by Jeff Boone
Today campus-trained young people are exploiting social networking to organize, protest and fundraise in pursuit of a social justice mission. But until recently the modern American news media has failed to confirm that all the donations are being spent honestly. Black Lives Matter, for example, is starting to get some attention because of the recent large increase of donations. What is being reported is a disconnect between its media-branded mission and its multi-entity, complex money trail.
Alicia Garza, 39, Patrisse Cullors, 36 and Opal Tometi, 36 are the three women are behind “The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation,” – the central organization directing the Black Lives Matter operation. Garza is the chief strategic advisor. Tometi is on record working for the BLM Foundation and is the Executive Director for the “Black Alliance for Just Immigration”. That entity is associated with the “Freedom Road Socialist Organization”, an avowed Marxist-Lenninist group that has received funding from the Tides Foundation that is run by George Soros.
You have not heard much from these three women that run the BLM Foundation. They purposely keep a very low profile. They don’t give interviews, and until now, the friendly media obliged them by ignoring their personal stories.
But with the explosion in BLM protests and related news coverage, including the many tens of millions the organization is collecting, the investigatory interest has grown. In response, these bright and capable leaders of BLM know enough about the news cycles that they must give it a bit of meat, or it will eventually make THEM the news cycle.
In a recent interview with a professor from Morgan State University, Ms. Cullors said: “Myself and Alicia (Garza) in particular are trained organizers. 
We are trained Marxists. We are super-versed on ideological theories.”
The media story is that BLM is all about systemic racism. But it appears that BLM is a capitalist endeavor within the political-media wealth-generating industry, to promote a globalist Marxist agenda… and it only exploits racial conflict as a means to that end.
Are the wheels about to come off the BLM train? If so, it will likely be for three reasons: the lack of financial disclosures leading to the IRS rejecting the non-profit application. The connection with Marxism and George Soros. And lastly, the connection with the Democrat party apparatus.
Because the Black Lives Matter Foundation does not yet have tax exempt status, the Oakland-based radical left Thousand Currents organization “fiscally sponsors” BLM. Thousand Currents holds most of BLM donations, which now number in the many tens of millions. Because the non-profit Thousand Currents is overseeing the cash, donors write off donations to BLM. But if the IRS rejects BLM’s non-profit status – which is expected for reasons below – Thousand Currents would keep the money and the donors would have to report IT as the funding source.
Why is BLM’s non-profit status in jeopardy? The bar for non-profit approval from the IRS is high. The corporation must document the intended use of funds, and then demonstrate that it will use the funds as documented. Even after approval, the entity’s non-profit status is at risk if it uses the funds in other ways.
According to FactCheck.org, 71 percent of all BLMs donations have gone to salaries, benefits, and “consulting fees.” The consulting fees are key… it is a common way to hide the actual use of the funds. In addition, BLM uses ActBlue.com to process its donations. The fees for this service are about 4%. ActBlue is a fund-raising arm of the DNC. There is currently no tracing nor reporting for where BLM donations processed through ActBlue go and what they are used for. The general report is that they go to Thousand Currents, but again there is no tracing and the funds appear to be comingled with other donations.
In a recent AskMeAnything (AMA) session on the popular social networking platform Reddit, BLM Managing Director Kaileen Scales was blasted with almost triple-digit “down-votes” from readers for failing to answer simple questions about how BLM donations were being spent.
We don’t know where the donated funds are going, but we do know that the Black Lives Matter organization is run by avowed Marxists with connections to George Soros, the billionaire socialist globalist activist; has connections to the Democrat party apparatus, and that they have access to many tens of millions in donations.
Karl Marx would be very pleased; a capitalist government allowing tax deductions for money earmarked to destroy it… while the Marxists make a good living from it all.
My expectation is that the capitalist government will eventually get it right and reject BLMs non-profit status for having a fake mission. Meanwhile the capitalist news media will chew up anything it can for a dime. The financial issues will lead to the stories about the hidden political mission.
And in the end American capitalism will once again defeat the Marxists and send them packing to organize for their next creative attempt to transform America into something it should never be.
“George Soros, the billionaire socialist globalist activist”
What is the foundation for this phrase?
