HANNAH GILES' IDEA

The widely criticized community activist group, ACORN, has been a "tough nut to crack." Accusations of criminal activity including misuse of money, tax evasion and voter registration fraud have dogged the organization for years. ACORN tactics against banks, like street demonstrations and boycotts, aimed at lowering standards for home loans, were found to be a prime contributor to the subprime mortgage catastrophe. Detailed exposes of ACORN by such prominent journalists as the Wall Street Journal's John Fund, and a recent congressional report on the group's activities have been met with excuses from allies in Congress who value ACORN's political activism. Millions in federal funds are pumped into ACORN, an acronym for the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now. And ACORN stands to receive $8.5 billion dollars in stimulus funds.

But thanks to an undercover duo of twenty-somethings, who entered at least five ACORN offices posing as a hooker and her pimp, ACORN's support is currently unraveling. FOX news aired videos obtained via hidden camera, of ACORN workers advising the garishly-dressed Hannah Giles and James O'Keefe to engage in various...highly illegal activities. The Giles-O'Keefe team was coached in obtaining a mortgage to house their brothel, and in hiding and laundering their profits for tax purposes. They were told by an ACORN worker to list the prostitute's occupation as "freelancer," "performance artist," or "entertainer." The pair was offered tips on how to claim as dependents underage girls to be trafficked in from Central America.

The fallout was almost immediate...and it continues:

 The ACORN employees, caught red-handed, were fired.
 ACORN has ordered organization-wide training. Damage control
 ACORN is suing Hanna Giles and James O'Keefe,
 The Census Bureau officially told ACORN its help will now not be needed in
conducting the 2010 head count.
 President Obama, who represented the group as a young lawyer and once ran a voter-registration program for Project Vote, an ACORN partner,
now says ACORN deserves to be investigated.
 The IRS announced it will no longer employ ACORN in its tax assistance program.
 Both houses of Congress are moving to cut off funding to ACORN and pressure is building on state legislatures to do the same.

I met Hannah Giles and interviewed her for an hour last week on radio. She is well versed on ACORN and other societal plagues. She's 20... and on a mission to root out evil and corruption. She's sweet but not naive.... a committed Christian. For someone so young, she left the surprising impression that it's not about her.

Hannah got the idea for the undercover operation while jogging past an ACORN office in Washington D.C. She contacted O'Keefe because she'd heard of his work on other projects. He had the camera. She drained her savings.

There's a message here for young people. It's not: go undercover. It's... you can make a difference. Bathe your plan in prayer. Then go for it.