Posted on 08/05/2014 9:54:09 AM PDT by C19fan
In February 2013, Move America Forward announced an ambitious fundraising goal. The charity, launched in part by one of the most prominent figures in the Tea Party movement, had adopted the 800 Marines in a battalion fighting in Afghanistan and wanted to send them all care packages.
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Yet an examination of its fundraising appeals, tax records and other documents shows that Move America Forward has repeatedly misled donors and inflated its charitable accomplishments, while funneling millions of dollars in revenue to the men behind the group and their political consulting firms.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
Coincidentally, the author of THIS threads article, and Heather Vogell of ProPublica use the same photographer.
Sorry, but it’s just not acceptable for us to assume that because a story was written by a lefty and that story was published in left wing pubs that it’s untrue. The right has more than its fair share of con artist, and we’d do well to rid our ranks of them, regardless of who exposes them. It’s we who should be exposing them and cleaning our own ranks, not waiting for a lefty to do it.
Seriously, are we interested in the truth or not? Are we to accept that a group aligned with conservative causes can divert funds raised for a good cause to their own coffers simply because we and they are purportedly conservative? That doesn’t really sounds conservative at all. It sounds more like situational ethics.
If it’s a false story they should have long ago denied it. Firmly, and with facts. It’s precisely this type of con that makes people hesitate to donate to worthy causes. Damned if I’ll give another dime to any ‘do good’ cause till I know the organization’s background and where the $ actually goes.
No funds were diverted from their intended purpose. there are a ton of outrageous claims in the article, so if you have a specific one you want me to address, i need a little more specificity than that.
I’m not going to play this game. Stop shooting the messenger.
It’s hard to believe someone that has been here since 2008 would fall for an obvious left wing hit job on an organization that has been supporting our Troops for 10 years.
Did you even think to investigate this yourself (and take a look at the leftist author’s agenda) before smearing a good man who works tirelessly for our Troops and our Constitutional Rebublic?
I don’t have any questions for you, y’all keep up the good work.
I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and talking with Melanie Morgan back in 2008 when she came to SW PA to support a rally for Col. Bill Russell (who was running for Congress against the detestable John Murtha). If memory serves, Debbie Lee was there as well. Long story short, Melanie was genuine and sincere in her support for our troops. I don’t know if she’s still running things, but if she is I’m sure everything is fine.
EDINVA may have some questions for you. Check his earlier posts on this thread.
You have me confused with someone else.
I remember that meeting! We did a little press conference with Mr. Russell in some hotel I think. I still have some pictures of it somewhere. I also still have my authentic brown “Russell Brigade” t-shirt (it fits a little bit tight these days though lol)
also IIRC we had Uncle Jimbo from Blackfive on-hand that day! It was great fun!
I've still got mine too!
Weren't those neat!
"Boots On The Ground". !!! :^)
Thanks for the tip and the link.
What a slick scheme, they can their propaganda with the slant baked in, then dish it out to naive and lazy lefty reporters.
Yep. I wonder how much public funding they receive to generate their processed pap.
Yes, ProPublica is a George Soros funded group. They are the outfit that the IRS sent confidential tax returns to - in hopes ProPublica would write hit pieces smearing the tea party. These people are scum, and this is a hit piece designed to attack those who support the War On Terror and the Tea Party. We know why they are doing this, and we shouldn’t take the bait!
It was FREE REPUBLIC who helped organize one of the very first Move America Forward activities, the "You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy" caravan, where you, Jim Robinson and others formed a caravan that drove to Crawford, TX - and which was joined by thousands of others - to stand up for our troops against the smear campaigns being launched against us by the anti-America Left.
Melanie Morgan is the Executive Producer of every year’s TroopAThon. Without her, Move America Forward would never have been formed. And Melanie has ALWAYS - every single time - stood on the side of Patriots. She has 1,000 times the class of leftist, George Soros-funded people such as Kim Barker of ProPublica (who were the people the IRS illegally sent confidential tax returns of tea party groups to, in hopes that they would smear and attack the tea party movement.)
You’re certainly right about Melanie, she’s pure Patriot to her core.
As for Barker and her fellow travelers, they are deserving of nothing but disdain.
That's what this story's purpose is, to get the uninformed to believe their claptrap.
Melanie Morgan came to a Free Republic event in 2001 and Free Republic has been working with her ever since for Patriotic purposes.