Soros is one of the richest capitalists in the world. He is a favorite Orwellian bogeyman of the right behind every crackpot conspiracy theory much like Orwell’s Goldberg in the novel “1984.”
I have read quite a bit about George’s Soros’s Open Society philosophy. He is a globalist socialist capitalist. In other words, he supports capitalism as the actual economic system (in theory), but believes that successful industrialized countries like the US are kleptocracies that should instead have a perpetual Marshall plan to raise up other countries so that the world would become equal economic opportunity.
Much of what is perpetuating black strife today has been a combination of kleptocratic and globalist philosophies injected into the US economic policy. I see Soros as being half right. But the half that is wrong aligns with Marxist and socialist views of wealth distribution… from those (whole countries in Soro’s case) to those that cannot.
Here is another connection to Soros
Thousand Currents organization “fiscally sponsors” BLM. Thousand Currents holds most of BLM donations, which now number in the many tens of millions. Because the non-profit Thousand Currents is overseeing the cash, donors write off donations to BLM. But if the IRS rejects BLM’s non-profit status – which is expected for reasons below – Thousand Currents would keep the money and the donors would have to report IT as the funding source.
I took a peek at Thousand Currents merchant for donations and they use Give Lively.
Give Lively was founded by Jonathan Soros. Upon looking up the donor/recipient info I noticed every single contribution recipient received funds donated by a member of the Soros family.
https://thousandcurrents.org/give-online/
https://secure.givelively.org/donate/thousand-currents
https://thousandcurrents.org/above-beyond-solidarity-fund-donate/
https://www.newamerica.org/our-people/jonathan-soros/#:~:text=Soros%20is%20co%2Dfounder%20of,enterprise%20to%20facilitate%20philanthropic%20giving.
Conspiracy theories regarding George Soros are rooted deeply in Anti-Semitism.
This “opinion” piece should be labeled as promoting an Anti-Semitism trope, and should be disregarded as hate promoting propaganda.
This is weak and sad. There is no criticism of Soros’s religion or ethnicity. Only his ideas and his activism are being discussed. Why degrade the conversation?
There IS plenty of evidence of global BLM antisemitism though.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281821
Brucker is correct and this phrase demonstrates it:
“connections to George Soros, the billionaire socialist globalist activist”
That rhetoric is not far from the traditionally anti-semetic “Jewish international banking conspiracy” whether you recognize it as such or not. I recognized it as such when I pointed to it earlier. I simply chose not to go there but I’m glad Brucker called it out.
As usual Jeff, some don’t like your message so they have to resort to making it about race and/or religion when that wasn’t the point of the article.
If he goes there then calling it out is fair game.
There’s a lot to not like about what JB wrote about Black Lives Matter, but anti-semitism isn’t one of them. He doesn’t like attacks on white supremacy and so while there may be a nexus with anti-semitism it is implied, at best, and it’s a diversion from the topic of BLM. Let him write something specifically anti-Semitic so we can appropriately blast him for that.
George, your allegation that George Soros politics are anti-Semitic is a diversion and a deflection. JB says nothing relating to anti-semitic claims or organizations. Seems you just threw that in there because you’d rather us not talk about white supremacist racism. Please stick to the topic.
You are mistaken about the motives of Greg Brucker, who I agree with, and myself. You want to focus on the substance of Boone’s article I want to focus on his offensive rhetoric. To each their own. If Boone wants to be taken seriously he would be wise to leave out the name calling and stick to the facts. If he writes stuff that people recognize as anti-Semitic, whether Boone understands it as such or not, calling it out is fair game and in my mind more important than anything else he wrote.
Dave,
First, my name is Greg.
Second, you are right. I didn’t address because I had to go take care of my kids.
Here is my take: This piece, in my opinion, is white supremacist and racist propaganda. Outside of calling it that, addressing the points Mr. Boone makes only gives it credibility, and I have far better things to spend time on to help move our local area, State, and Country away from the horrors of the institutionalized racism we see all over, than to refute points made by someone who is far too stuck in their ways to be able to have a true dialog.
George Soros is not the problem anymore he’s off somewhere being spoon-fed baby food in some hospital room the guys is 90 years old.
