Can Tea Party Organisations sue the NAACP for Slander and/or Libel?

From my Mind | 7-15-2010 | Thanatos

[Thanatos]

I was wondering if it is possible that the Tea Party can sue for Slander and Libel, the NAACP???

The definition of Slander is:

defamation; calumny: rumors full of slander. 2. a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report: a slander against his good name. 3. Law . defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing, pictures, etc.

Libel is: a. defamation by written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words or gestures. b. the act or crime of publishing it. c. a formal written declaration or statement, as one containing the allegations of a plaintiff or the grounds of a charge. 2. anything that is defamatory or that maliciously or damagingly misrepresents.

[JPG]

Don’t bother. Let them play in the shallow end of the pool. For every positive they generate, they are creating 100 negatives.

[C210N]

To the extent that it keeps the New Black Panther/Holder/JustUs-dept story in the top fold, I’d hope they keep it up. The claim rings hollow, and normal folks see that as plain as day.

[marstegreg]

I think they can sue “Think Progress” for that lovely video they just posted about racism in the Tea Party. Unfortunately, it featured mostly Libs pretending to be tea partiers. OOPS!

[Freddd]

There is no head of the TEA party, no Institution of the TEA party...

How can they sue?

[Clock King]

Don’t give them (or Obama) the publicity. Keep working on November and 2012.

[FrankR]

Actually, the TEA party should challenge the NAACP to sue them and actually prove the alleged "racism".

This kind of childish and base-less behavior will never stop until we accusED starts saying, "So what...sue me."

They ones throwing out the frivilous race cards need to learn that words mean things, and there are consequences to making false accusations. They are so used to everyone knee-jerking and giving them their way for just "uttering" the claims of "racism", to make them prove it each and every time might be a good lesson in civility.

If you fight back quickly, you'll quickly be back fighting.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

You want to limit political speech? That's something Kagen favors.

It would be more productive to point out obvious racism in the NAACP accusation. There are more blacks in the Tea Party than whites in the NAACP, I would think.

[Qbert]

I think proving group defamation is pretty difficult in the courts. An individual within the Tea Party who is personally defamed would have a better chance.

[Mr. Lucky]

Two words:

Public figure.

[andy58-in-nh]

Let them talk: it’s the best advertising Republicans have right now.

[July4]

“Don’t bother. Let them play in the shallow end of the pool. For every positive they generate, they are creating 100 negatives.”

Right. But, I'm concerned that telling The Big Lie has worked so well for Dems in the past that they may use the “racism” thing the way they used the “Bush lied and people died” thing earlier. Unfortunately, our electorate goes for the catchy slogan.

And, by the way, I read that CBS’s poll showed that only 13% of Americans think President Obama has been good for them. Isn't that exactly the percentage of African-Americans in our population? Coincidence? If not coincidence, it THAT racist?

[ctdonath2]

No. There is no “Tea Party” any more than “Cyclists” could sue for libel over “hogging the roads”. it’s an inclination, not an incorporation.

[freespirited]

I dont there is a lawsuit here. The tea party umbrella is so large that the racism charge cannot be understood to apply to a particular person or group. The general concept in libel law is that a group larger than 25 people cannot sue for defamation (for example “all Walmart clerks are crooks” is not actionable as I understand the law.)

A named organization might be able to sue (e.g. a specific nonprofit organization) but in this case there are hundreds of tea party groups. The resolution does not single out a specific group.

Please understand I am not a lawyer, just someone who has been reading the paper for a long time.

[freespirited]

Left out a word. That should say I dont think there is a lawsuit here.

[bandleader]

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!Don’t be distracted and’snatch defeat from the jaws of VICTORY”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Liz]

JUST WONDERING Can the NAACP produce records on how they spent tax-exempt money? Oh, nevermind. The IRS, SEC, FBI, Congress and the GAO can find out (/snic).

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REFERENCE The IRS has pinpointed tax-exempts and non-profits as the locus classicus for money laundering and tax evasion (stolen money is taxable). The biggest frauds are tax-exempts writing checks to other tax-exempts---the way these "altruistic do-gooders" siphon off, then launder, tax-free monies for themselves.

While acting as succesful philanthropists, did the NAACP create a labyrinth of complex, interrelated international funds, institutions and financial entities with assets and businesses in multiple places overseas to facilitate money laundering, tax evasion and government fraud?

The NAACP and its associates, could be operating:

(1) a Ponzi fraud;

(2) laundering tax-free money with phony philathropic "foundations and charities"

(3) IRS fraud facilitation;

(4) a protection racket (shielding individuals from federal scrutiny);

(5) laundering tax-free money that ended up as donations to Democrat candidates (campaign fraud).

These activities give rise to concerns about massive govt fraud and money laundering. Did the NAACP enter into illegal agreements that constitute a criminal conspiracy, and a pattern of alleged criminal acts?

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Was NAACP involved in improper use of pension funds? In one case (ACORN), pension funds were illegally siphoned off using ACORN's American Express card. This displacement of funding led to the creation of a complex repayment system in which accused embezzler Dale Rathke owed ACORN, and ACORN in turn, owed AmEx, which, for its part, wrote off part of the money.

NAACP apparently receives funding from a variety of tax-exempt private charitable organizations. A full list of NAACP donors might be available from the Capital Research Center, an organization which studies political advocacy groups.

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ITEM If the NAACP colluded with banks, that could be actionable. This should be reported to the FBI.

FBI TIP PAGE http://tips.fbi.gov/ (you may remain anonymous)

The FBI should interrogate NAACP insiders to determine whether the level of criminality necessitates prosecutions.

POSSIBLE CHARGES Official acts prohibited, misuse of tax-free funds, abuse of tax-exempt offices, conflict of interest; influence buying; conspiracy to deceive; collusion, conspiracy to collude.

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NAACP's official finance records filed with the IRS and the Dept of State should be scrutinized for possible violations.

(1) Determine whether NAACP contributors are legit (people listed may not know they are contributors----would constitute ID theft);

(2) whether NAACP laundered, then illegally used campaign funds, and,

(3) whether NAACP illegally received campaign $$$ to influence Congressional funding votes.

The NAACP may have colluded to exchange something of value-----a tax-free gratuity, jobs for family members and cronies, etc, in exchange for donations.

FBI TIP PAGE http://tips.fbi.gov/ (you may remain anonymous)

[RingerSIX]

NAACP = The Black KKK. They can’t help but step in it.

[marstegreg]

It’s a prime example of the foxes guarding the henhouse. Should we be surprised?

[Non-Sequitur]

Did the NAACP call anyone racist by name?