ALEC BALDWIN: LIBERAL PHILANTHROPIST?
By Cliff
Kincaid
November 18, 2013
NewsWithViews.com
MSNBC host and actor Alec Baldwin, under fire for anti-homosexual rants, is trying to save his reputation as a liberal by pointing to the money he’s giving to the liberal-left. He writes, “…my foundation has donated over $11 million of a projected $15 million from revenue from my recent Capital One ads. Many people don’t know that and when informed actually find it hard to believe.”
Baldwin desperately wants fellow liberals to know that he is a funder of left-wing groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center, People for the American Way and the Brennan Center for Justice.
But in the latest incident, which threatens to derail his career as a host on MSNBC, TMZ caught Baldwin yelling “c**k sucking f*g” at a photographer trying to take pictures of his family. “Alec has a bad habit of using language that’s considered offensive to gays,” TMZ reported.
His show on the MSNBC cable channel, whose premier host is lesbian Rachel Maddow, was suspended for two weeks as a result of his anti-homosexual remarks.
“I think Rachel Maddow is perhaps the single most important television journalist on the air today,” Baldwin says, trying to mollify his homosexual critics.
On his first MSNBC show, he conducted a softball “interview” of the then-candidate for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, ignoring the Democrat’s communist background. “I was an early supporter of de Blasio’s,” Baldwin said.
In order to further bolster his left-wing credentials, the Alec Baldwin Foundation is listed as a member of the dinner committee for the Brennan Legacy Awards Dinner 2013 in New York City on November 19. The event is designed to honor long-time liberal public television journalist Bill Moyers, and others.
The Brennan Center is a major liberal organization that campaigns against the counter-terrorism and anti-crime programs of the New York City Police Department.
It appears Baldwin could have used some of those police to protect his family from the paparazzi. “In Bloomberg’s New York, 40 or 50 paparazzi are allowed to block streets, inconvenience homeowners, workers and shoppers, and make life miserable for my neighbors,” Baldwin complains. This is apparently what led to his anti-homosexual rant.
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a recipient of Baldwin Foundation money, is a group that usually finds conservatives guilty of “homophobia” for taking stands against the homosexual political agenda. On November 11, Baldwin’s Facebook page promoted the Southern Poverty Law Center, with someone writing in to Baldwin and saying, “I bet your buddies at SPLC would love to know how you feel about ‘faggots’...hypocrite.”
It’s impossible to believe the SPLC is not aware of Baldwin’s outbursts, since they frequently make news.
Baldwin used his foundation website to call the Southern Poverty Law Center one of the “amazing organizations” he supports, even though it was implicated in a violent homosexual attack on the headquarters of the Family Research Council (FRC) in Washington, D.C. The SPLC labeled the FRC a “hate group” for its stands in support of traditional values, and published a map showing gay rights activist Floyd Corkins where to find the organization in Washington, D.C. Corkins showed up at the FRC and proceeded to open fire with a gun. He wounded a security guard before being taken down and disarmed.On September 19, Corkins was sentenced to 25 years in prison on three felony charges, including a terrorism offense.
The SPLC claims to be opposed to “hate” and says it wants to “teach tolerance.”
We could find nothing on its website taking issue with the anti-homosexual statements of its financial contributor Alec Baldwin.
Records of the Alec Baldwin Foundation also show that $100,000 was donated to People for the American Way, a group that purports to expose “anti-gay” groups and statements through its “Right Wing Watch” website. Taking money from an “anti-gay” Hollywood actor is apparently okay.
Baldwin seems particularly close to the Brennan Center, and is also a member of the Brennan Center’s Program Advisory Board, described as consisting of “a diverse group of distinguished professionals who support and advocate for the Center’s work.”
The word ‘infamous’ might be more appropriate for Baldwin than distinguished.
However, the other names on the dinner committee for the November 19th event and the co-chairs do read like a who’s who of prominent lawyers. They include the firm DLA Piper, a registered agent and lobbyist for Al Jazeera America.
In addition to Moyers, the Brennan Center honorees are Sherilyn McCoy, Chief Executive Officer of Avon Products, Inc., and Bryan Stevenson, Founder and Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative.
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On the MSNBC website, in reference to his latest controversy, the actor declared that “I want to apologize to my loyal fans and to my colleagues at MSNBC—both for my actions and for distracting from their good work. Again, please accept my apology.”
Andrew Sullivan, who calls himself a gay conservative, says Baldwin is a “homophobic bigot” and asks, “Why are progressives held to a lower standard than conservatives?”
The answer seems to be that Baldwin funds the liberal-left through his foundation. They are paid to keep quiet or make excuses for his behavior.
© 2013 Cliff Kincaid - All Rights Reserved
Cliff Kincaid, a veteran journalist and media critic, Cliff concentrated in journalism and communications at the University of Toledo, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Cliff has written or co-authored nine books on media and cultural affairs and foreign policy issues. One of Cliff's books, "Global Bondage: The UN Plan to Rule the World" is still awailable.
Cliff has appeared on Hannity & Colmes, The O�Reilly Factor, Crossfire and has been published in the Washington Post, Washington Times, Chronicles, Human Events and Insight.
Cliff Kincaid is president of America’s
Survival, Inc.
E-Mail: cliff.kincaid@aim.org