The individual that is funding black lives matter is Alexander Soros he’s the one that’s in control of the purse strings he’s the one that heads the open society foundation which has a very large presence in the United States.
Definition of kleptocracy
: government by those who seek chiefly status and personal gain at the expense of the governed
I’m not sure this applies historically to the U.S., particularly under Democratic administrations since FDR; but it certainly is an accurate description of the Trump administration.
Funny, and not surprising that you see it this way.
Real definition of kleptocracy: a government with corrupt leaders that use their power to exploit the people and natural resources of their own territory in order to extend their personal wealth and political powers.
aka “the swamp”
In other words politicians that enrich themselves at the expense of the people they are elected to serve. Not someone that made his wealth in the private economy and serves to improve the wealth of those he serves.
I see it as Trump working to break the US kleptocracy. And the kleptocracy is desperate to prevent it. I find it strange that someone with your intellect would buy into the political-media-industrial complex fake narrative that Trump is in it to enrich himself.
The Trump administration is the swampiest since Nixon. His actions are only in part to monetarily “enrich” himself. (Although, he has failed to release tax returns that would shed light on this likely corruption.)
His only guiding principle is to improve his chances of re-election, including seeking favors from foreign governments (e.g., Ukraine, China) to ensure that happens. No president in recent memory better meets your definition of establishing “a government with corrupt leaders that use their power to exploit the people and natural resources of their own territory in order to extend their personal wealth and political powers.”
“There is no criticism of Soros’s religion or ethnicity.”
This is what is known as a dog whistle. People can understand the message without it being explicit.
Now I will readily admit it is likely that you were oblivious to how others might see this as anti-Semitic. However, now that it has been pointed out, the worst thing to do is deny what others find offensive and double down on it.
Sorry Ron – you don’t insert yourself into American politics and global politics the way George Soros has and get an identity politics shield. There is not a shred of Antisemtism in anything I write about him as I don’t give a flying f _ _ _ what religion he practices. Apparently though you and and others are unable to admit that it is YOU that have a groupism bias problem.
Clearly some people that don’t have any arguments to points that challenge their view they resort to name calling. That is very sad. I would expect better from you and Greg. Not Hobbs though.
There you go again blaming the victims.
Also you don’t get to tell me what I or anybody can insert themselves into. You write a bunch of anti-Semitic right wing conspiracy theory nonsense and then tell people who find it offensive what is appropriate. I tried to be nice and offer you some good advice on how to proceed. Too bad you didn’t take it.
Jeff, some people find just about everything offensive and they’re going to have to learn how to deal with their snowflakeness or they’re going to have a hard time dealing with life.
I don’t find everything offensive and I’ve lived a long time dealing with life. I’ve never even said he can’t say such offensive things. I simply called it as I see it.
Nothing like a slave uprising to scare the master. Luckily, we have the police to put it down. That’s why defunding or even reallocating funding to the police is so scary.
This post provided by the Vanguard is a wonderful example of diversion and deflection.
Divert attention from the real issue of white supremacy and its pervasiveness among those who have been given public authority to carry and use deadly force and make it about some rich guy who puts his money where his mouth is. Or make it about some nebulous Marxist conspiracy. For a guy who is reportedly so ineffective and wrong about so much, Karl Marx sure seems to live large in some people’s mind. Maybe he wasn’t so wrong after all?
Deflect attention from the message of Black Lives Matter offered by protesters who are not looting and who have good, sound and even loving messages and make it about some supposedly crass, money grubbing Black capitalists (I guess he at least correctly recognizes capitalist behavior regardless of color) and what he fantasizes that they stand to gain personally.
Diversion and Deflection, presented for our edification.
JB, thanks for writing this. Ironically, it’s much shorter than most of your comments 😉 I can’t say I know if all the connections you make are true, and I don’t know if your conclusions are true. But what I do know is that BLM is an organization that may have pulled one of the greatest scams in US history – having the same name as a global movement, and thus now the recipient of untold millions of dollars.
I believe very few people understand BLM are a far-left movement that was indeed founded by persons who believe in Marxism. As I have stated before, I looked into the organization when BLM Sacramento posted disturbing and insensitive comments about the shooting of Natalie Corona just three days after her murder. These legal money-transfer schemes by non-profits are very real – and nonprofits do not have to report the way corporations do – that’s why corporations use them for their schemes.
