Aspen Institute Avalanche
The story about 26-year-old conservative activist James O'Keefe's undercover investigation of NPR and PBS has been big news in the last 48 hours. For this conservative activist, it's like wind hitting the sails. I'm happy that we're using the tactics of the left to expose the true beliefs of the liberal elites running this country while stealing our tax money to fund their propaganda.
The idea that top brass at NPR believes that conservatives, Republicans and Tea-Party members are "racist gun-toting middle Americans....seriously racist, racist people" is not shocking. The idea that the top brass at NPR would be so incredibly stupid as to fall for a set-up that included a fake front group for The Muslim Brotherhood complete with a name like the "Muslim Education Action Center" with its cheap website promising to "promote Sharia law around the world for tolerance" is slightly shocking. (O'Keefe's real genius is that he makes these set-up's ever-so-slightly absurd so that the fall is that much harder on the so-called "intellectuals.")
If you're one of the twelve people out there who hasn't watched the video, here it is.
I love the way in which the two NPR Execs are so obviously non-intellectual while they make their case for intellectualism. Schiller was out today with apologies saying "This is not who I am." Nice try. Reminds me of Eddie Murphy in "Delirious" telling men how to act when caught cheating "It's not me! You think you saw me, but it's not me."
But here's what really perked my ears today. The Aspen Institute being mentioned all over the news as a side-note to this story.
You see The Aspen Institute was the organization who immediately hired-- then un-hired-- the man of the hour NPR's (now former) Foundation President Ron Schiller. They had a statement on their website which was taken down almost as soon as it was posted. A cached copy is linked here. From that statement:
"Ron Schiller embraces and lives the values that we share as a community," said Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson, "I am very pleased that he has agreed to join us to help us build a strong and vibrant arts program the kind of program that we believe is central to the Institute's origins and to its mission."
The fact that Aspen hired this man who said such bigoted things about half the country is no surprise, because Aspen is funded by George Soro's Open Society Institute. National Review wrote of them in 2006.
In August 2004, according to this article in the liberal New Yorker, “a clandestine summit meeting took place at the Aspen Institute, in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. The participants, all Democrats, were sworn to secrecy” and included five billionaires who “shared a common goal: to use their fortunes to engineer the defeat of President George W. Bush in the 2004 election.” The wealthiest of these “hard-core partisans” was George Soros, who had been a “leading crusader for campaign-finance reform.”
Soros, through his Open Society Institute, provides support for the Aspen Institute, which runs various activities in support of its stated mission of “foster[ing] enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue.” Among these activities are its “Justice and Society Seminars,” which often have federal judges as participants. The Aspen Institute has waived the steep seminar fee (currently up to $6,950) for participating federal judges, and also has covered their expenses for travel, lodging, and meals.
Soros currently participates at many of Aspen's speaking events. Soros's former "special assistant", James Spiegelman, is the man who wrote the press release above. Soros just recently gave NPR $1.8 million to hire new reporters for his own special reporting intiative. Cozy.
Here is something that I DID find surprising though. The many Republicans who participate in Aspen Institute's programs, trainings and speaking events. Here's a list:
Tim Pawlenty
Newt Gingrich
Mitt Romney
John McCain
Wisconsin Rep Paul Ryan
Florida Senator (and "Tea Party" candidate) Marco Rubio
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour
and closer to home
Congressman Erik Paulsen (Paulsen was a Rodel Fellow at Aspen with Gabrielle Giffords)
Former state Rep, Current U of M Regent Laura Brod.
Here are some national level Republicns who HAVE NOT (based on my research) participated with The Aspen Institute
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal
Speaker John Boehner
Majority Whip Eric Cantor
and closer to home
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
Gee, maybe this explains Newt sitting on that couch with Nancy. Perhaps it also explains why my Congressman was eager to sit next to Keith Ellison at this year's State of the Union? After all as a highly-select Aspen "Rodel Fellow" he must be committed to "thoughtful bipartisan civil dialogue." (Ellison-- for his part-- recently called Governor Walker a "dictator" and called the upcoming Congressional hearings about Islamic radicalism in the U.S. a "witchhunt"....the dude is MR. Civil Dialogue.)
To me the lists above feel like the "in-club" and the "out-club"--depending which way you think within the GOP. (I will say that Tim Pawlenty appears to be running like the wind away from these sorts of connections, as well he should. 2012 conservatives aren't playing.)
I have a lot of fun on their website just plugging in Republican names and seeing everything that does/doesn't come up.
You'll note a very interesting list of people on their Board of Directors from Obama's good friend Henry Louis Gates to our friend Condoleeza Rice. Then there's David Koch of "The Koch Brothers", which-- funny enough-- is the new liberal counter-punch to George Soros funding. Not. Even. Close. But, he's there too. Interesting.
There's a strong Minnesota connection with Republican power-broker Vin Weber listed. And their Annual Report lists other Minnesota donors including Minnesota Public Radio. Ain't that a kick?
I urge any conservative to peruse their website (lots of content,) and explain to me exactly where movement conservatives would fall in-line anywhere with this organization's thinking. From global warming initiatives to "global social justice" and advancing support for Federal controls over education and healthcare....this is a pro-BIG Government organization through and through with some of scary tentacles all over the world and lots of apparent corporate collusion that even a good liberal might question.
Aspen was also outed as being the 2nd largest spender on privately-funded travel for the last Congress. From a US News Article, Sept 2010
For all the praise that Congress members heap on Aspen's educational forums, the institute's trips can also seem posh for what are billed as educational and fact-finding missions. Over the years, the Aspen Institute has sent members of Congress to destinations including Croatia, Tunisia, Portugal, and Jordan. These delegations often include ten to twenty members, with trip costs that can exceed $10,000 per person. Add in congressional spouses or other traveling companions, and the costs add up. A June 2010 conference on political Islam in Tunisia, attended by 17 members of Congress, was reported to have cost over $275,000.
Dick Clark, a former senator and director of Aspen's Congressional Program, says that going to foreign destinations is part of the draw for legislators. Asked whether he thinks that the locations of Aspen's conferences are a reason Congress members attend, Clark responded, "Well, I hope so." He added as an example, "I think if someone hasn't been to Jordan, then they'd find [a trip there] more attractive."
Look, I've been saying this for a while now: There are two types of Republicans: Those who understand what the country is facing and what we're up against in terms of battling the left....and there are those who don't. You shouldn't need to go to organizations directly connected to George Soros to figure these things out and I don't care how nice or free the trip.
Our elected officials should represent us and listen only to us. Not those who are counting on payback based on the notion that an "education" is a terrible thing to waste.
P.S. Thanks to a friend and fellow Republican who tipped me off to the Aspen Institute a few months ago.....I've only been able to do light research since but wanted to get this out there in light of the NPR headlines.