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DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Fri May 8, 2015, 03:41 PM May 2015

Geller gets paid pretty well to demonize Muslims. I’m talking to the tune of $200,000 a year.

Muslim-Bashing Can Be Very Lucrative

Dean Obeidallah

Why do Pamela Geller et al. do it? Sure, they believe it. But they get bankrolled to do it—and on a major scale.

People keep asking me why does Pam Geller spew so much anti-Muslim crap? Is it part of her work as a pro-Israel activist? Did she once get food poisoning at a Middle Eastern restaurant? Is it simply because she really, really hates Muslims?

Probably all the above, but one other thing is certain: Geller gets paid pretty well to demonize Muslims. I’m talking to the tune of $200,000 a year. True, that might be walking around money for Donald Trump (who actually bashed Geller this week for her draw the Prophet Mohamed cartoon contest) but that puts her in her top 5 percent of all Americans in terms of annual income. Now, $200,000 doesn’t make a person rich these days (although the $9 million in combined divorce settlement and life-insurance payments she reportedly got certainly qualifies her). But for what she does, it’s handsome pay.

In fact, many of the people identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and Center for American Progress (CAP) as the leaders of anti-Muslim industry in America are well paid for their efforts. I’m talking so much money I almost want to start hating on Muslims-and I’m Muslim.

In Geller’s case, her salary is paid from her organization the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), a group listed by the SPLC as an active “anti-Muslim organization.” In 2013, the AFDI reported $958,800 in gross receipts and paid Geller a base salary of $192,500 plus $18,750 in other income (PDF).

Not bad for a group created, per AFDI’s tax returns, to act “against the treason being committed by the national, state and local government officials, the mainstream media and others in their capitulation to the global jihad and Islamic Supremacism.” This is truly one step removed from tin foil hats and claims that the government has bugged your cheese.

more
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/08/muslim-bashing-can-be-very-lucrative.html
39 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Geller gets paid pretty well to demonize Muslims. I’m talking to the tune of $200,000 a year. (Original Post) DonViejo May 2015 OP
that's not alot of money. samsingh May 2015 #1
No? How does it compare with your income? elleng May 2015 #3
a lot less samsingh May 2015 #7
Drinks are on samsingh, everyone. nt Tommy_Carcetti May 2015 #21
Can have $200,000? PersonNumber503602 May 2015 #29
Be careful what you offer. He thinks Pamela Geller is a hero. cbayer May 2015 #33
I live in WA which is pretty expensive to live in. Even here $200,000 is pretty decent money. liberal_at_heart May 2015 #4
I personally wouldn't mind being paid that salary. Tommy_Carcetti May 2015 #13
LOL RedCappedBandit May 2015 #19
of course not reddread May 2015 #30
O.F.F.S. progressoid May 2015 #34
completely agree. that is not that much money nt taught_me_patience May 2015 #37
I had no doubt she was getting big bucks for her awful misbehavior. elleng May 2015 #2
She got millions in a divorce settlement and millions more from a life insurance cbayer May 2015 #5
A regular bootstrapper, isn't she? frylock May 2015 #15
Yep. This $200,000 keeps the lights on, but her fortunes pay for everything else. cbayer May 2015 #18
Geller’s Wealth from Corruption, Fraud Scurrilous May 2015 #38
I read about that whole car dealership thing yesterday. cbayer May 2015 #39
That would buy a lot of bile, racism and bigotry. But, she's already overstocked with those. Tierra_y_Libertad May 2015 #6
Hate pays etherealtruth May 2015 #8
Thats not enough pay to be a 'terrorist target', she should demand a raise from the FBI. Sunlei May 2015 #9
Not a surprise at all. I hope she feels it's worth it. closeupready May 2015 #10
Proof that you can prosper by doing what you love. n/t malthaussen May 2015 #11
Needs more recs dixiegrrrrl May 2015 #12
About as much as some preachers get paid to demonize gays. Binkie The Clown May 2015 #14
And women. PeaceNikki May 2015 #16
Do you know what the average salary of a preacher is? cbayer May 2015 #17
About $80k. Google what the net worth of Westboro is. PeaceNikki May 2015 #20
I acknowledged that there are exceptions, but they are exceptions. cbayer May 2015 #25
The exceptions aren't that uncommon. In addition, the vocal hate mongers get paid the most. PeaceNikki May 2015 #27
They really are uncommon, but many are notable for their hate, I agree. cbayer May 2015 #28
Your 2 year old link is not accurate oberliner May 2015 #31
I think the issue here is in the term "senior pastor" cbayer May 2015 #32
well then, Binkie The Clown May 2015 #22
You forgot the rape victim analogy mixed in there somewhere. nt Tommy_Carcetti May 2015 #23
I won't stoop so low as to reply to that disgusting accusation. n/t Binkie The Clown May 2015 #24
Looks like some people also forgot provocateurs are not victims and free speech protections are not a sword. Fred Sanders May 2015 #35
Three words for you: Westboro Baptist Church. cbayer May 2015 #26
She is crazy shenmue May 2015 #36