Do not give to a nonprofit because its name sounds like something you believe in. If you want to do something about racism in a monetary way, do some major research. A good nonprofit should have a ratio of salary to mission of closer to 90% to mission, not the 29% JB reports here (although JB didn’t separate out the ‘consulting’, nor what the consulting was, so hard to tell how bad the ratio really is).
Labeling JB a Jew Hater because he criticizes George Soros? Srsly?!!! Using that as a tool to smear him and his political ideologies is really lame. One of the lowest and most disgusting tricks in the book. I have never sensed a smidgen of Jew hatred from JB — he certainly doesn’t like progressives – but that’s political beliefs not racism or religionism. That’s like saying you can’t criticize a black person you disagree with, and if you do that’s automatically racism. No, you don’t get to play that game. Smearing someone as a Jew hater with no evidence is really, really low.
You are my favorite maskaholic on the blogosphere these days. Thanks for the thoughtful post. And thanks for the assist on this damn nasty name calling. If people disagree and can find and post information that counters what I uncovered and wrote, I will thank them for the learning opportunity.
Part of the reason I spend so much effort on this stuff is that I think smart people in this town have grown so used to hearing the sound of their own voice echoed in the academic echo-chamber where they tend to hang out, that they have lost the ability to listen and to civilly consider other points of view outside of their ideological framework. That is a dangerous trend.
It is clear to me that Black Lives Matter is a radical fringe political group that is connected to the Democrats that is exploiting media events at a time they are being elevated by the media-political industrial complex who is desperate to get rid of Donald Trump.
And I think they are also making a lot of money doing it.
It is a brilliant business model at a less prominent level. But now that it has blown up to such great prominence the vetting will dig deep and its lack of authenticity and misuse of funds will sink it. I think the Democrats are going to regret their alliance to this organization as the media reporting heats up.
And, Jeff Boone, what do you think of all the people out there carrying signs that read “Black lives matter” who are not affiliated directly with the organization?
Nobody called him a “Jew hater” Alan. In fact I tried several different ways to get him to understand why his rhetoric is offensive. I figured he was oblivious and offered him a path forward. Its not my fault he refuses to recognize that some are offended by this rhetoric choosing instead to remain oblivious and doubles and triples down on it.
Ron and Alan, you’re lost in a rabbit hole. JB’s post is Diversion and Deflection and without substance (see above).
Black Lives Matter or any other organization that takes on white supremacy as an institution will be labeled Marxist regardless of its economic critique. And there are a great many more people who are using the term who are not affiliated with Black Lives Matter, the organization. Black lives mattering is bigger than Black Lives Matter. The use of the word “Marxist” is supposed to unalterably keep us from investigating any further. Karl Marx, the bogey man himself who wrote books and essays and is only still alive in literature because he is pertinent to understanding capitalist property relations. There are many non-Marxists who study Marx’s writing precisely because he was so right about capitalism from the 30,000 foot view 100+ years later. Using Marx’s name as an invective is an endorsement of his thinking and writing when our culture and society are breaking down and people are looking for answers. For that I commend you.
Ron – I deeply appreciate your efforts. Know they don’t go unnoticed.
Well, this is sad to see.
I leave you with several pieces from different media outlets, explaining why. I encourage you to read them to help understand why it is so troubling to us as Jews, and why it is an Anti-Semitic trope.
https://www.adl.org/blog/the-anti-semitism-lurking-behind-george-soros-conspiracy-theories
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/10/24/conspiracy-theories-about-soros-arent-just-false-theyre-anti-semitic/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/sergeiklebnikov/2020/05/30/right-wing-conspiracists-pull-from-old-playbook-blame-george-soros-for-riots/#266187764100
https://www.timesofisrael.com/demonization-of-soros-recalls-old-anti-semitic-conspiracies/
https://www.vox.com/2018/11/2/15946556/antisemitism-enlightenment-george-soros-conspiracy-theory-globalist
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/11/the-george-soros-conspiracy-theory-at-the-heart-of-the-ukraine-scandal/
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/journalist-who-wrote-book-on-george-soros-responds-to-conspiracy-theories-633362
https://www.thedailybeast.com/theres-been-a-george-soros-for-every-era-of-antisemitic-panic
Do a search if these articles across a vast width of political outlets aren’t enough. There are a ton more articles out there.
