Posted on 08/29/2010 9:43:59 PM PDT by Byron Norris
For the last several years, Sean Hannity and the Freedom Alliance “charity” have conducted “Freedom Concerts” across America. They’ve told you that they are raising money to pay for the college tuition of the children of fallen soldiers and to pay severely wounded war vets. And on Friday Night, Hannity will be honored with an award for this “Outstanding Community Service by a Radio Talk Show Host” at Talkers Magazine’s convention.
But it’s all a huge scam.
In fact, less than 20%–and in two recent years, less than 7% and 4%, respectively–of the money raised by Freedom Alliance went to these causes, while millions of dollars went to expenses, including consultants and apparently to ferry the Hannity posse of family and friends in high style. And, despite Hannity’s statements to the contrary on his nationally syndicated radio show, few of the children of fallen soldiers got more than $1,000-$2,000, with apparently none getting more than $6,000, while Freedom Alliance appears to have spent tens of thousands of dollars for private planes. Moreover, despite written assurances to donors that all money raised would go directly to scholarships for kids of the fallen heroes and not to expenses, has begun charging expenses of nearly $500,000 to give out just over $800,000 in scholarships.
(Excerpt) Read more at debbieschlussel.com ...
Read the Form 990s for Freedom Alliance from 1999-2008. Each scholarship/recipient amount is listed:
More, compliments of Prokopton’s link:
“3. The blog posting accuses Freedom Alliance of spending less than 20% of money raised on program activities. This is FALSE. Listed below are the amounts that Freedom Alliance spent for each of the past three years and the categories on which they were spent. The figures are taken from our Federal Form 990 which is filed with the Internal Revenue Service and posted on our web site and audited by an independent auditor using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. This financial record not only meets, but exceeds standards of program efficiency set by most charity evaluators.”
excerpt http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/2010/03/hannity-backed-foundation-fires-back.html
And the “Troll Card” has just been played!
Debbie is batshit crazy. She has a habit of viciously smearing anyone who doesn’t agree with her (Sarah Palin is a favorite target) by calling them anti-Semites. I am NOT a Hannity fan, but this article is an outrageous lie from everything that I’ve seen.
Byron Norris has been in hiding for around four years.
Check out the posting history. Back in 2006, he was bashing Hannity.
I’m no great Hannity fan. I think the guy’s got the intellectual depth of a kiddie wading pool. But this poster just has a bug up his butt.
Well I figured the best way was to go here. I’m not as saavy as some of you FReepers out here but I know you guys always read millions upon millions, ok maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but you’ve heavily anaylzed it so a guy like me can read up on it. I couldn’t find anything on this and maybe thats my fault because I’m behind times but I figured I’d ask ya’ll just to find out the scoop and the general feel about it.
That's exactly right. Schlussel seems to be giving the impression that a "scholarship" is the same as paying for someone's entire college expenses, therefore making these amounts out to be less generous than what they actually are.
Did Schlussel ever retract or apologize for this column?
Alright sir. I’ll take your word for it.
That's the best you can do and you call Sean a simpleton, LOL at you.
True I’m not Hannity fan mainly because after I decided to get an education I discovered that most of his statements were fallacious. I think I can agree with most that Hannity isn’t the best but I’d take Limbaugh any day over him. Of course my views have changed over the years but I don’t like Hannity. Though if he’s innocent which I’m starting to believe then hands off. I’d never stoop that low as to buying to crap that is false if it truly is and I believe that Schlussel now is after all the great posts... I’m out of touch ... mainly because I haven’t the time like I did to research like I once did .. I know I certainly don’t beleive any negative things about Oliver North either. I have nothign but the upmost respect for the Colonel as he has a lot of respect in the military community. Thanks FReepers for clueing me into this mess on Hannity by Schlussel.
And a good card it is...especially when played with a 6 month old “Hannity is corrupt and stealing from dead soldiers card”!
Bingo! This guy is full of B.S.!!! Hey troll, your back in the military again? Let’s see you were in, then out, and now back in again? Slow night over at DU? The rally rattled your cages something awful didn’t it?
My impression is that she felt dissed by Sean about I dont know what. Was not convinced at all that there is anything here. I suspect she does not know much about how these types of organizations operate and the costs of putting on events.
IIRC, she made a huge deal out of big postage expenses ... turned out that these were due in large part to sending care packages to the troops. Overseas postage ain’t cheap.
” If you want to give more on the same total budget, you have to find some way to limit who gets the scholarships.”
Oh, you mean like that DemocRAT Rep. from Dallas who decided her limit was people who were related to her or worked for someone who worked for her. Sounds like she took the correspondence course in ‘disbursing the people’s funds’ as taught by the Agitator in Chief.
I like Rush’s show better as well myself, but Sean is still one of the good guys and doesn’t deserve to be slandered.
I agree.
I agree.
You want more? I bet I could parrot RNC talking points, never have an original thought apart from said talking points, bore people silly on the radio, and throw a football too, if I tried.
The one real positive thing about him is he proves what a great country this is. When a man of his limited means can make it big, there's hope for anybody.
Yeah i thought it was a little weird digging up from the past a story that attacks Hannity....
He said he is just back from Afghanistan...
Given what I know of Sean’s behavior, I can understand why he favors birth control. DS
She "knows" this.
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