Ken Berwitz
Yesterday I blogged about the dissolute charlatan al sharpton and, based on a
New York Post report, how he hustles corporations into giving him
money.
If you read that blog you might be saying to
yourself "well, regardless of how sharpton gets the money, it doesn't go
into his
pocket. The beneficiaries
are charities he supports through his group, the National Action Network
(NAN)".
If you actually think this, for God sake, c'mon. This is al sharpton
we're talking about.
Here, from the invaluable web site, www.sweetness-light.com, is where the
money goes, straight off of sharpton's tax filings (and aren't we lucky to see
them, since he sometimes files and sometimes doesn't bother):
June 15th, 2008
Here is how
Mr. Sharpton describes his National Action Network to the IRS, via Guidestar:
MISSION AND PROGRAMS
THE NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK IS A (CHRISTIAN)
ACTIVIST ORGANIZATION WEDDED TO THE PRINCIPLES OF THE NONVIOLENT PHILOSOPHY
AND METHODOLOGY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. AND ARE COMMITTED TO THE TASK OF
THE LIBERATION FOR ALL OPPRESSED PEOPLES.
1. NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK - CRISIS OUTREACH AND
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO CHAMPION THE CAUSE OF PEOPLE OF COLOR ON
REGIONAL POLITICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES.
2. THE MADISON AVENUE INITIATIVE - CONDUCTED
MEETINGS WITH THE CEO’S AND TOP DECISION MAKERS OF SEVERAL OF THE NATION’S
LEADING CONSUMER PRODUCT COMPANIES WHO, BASED ON MINORITY CONSUMPTION FIGURES,
DO NOT SPEND ADEQUATE DOLLARS ON MINORITY MEDIA. BASED ON THE MEETINGS AND A
REVIEW PROCESS, PUBLISHED A RATING OF COMPANIES IN MAI NEWSLETTER & WEB
SITE.
And here is the modest sum NAN collected in just
the 2006, according to its form 990 (a pdf
file):
Enlarge
That’s right. Mr. Sharpton made $1,050.740.00 in
2006 alone from just this one organization.
And if we are reading the form 990 right, NAN
managed to spend more than that on salaries ($527,633) and consulting fees
($530,574):
Enlarge
Mr. Sharpton is the only employee listed on the
form.
The National Action Network lists itself as a
501c4, which according to the US Code and Wikipedia is not supposed to be for
the benefit of any private individual:
501(c)(4)
501(c)(4) exemptions are given to civic leagues
or organizations not organized for profit and operated exclusively for the
promotion of social welfare, or local associations of employees. Net
earnings are devoted exclusively to charitable, educational, or recreational
purposes.
The exemption applies so long as "…no
part of the net earnings of such entity inures to the benefit of any private
shareholder or individual."
And yet almost all of the money NAN collects goes
to "salaries" and "consulting fees."
Which sounds like a lot of inuring to the benefit
of someone — most likely Mr. Sharpton.
Also please note that out of the $1,050.740.00
taken in 2006, the National Action Network gave only $1,000 to
charity.
.
Still think anyone but sharpton benefits from this scam? Good, I
thought you'd see the light.
Now I have a few questions to ask:
-Why are most media (obviously not the New York Post and obviously not at
least some of the blogosphere) bowing down to this charlatan?
-How come so many of the news media that seem to have no problem tracking
down high crimes and misdemeanors of George Bush and his administration seem
incapable of so much as looking at an available tax form when it comes to
sharpton?
-Most people would see al sharpton as one of the three or four most well known, highly
publicized Black "leaders" (what a shame to use that word in the same sentence).
But it is clear that, in almost all cases, media studiously
avoid even the most perfunctory examination of what he is all
about. Is it because they fear the discord he can create based
on the influence he has over some Black people? That certainly is
the hatchet sharpton uses against corporate America; maybe media are
just as scared for the same reason.
-When does the Democratic party cut this sickening
fraud loose? Are they scared too? (In this instance I admit they have good reason to be,
since even a small loss of Black voters is catastrophic for Democrats)
-Is there even one major Democrat left who has the honesty, integrity and
guts to stand up and disclaim al sharpton? So far, the answer is
no. And it isn't like media are pressuring them to do so, is
it?
Finally, when will Barack Obama, the single most significant Black
Democrat there is (he has to be, he's their presidential standard-bearer this
year) speak up about sharpton? Or is this going to be one of those "gee, I
didn't know he said stuff like that" routines, like the one he did with jeremiah
wright?