Interesting… but is no indication those motives apply to Mr Boone… and/or his writings.
Only Mr Boone knows his motivations… this sub-thread should be dropped. Now.
Bill, the other day you seemed pretty upset about Black Lives Matters advocates who were questioning Christianity and its symbols. I didn’t say a word. I would appreciate it if you would extend to me the same courtesy and not make demands on my free speech when I feel my religion is being attacked.
Your religion is not being attacked. Your over-reactive childish idiocy is being challenged. And so is your terribly immoral habit of putting hateful labels on people after you claim to read their minds.
TRUTH TO THIS, ALTHOUGH COULD HAVE BEEN WORDED BETTER. NOTHING ANTISEMITIC
TRUE. NOTHING ANTISEMITIC
TRUE. EXPLAINED ABOVE. NOTHING ANTISEMITIC
So why are you so triggered? Could it be your actual politics masquerading as fake identity politics outrage? How about calming down and just address the points of the article instead of the false name calling?
And, I ask again, what does it matter to Black lives matter?
Impact > Intent
I just don’t see it. I had read a couple of these, and read another one. I see liberals stating that conservatives don’t like Soros, and then they drop, “and it wreaks of antisemitism” (which I call Hatred of Jews), like stating it makes it so. I still see it as a smear campaign based on politics. If some of these people hate Jews, that makes them Jew Haters; just not liking Soros doesn’t make you a Jew Hater.
At the risk of offending (again?), not all ‘semites’ are Jewish, and not all Jews are ‘semites’…
But yes… antisemitism has been equated (corruption of language?) with anti-Jewish… so I acknowledge the point. Neither anti-semite nor anti-Jewish have any place in proper society…
The Canadian 1 dollar coin has a picture of a loon on it and became known as the “looney”. When Canada issued a 2 dollar coin they went through an exhaustive process to make sure nothing like that would happen with the new issue. It immediately became known as a “twoney.”
Boone using an anti-Semitic trope to attack Black Lives Matters is a twoney. Doubling down on his rhetoric might make it a fourny.
I have stayed out of this discussion. I agreed to publish it as I believe generally in the right to free speech. That said, I think there are a lot of problems with the piece and it is not very well informed.
Give you one example: “Alicia Garza, 39, Patrisse Cullors, 36 and Opal Tometi, 36 are the three women are behind “The Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation,” – the central organization directing the Black Lives Matter operation”
Direction the BLM operation? My understanding is that there is no BLM operation. It is completely decentralized. I have had direct experience with some of the various local organizations and they are all run and funded locally, if they are funded at all. I don’t think there is any central direction. The branch in Sac operates extremely differently from the branch in LA, for example. That’s just one example.
Someone the other day made another point – there is a difference between black lives matter and #BlackLivesMatter. I think Jeff is missing out that much of what is happening right now is the support for the concept rather than the organization itself.
Impact > Intent
I thought guest authors were to be treated with respect and not talked about in derisive language.
L oh L
Dude, I left up: “Your religion is not being attacked. Your over-reactive childish idiocy is being challenged. And so is your terribly immoral habit of putting hateful labels on people after you claim to read their minds.”
That should have been a clue that normal operating procedures were not going to apply here. Maybe I should have put a disclaimer at the top – wade in only if you have thicker than usual skin.
” I have stayed out of this discussion. I agreed to publish it as I believe generally in the right to free speech. ”
The fact that his hateful rants are left mostly untouched while other less acerbic posts have been deleted gives lie to that claim.
I also let him hang himself out to dry on this stuff. At the end of the day, he doesn’t come across very well on a lot of this.
Its okay. I’m a big boy and can take the heat. David knows that. I think the discussion is quite revealing.
In MANY ways… all around… true story…
Sometimes I wonder if the covid, the sheltering in place, etc. is affecting ‘gray matter’ and temperments…
Sorry if you disagree with me Bill.