PersonNumber503602

(1,134 posts)
29. Can have $200,000?
Fri May 8, 2015, 05:21 PM
May 2015

In exchange, I'll follow you around the internet agreeing with everything you say, and calling people who disagree with you means names.

Seems like a fair exchange to me.

liberal_at_heart

(12,081 posts)
4. I live in WA which is pretty expensive to live in. Even here $200,000 is pretty decent money.
Fri May 8, 2015, 03:52 PM
May 2015

Like the OP said, it's not Donald Trump money, but a pretty good paycheck for peddling hate. How much would someone make for peddling peace? A couple of hundred dollars maybe. Americans love their hate.

Tommy_Carcetti

(43,081 posts)
13. I personally wouldn't mind being paid that salary.
Fri May 8, 2015, 04:24 PM
May 2015

Provided it wasn't to be a professional bigot, that is.

 

reddread

(6,896 posts)
30. of course not
Fri May 8, 2015, 05:25 PM
May 2015

thats just reported income.
Besides, nobody in the darker quarters of the MIIC ever coordinated dirty deeds dirt cheap with mob associates.
nothing to see here.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
5. She got millions in a divorce settlement and millions more from a life insurance
Fri May 8, 2015, 03:53 PM
May 2015

policy when her ex-husband died.

Scurrilous

(38,687 posts)
38. Geller’s Wealth from Corruption, Fraud
Fri May 8, 2015, 08:35 PM
May 2015

Full title: Geller’s Wealth from Corruption, Fraud; Dealership She Co-Owned Supplied Cop-Killer Getaway Car

<snip>

"Pam Geller’s N.Y. Times profile reveals her enormous wealth including a $4-million divorce settlement, a $5-million life insurance on the death of her ex-husband, Michael Oshry (her married name was Pamela G. Oshry), and a portion of the $2-million sale of the Hewlett Harbor home she jointly owned with Oshry. All of which allows her to live in luxury on an entire floor of upper Eastside condo.

What isn’t as well-known, and was whitewashed from her Times profile, is that the basis of her wealth is a criminal enterprise. Michael Oshry, her ex-husband who died of an alleged heart attack in 2008, owned a large Long Island car dealership which operated a scam allowing buyers to purchase cars using fraudulent identities. Such a scam is perfect for organized crime and others seeking to use cars in the commission of felonies. In fact, one such vehicle was used by a former car salesman to murder two New York City police officers. An employee who discovered the scam was murdered execution-style.

Geller was listed as a co-owner of the dealership though she denied any knowledge of the fraud. However, the head of the local D.A.’s economic crimes unit is quoted as saying that the owners of the dealership knew about, and possibly actively organized the fraud, which implies that either Geller had to know about it or willfully kept herself in the dark:

Peress said the corruption at Universal “went all the way to the top.”


So Pam’s denials ring hollow. If the origins of her wealth are based on a criminal enterprise is it any wonder that her political views are equally corrupt?"

http://www.richardsilverstein.com/2010/10/13/gellers-wealth-from-corruption-fraud-mayve-facilitated-cop-killing/



'Car-Scam' Link Eyed

http://nypost.com/2007/07/15/car-scam-link-eyed/

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
39. I read about that whole car dealership thing yesterday.
Fri May 8, 2015, 08:38 PM
May 2015

Really, really out there. And the cause of her ex-husband's death is apparently not really clear.

She's morally corrupt, so it should be no surprise that she is legally corrupt as well.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
12. Needs more recs
Fri May 8, 2015, 04:03 PM
May 2015

Important info about her and the hate group which is apparently raking in almost a million a year to set the stage for hate crimes and violence.

Binkie The Clown

(7,911 posts)
14. About as much as some preachers get paid to demonize gays.
Fri May 8, 2015, 04:29 PM
May 2015

Geller's big mistake was not calling her movement a religion. Nobody would dare criticize her if she was the founder of a religion.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
17. Do you know what the average salary of a preacher is?
Fri May 8, 2015, 04:39 PM
May 2015

While there are a few in big megachurches who make megabucks, most don't come anywhere close.