She was instrumental in starting Move America Forward, and was the Chairman for many years.
Putting in long hours and not taking ONE DIME in payment, she volunteered her time for years.
She also is the host of the Troopathon every year, and does it for no pay also.
Sal Russo and MAF and The Tea Party Express have been raked over the coals in the Media for years.
All the lies have been disputed and proved to be false information more than once here at Free Republic. The same claims were made about the Tea Party Express which also uses the counsulting firm run by Sal Russo.
In fact this article is pretty much a copy/paste of other false accusations posted here on FR by posters that are low information or "concern trolls" who come here for the express purpose of fighting against Conservatism and The Tea Party Movement.
Jim Robinson and I, and many other FR members, have been working alongside MAF and the TPX since the inception of both.
Which includes working with Melanie Morgan and Sal Russo.
We worked with MAF in 2005 with a convoy to Crawford, Texas where FR put on a large rally/event to counter Cindy Sheehan and her "bitch in the ditch" event in Crawford, TX.
The convoy, or caravan if you wish, was a joint effort of Move America Forward and Free Republic.
I drove the FreepMobile from Fresno, CA with Jim and his lovely wife, Shelia.
We had about 40 vehicles convoying when we pulled into Crawford, TX.
I was honored to be able to walk up the ditch with Gold Star Mothers as they removed the crosses with their sons and daughters names on them that Sheehan was using for her own despicable political purposes.
Free Republic had a Tea Party in Sacramento, CA on Feburary 27, 2009 and I invited all the people that worked with MAF and they came and that was the inspiration for the Tea Party Express.
MAF had several nation wide tours in support of the troops and I went on every one of them (as an UNPAID volunteer), and Jim Robinson went on many of them also.
They have sent over 300 TONS of goodies to the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Also collected thousands and thousands of letters and cards and made sure EVERY TROOP got at least one.
Some of the members actually went to Iraq and personally gave our Troops cards.
The many letters/emails from the troops showing their gratefulness at not being forgotten by Americans are legion.
One of you said that this would have been addressed already if it wasn't true.
It's been addressed several times, and there are threads here on FR about that.
Like I said before, the people cutting and pasting the same tired old leftist talking points know what they are doing.
I can assure you that Free Republic supports MAF and the Tea Party Express and their fine work for our Troops and our Constitutional Republic.
Free Republic is good friends with Melanie Morgan and Sal Russo.
This leftist propaganda will be written about again you can bet on that.
Those of you that did; next time, don't fall for it.
Thanks to all of you that immediately knew the truth about this smear job, you are the Patriots I align myself with.
I watched this thread populate yesterday and this morning, but decided to see where it went before I chimed in.
Free Republic has been represented on every MAF and TPX major event.
Thanks to my friend Danny, the Samoan blogger and MAF employee for years, for posting to clear up some of the outright lies in this article.
I have seen him and numerous volunteers spend long hours packing up goodies for our Troops.
our_retired_explorer,
Here’s a FR Thread on that Russell rally we talked about and some extra pics courtesy of Defend Our Marines. Melanie and Debbie were both there!
Russell Takes Aim At Murtha At New Stanton Rally [And Freepers Were There!]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2123084/posts
RALLY FOR RUSSELL
New Stanton, Pennsylvania
November 1, 2008
http://198.173.125.24/MurthaFile/RussellRally01Nov08/Photos.htm
I also still have my authentic brown Russell Brigade t-shirt.
Though I live across the country I still have mine also, courtesy of Smoothsailing. Thanks again Smooth.
Thanks Dr Zoo!
Here is more, courtesy of our friends at Red State who were kind enough to publish this on our behalf with more rebuttal of Kim Barker’s false narrative
http://www.redstate.com/2014/08/11/moving-america-forward-responds-propublica-allegations/
I would point you guys to the particularly nasty tactic she employs where she reaches out to people and tries to poison our relationships with them... Walter Reed, the 1st Marines, etc.
She is using her job as a “journalist” to give herself credibility... if a code pink person called up walter reed and said blah blah blah why are you working with these conservatives, they would laugh in her face, but because Barker says “im a reporter” they become scared and start distancing themselves from MAF. pretty shameful behavior from this “journalist” IMHO
awesome photos! I went over to that thread and added some more pictures to it! I was surprised I could still find them in our files haha
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