Actually, Ron G., AM agreeing with you as to the ‘revealing’ nature of the discussion… we do not disagree on that…
However, I also opine that factors such as current events (many venues), long-standing things (often, not openly discussed, but ‘held in’), and not having ‘normal outlets’ for opining, have revealed some of the origins/nature of the “discussion”… which (again, my opinion) have been ‘testier’ in how it’s being expressed, over the last 2-3 months…
I’d like to think, “this, like a kidney stone, shall pass”, but maybe not.
And, if you disagree, that’s cool… you might well be right…
Just look at all the adjectives used by pretty much all, to describe others…
Thank You Bill. I appreciate that. I’ve tried hard to limit my criticism to what I find objectionable, the rhetoric.
I have a philosophy about racism that has served me well over the years. In America people say offensive racist things all the time. Most of the time its no big deal. If someone calls out something as racist the simple thing to do is apologize and move on. Usually that takes care of it. Mostly people just want an apology. If you didn’t realize something was offensive the best thing to do is to try to figure out why what you said or did was offensive. The worst thing to do is to deny what you said was offensive or deny that you are racist. All that does is dig the hole deeper.
As far as I’m concerned, Ron G… we’re cool…
Regret the wording of anything I posted leading to misunderstanding… a lot of that happening these days… all around… I am not exempt from that assessment… I realize that…
That has been my entire point. The sentiment begets cash, a lot of which goes to the organization.
I can’t speak for him, but I think he gets that, isn’t that the whole point?
‘Your over-reactive childish idiocy is being challenged. And so is your terribly immoral habit of putting hateful labels on people after you claim to read their minds.”
You continue to call names. My religion has been attacked with this kind of rhetoric for many years, perhaps centuries. I know it when I see it. I re-read every post I made today and I haven’t called you a single name. I’ve even tried to be nice to you and explain why its offensive and instead of taking the smart path and acknowledging that you would have left that offensive rhetoric out if you knew it was offensive you continue to defend your indefensible rhetoric quadrupling down on it at this point.
Once again you blame the victim calling my objection immoral.
JB, I wish you were easier to defend, but you don’t help yourself when you use terms like ‘over-reactive childish idiocy’. I like having you conservative voice here; I wish you would stop shooting yourself in the foot.
There are a lot of things about political dialog today that should stop. But the top of the list is the tendency for those on the left of reason to quickly degrade to calling those that disagree with their political views:
– Racist
– Misogynist
– Xenophobic
– Homophobic
– Islamiphobic
– White supremacist
– Antisemitic
In my view, because of the success in the left weaponizing identity politics as the campus-trained social justice warriors have permeated academics and moved into most of the media reporting roles, the use of these terms without a mountain of proof is an act of personal war. It is just another form of hate speech. It ALWAYS needs to be called out. The people doing it are demonstrating some of the worst moral behavior we see today related to political discourse. It is lazy and the emotional baggage behind it looks childish to me… reminds me of an underdeveloped human that cannot control his/her feelings and starts the worst kind of name-calling. IMO, when false, and it usually is, it is just one small notch below a moral level of those that could legitimately be tagged for being what is claimed. In fact, I believe that we need to enhance our hate speech rules so that libel and slander cases could be fast-tracked against those that make these false accusations. It is a social sickness that needs to be corrected.
The article has plenty of points and facts to debate without going off the deep end into that type of lousy behavior. It is sad that some people have degraded to that level, but thanks to our corrupted education system and lousy media for destroying civility and moral character. Me, I am always going to call it out. I am so disappointed in the behavior of these posters. I think there are not enough people out there helping them see how bad it is.
But, of course that doesn’t apply to other folk, “right“?
Think the technical term is “hoisted by your own pitard”… a self-inflicted wound, but that is true of folk from many ‘viewpoints’… ‘right’, ‘left’, whatever their ‘identity’ is…
As another poster opined (and am in general agreement),
” on the left of reason” Anyone more liberal than Benito Mussolini
“weaponizing identity politics” followed by ” the campus-trained social justice warriors have permeated academics” And it’s the left who weaponized identity politics?
