Anyone can say anything they want with a YouTube account and a video camera, but by anyone's standards, Josh Bernstein should be struck down with lightning for his defamation of Stoneman Douglas student and gun activist David Hogg.
Someone should tell Bernstein that it's really an ugly look for an internet opportunist, even if he is projecting. “David Hogg is an opportunist. He is not a victim. He has used this tragedy to make a name for himself. He is exploiting this shooting in order to make a name for himself."
I'll tell you what, Josh Bernstein. You're using the defamation of David Hogg to make a name for yourself. Are you hoping the NRA Gods are waiting to bestow some Billionaire Bucks™ upon your dark little soul?
Bernstein wasn't finished. Not by a long shot. Also ironic: At one point in his little rant there's a graphic behind him saying "Truth is the new hate speech."
One of those things is not like the other, Josh Bernstein.
“This kid, David Hogg, is not concerned about gun safety,” Bernstein speculated. “He is concerned about pushing an agenda and making a name for himself, and, to be quite frank, I honestly wonder if this kid has something to do with the Stoneman shooting.”
WHOA, HOSS. It's one thing to snark about a guy and say he's using an unspeakable tragedy to self-promote (kind of like Bernstein is doing) and it's entirely another to suggest that Hogg colluded with the evil monster who shot those people in that school.
"Give me a break,” he went on. “It seems very odd. My gut tells me that this kid was either warned beforehand—knew he wasn’t going to be shot, knew he wasn’t going to be targeted—or was affiliated in some way with Nikolas Cruz.”
That seems to be defamatory to me. Bernstein's guts are black and cancerous with the deep stain of gun worship and hate, so they aren't reliable for much beyond defamation. Mission accomplished.
Bernstein's spew is sponsored by AMAC -- Association of Mature American Citizens along with their affiliate "Small Business Solutions." Is this "association" is nothing more than a front to stroke the hate and fear some folks over the age of 50 feel when confronted with young people determined to change their country for the better? Or maybe it's just a way to harvest clients for the board members' insurance sales businesses. Who knows?
Here's their "AMAC Action Page":
According to their 2014 tax filing -- the only long form filing they've made so far -- the purpose of AMAC is to provide "useful information, programs and services to members and general public through events, exhibits and workshops." It goes on to say they "provide recordings of events organised (sic) by AMAC Foundation addressing key Issues on America's health care delivery system."
The real point is to sell insurance to people, as evidenced by their board's heavy involvement in insurance sales. Over-50 people are great targets for that.
Other than the $250,000 or so received in their first year, funding has been steady at around $100,000 or so, with some over-50 people suckered into paying membership dues, at least enough to keep them from having to file as a private foundation even though it's clearly a family affair, located in Florida, of all places.
Here's my question for AMAC: How does the defamation of David Hogg fit with their mission statement as filed with the IRS?
AMAC had not responded to my request for comment, but I will update this if one is received.
Another sponsor is Right2Voice.com, which appears to be a private online community for members to be hateful . Here is a cached Google page, where contributors cheer Trump on, share their nativist websites, and throw hate at immigrants being deported. You can read it for yourself. Their mission seems consistent with Bernstein's.
It is shameful that taxpayer dollars subsidize the likes of AMAC in order to pay this guy to spew his hatred on the Internet. Shameful.
If there are lawyers out there reading this, you may want to consider a pro bono lawsuit on behalf of David Hogg.