And even those that demonize gays don't go anywhere near where Geller goes in her war against muslims.

Everyone here would criticize her if she was the founder of a religion.

Careful. Your gross prejudices against all things religious are showing and it's not pretty.

PeaceNikki

(27,985 posts)
20. About $80k. Google what the net worth of Westboro is.
Fri May 8, 2015, 04:46 PM
May 2015

The rest aren't hurting, either: http://m.christianpost.com/news/church-pastors-pay-rises-to-more-than-80-000--33898/

Plus they don't usually pay for housing and get a ton of perks. My best friend's dad is a Lutheran pastor and does better than most.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
25. I acknowledged that there are exceptions, but they are exceptions.
Fri May 8, 2015, 04:56 PM
May 2015

Your 7 year old link is not accurate. The average salary of pastors is $28,000 a year. They usually do get a parsonage allowance but I'd love to know about all those other perks. They generally work a massive number of hours with very little time off and are pretty much on-call 24/7.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2013/12/15/average-pastor-salaries-in-united-states-churches/

My father is a minister. We had just enough and no extras.

WBC is a good example of a privately funded hate group, though. It's very similar to Geller's group and the comparison completely destroys the Clown's argument that religious groups get a pass when it comes to bigotry. WBC is one of the most hated groups on this site.

PeaceNikki

(27,985 posts)
27. The exceptions aren't that uncommon. In addition, the vocal hate mongers get paid the most.
Fri May 8, 2015, 05:05 PM
May 2015

It varies considerably by denomination.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
28. They really are uncommon, but many are notable for their hate, I agree.
Fri May 8, 2015, 05:11 PM
May 2015

Most are not even denominationally affiliated, but have started their own "churches" that function completely independently of any denominational oversight.

They are horrible. They should be loudly and actively opposed, but blanket statements like the Clown's that don't distinguish between those that are horrible and those that are not do not help in the fight against them.

 

oberliner

(58,724 posts)
31. Your 2 year old link is not accurate
Fri May 8, 2015, 05:32 PM
May 2015

A Breakdown of Salaries and Benefits for Senior Pastors

The 2012-2013 Compensation Handbook for Church Staff, Christianity Today's bi-annual survey of compensation levels based on 4,600 participating churches, shows senior pastors' salary and benefits at an average $82,938 this year. This represents a 2.7 percent increase from the $80,745 average reported in 2010.

http://www.churchlawandtax.com/blog/2012/april/breakdown-of-salaries-and-benefits-for-senior-pastors.html

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
32. I think the issue here is in the term "senior pastor"
Fri May 8, 2015, 05:45 PM
May 2015

as opposed to all pastors. I can't tell from you link what exactly that means, but the link I provided above includes all pastors.

And if you look closer at the article you link to, this number includes benefits (including housing allowance, retirement, health insurance, auto allowance, continuing education, life insurance and disability insurance). It's important to compare apples to apples, as most reports of salary do not include these kinds of benefits.

While a salary in the $80,000 range looks good on paper, actual take-home pay for pastors may be much different, perhaps far less. The average base salary of a full-time senior pastor ranges from $33,000 to $70,000. Eighty-four percent of senior pastors say they also receive a housing allowance, which accounts for $20,000 to $38,000 in added compensation.

Binkie The Clown

(7,911 posts)
22. well then,
Fri May 8, 2015, 04:50 PM
May 2015

Suppose there was a religion called "Gellerism", and suppose its founder had written a book saying that all who are not Gellerites must be killed, and that to draw a picture of Geller was blasphemy punishable by death. And suppose that she lived 1000 years ago, and had millions of followers now.

Would you condemn all Gellerites just because they read and believe in her book? Or would you insist that most Gellerites are gentle, peace-loving people?

I don't hear those who would criticize Geller criticizing Mohammed for his hate speech, or even his under-aged concubines.


Disclaimer: I think she is scum, and I don't believe in anything she stands for. But, I can say pretty much the same thing about some (un-named) religions and their founders.

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)
35. Looks like some people also forgot provocateurs are not victims and free speech protections are not a sword.
Fri May 8, 2015, 06:22 PM
May 2015

cbayer

(146,218 posts)
26. Three words for you: Westboro Baptist Church.
Fri May 8, 2015, 05:00 PM
May 2015

Hate groups are hate groups and, in fact, most of them have religious ties.

Your contention that "Nobody would dare criticize her if she was the founder of a religion." is just total malarkey.

Are you really comparing Geller to Mohammed?

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