Of course that could be because many college graduates and PhDs self identify as liberal and almost none self identify as conservative. Many studies over the last decade have shown dramatic differences in the brain morphology of liberals and conservatives and the correlation of lower IQ and prejudice among conservative voters.
You then continue with your usual victim blaming and denigration of the news media that you disagree with, anyone who isn’t solely motivated by greed and conclude with your deflection and self-righteous demonizing of others.
I appreciate the fact that you are so lacking in self awareness that you openly proclaim your bigoted and almost entirely unsupported views.
Look at the list I posted. Anyone from any side of politics that is ACTUALLY demonstrating any of those things should be called out. But because of the harm caused people today having those labels attached to them, the bar is high.
Call me any of those names and it gets personal very, very quickly. I don’t care what effing side of politics you come from.
I certainly use provocative language but only from a perspective of what some of the people posting and reading here are used to. Come visit my Mid-West family and hear when they call me a California liberal. I think it is good for folks to get a does of the other view… theirs is not sacrosanct despite what their college professors told them. But I don’t go personal (my goal) except when personally attacked… especially with one of these very personal derogatory labels. But when used against me, the gloves come off. The lesson should be DON’T GO THERE UNLESS YOU HAVE A VERY, VERY STRONG ARGUMENT TO SUPPORT YOUR ACCUSATION. Sometimes it is just a garage-pull.
I don’t understand what people are “afraid of”, regarding an article like this.
I barely knew who George Soros was, let alone any “controversy” behind this. I vaguely recall hearing the name, and that’s about it.
Are folks afraid that (by criticizing the message), those who might “agree” with this article (or share some of the concerns) will then follow a path toward racism/anit-semitism? (No, I’m not saying that I “agree” with the article, or necessarily share its concerns.)
Write some more, Jeff! (At least, it’s a different point of view than what’s normally presented on here.) It’s actually pretty well-written, though perhaps not supported sufficiently with evidence.
So David – The DVG is a 501 C 3. I am looking at your 990 tax returns right now so I can confirm it.
You had to apply for non-profit status. You have to be organized. You have to keep good financial records. You also have this requirement to maintain your non-profit status as a 501 c 3:
Here are the more detailed IRS rules for maintaining tax exempt status:
There are 29 types of corporations under the 501 C umbrella. A 501 C 4 is for civic organizations and it can contribute to political cause and candidates, but is not typically used for raking in donations. A 504 C 6 is a typical structure for a PAC when there is a membership component.
But from everything I can find all BLM-related entities are 501 c 3.
The “consulting fees” reporting is a trick that has been used for non-profits to enrich people connected or to “donate” under the covers. The IRS has cracked down on that by requiring extensive compensation documentation to individuals when it exceeds $100k.
The point here… BLM has raked in multiple tens of millions and now their connections to other activist organizations, political parties and personal income/wealth generating transactions are coming under scrutiny and it likely will not end well.
“But the top of the list is the tendency for those on the left of reason to quickly degrade to calling those that disagree with their political views:”
– Racist
– Misogynist
– Xenophobic
– Homophobic
– Islamiphobic
– White supremacist
– Antisemitic
But what if the term is the exact language to describe the behavior? Are we to not use exact language? Talk about snowflakes! BTW I never said you were anti-Semitic I said your language was but gave you the benefit of the doubt that you didn’t understand that it was so.
Yours:
Brucker:
You:
Let me explain something to you that you might not understand. At least half of the population and 2/3 of the country does not buy into the progressive identity politics groupism worldview. I did not even know that George Soros was Jewish or of Jewish decent until last year. Why would I? I don’t care. I don’t care if you are an endangered delta fish alien in a wheelchair. All I care about on this blog is individual ideas and behavior, call it the color of everyone’s character, as it relates to the future of our community and our country. That is a typical conservative orientation. Maybe it is different brain wiring, but it has been confirmed by science that there is that difference between left and right orientation… it is the fundamental difference. Which is fine until you and others weaponize the difference to attempt to destroy people that disagree with you. George Soros is quite formidable. He does not need your group identity victim shroud protection. And by the way, do you support Israel’s right to exist?
https://www.heritage.org/conservatism/heritage-explains/the-3-big-differences-between-conservatives-and-progressives
Where’s the documentation for this connection? This just comes out of the blue in this article. It appears to be a dog whistle…
I honestly don’t see the relevance of this post to the issues of the day. The movement has gone well past the BLM Foundation which has little control over the message and agenda. This story assumes a centralized control that simply doesn’t exist in what has become an organic movement. It’s like the 1960s when conservatives tried to find nefarious connections to such groups as the Students Non Violent Coordinating Committee in orchestrating opposition to the Vietnam War. Mass movements often outgrow their originators, and that’s the case today.
