. Subscribe

    Blackwater

    Robert Gates admits that Blackwater is in Pakistan; Air America signs off.

» More

Rachel Maddow fiercely takes on the Defund ACORN Act of 2009, which aims to cutoff all funds to ACORN for their misconduct and recently passed in both the House and the Senate with bipartisan support. Maddow points out that not only does this legislation violate Article 1 of the Constitution because it directly targets one specific group, but there are many other organizations who have done worse and gotten away with it. The Nation's Jeremy Scahill joins Maddow to discuss war contractors like Blackwater, who have been exposed for committing fraud and murder, and somehow continue to get lucrative government contracts. Scahill says that this witch-hunt against ACORN "isn't really about upholding the law." It is a calculated political move by Democrats and Republicans who are indebted to corrupt war contractors because of their hefty campaign donations.

--Alana Levinson

Check out more great Nation videos on our YouTube channel.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Blogs

» The Beat

Facing Bipartisan Criticism, RNC's Steele Asks If Race Is Factor | "Why? Is it because Michael Steele is the chairman, or is it because a black man is chairman?” he wonders. Maybe he could compare notes with Obama.
John Nichols

» Editor's Cut

New Web Column at The Washington Post | Every Tuesday, I'll be featuring progressive thinking about politics and challenging the Right in my new web column for The Washington Post. Read my first one here.
Katrina vanden Heuvel
32 Comments

» The Notion

When Snow Melts: Vancouver’s Olympic Crackdown | Anger is growing in Vancouver in advance of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Like Olympic clockwork, here comes the media crackdown.
Dave Zirin
44 Comments

» The Dreyfuss Report

The Mind-Boggling Stupidity of Michael Rubin | How an AEI apparatchik's love affair for Ahmed Chalabi blinds him to Chalabi's pro-Iran treachery.
Robert Dreyfuss
27 Comments

» Act Now!

Demand Question Time | Join the call for the President and Congress to implement regular Question Time sessions.
Peter Rothberg
57 Comments

» And Another Thing

How to Counterbalance Focus on the Family on Superbowl Sunday | Give to help low income girls and women.
Katha Pollitt
54 Comments

» Altercation

Slacker Friday | James O'Keefe and Alter-reviews.
Eric Alterman