Also calling Soros, who once made a fortune by shorting the British Pound to the tune of 10 Billion pounds, socialist is laughable.
Here is a Reuters article that debunks some of the false claims about Soros.
https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-false-george-soros-claims/fact-checkfalseclaims-about-george-soros-idUSKBN23P2XJ
Jeff has been using Soros as a disparaging adjective for a decade now on the Vanguard. He has tried to link Soros to MeToo, Wall Street protestors, “left-leaning media pollsters,” Maria Grijalva, Dean Johansson, and now BLM.
Fully aware that it is a long-standing anti-Semitic trope of the far-right, he vehemently doubles down on it and tries to throw it back at those who have brought this to his attention. His high dudgeon about being called on it is laughable, since his brand of trolling is actually intended to bring about the very responses that he then castigates.
His most famous line on the topic:
“Soros justifies another Joe McCarthy.”
That pretty much says it all.
So could we consider Boone’s accusations “Fake News?”
I couldn’t resist.
So there is no documentation of the linkage. In that case, David, as a good journalist, you should pull down this article as unsubstantiated libel. Jeff is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts. Allowing this type of unattributed accusations is not journalistically ethical.
This isn’t a comedy blog.
“You write a bunch of anti-Semitic right wing conspiracy theory nonsense and then tell people who find it offensive what is appropriate.”
I condemned the sin not the sinner. Still I’m sorry if you feel I went too far.
I defended Brucker when you said what he wrote was “sad and weak.”
This article is part of a coordinated Trump campaign effort to tie the slogan BLM to a specific small entity BLM. I just saw the same reasoning used by Chris Buskirk, editor at “American Greatness”, use the exact same reasoning to justify a tweet by Trump. The Vanguard is being used as a Trump campaign platform by publishing this article without compensation and attribution.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-american-voters-view-trumps-handling-of-racial-unrest-and-covid-19
No surprise here, Richard. Jeff Boone and his ilk know no depth to which they will not sink to advance their nefarious agenda. Why David and Don continue to allow The Vanguard to be used by them is beyond me.
“…David, as a good journalist, you should pull down this article as unsubstantiated libel. Jeff is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts. Allowing this type of unattributed accusations is not journalistically ethical.”
The only good purpose served is to alert others to his iniquitous and callous nature and ambitions but after all his comments over the years, surely most know that already.
You seem to have a very persistent misunderstanding of my role at the Vanguard.
“I did not even know that George Soros was Jewish or of Jewish decent until last year.”
But you knew it when you wrote this piece.
Have you seen stuff like this? I find this all so confusing (and perhaps ultimately – pointless):
https://prospect.org/civil-rights/jews-white-mistake-even-ask/
Well, except for this point (from the article):
It might be amusing, if it wasn’t (also) true.
Then again, there’s even a lot of hatred among “us”, at times. (With “us” and “them” lacking firm definition.)
One only needs to look at the Supreme Court’s decision (with the last 2 WEEKS), (finally) preventing employment discrimination based upon LGBT status.
And a moment later, I happened across this:
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/violence-mars-portland-protests-frustrates-black-community/ar-BB16j6xj
Oops!
Again, might be amusing, if it wasn’t true (and destructive).
By the way, how come we never hear about “heterosexual privilege”? Such as, the “privilege” of not getting the sh*t kicked out of you (and/or killed and nailed to a fence in Wyoming)?
Which, by the way, is not always a “white” issue.
Or, getting “legally” fired, 2 weeks ago?
Aug. 13, Wednesday night.
“Give up your homes”, “Open your purse”, shouts from a group of BLM protesters at white residents in Seattle neighborhood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjUwnq02hys