I hate to say it, but it looks like this election still might be stolen
This is the long awaited post. For nearly five days I've been telling my friends of my intent to post this expose of the false charges of voter fraud against Acorn. This is currently the most likely approach that will be used this election to disenfranchise legitimately registered voters who currently and enthusiastically wish to cast their votes for Obama this election.
The only way to prevent the Republicans from stealing this election is to be aware of this and, in my opinion, to protest against the unreasonable requirement of use of federal IDs before permitting citizens to vote. It might have been reasonable if presented several months ago, but there simply is not enough time left for everyone to get the sort of ID the Republicans are currently demanding.
----
I was beginning to believe Obama had a GOOD chance of taking this election, but the recent Republican misrepresentation of voter fraud on the part of the Democrats may just be enough to turn the tables on us.
I would like to refer you to three websites:
1) One by MoveON which describes the misrepresentation currently taking place
and
2) People for the American way, who is also justifiably concerned about the rhetoric that McCain is dishonorably claiming about Acorn. If he's qualified to run the country, he should certainly realize that HE IS LYING!
In stark contrast to
3) The claims of the Republicans who are spinning the facts to make the Obama supporters appear dishonest.
Unfortunately I can supply neither link because the information does not exist in links. It exists in EMAIL sent to me by both parties. So, I am including this information attached behind the cut:
First, here are the actual facts about the limited extent of the "fraud" that Acorn is in fact associated with. It is not the "voter fraud" that it is being depicted as. As you will read, the actual fraud in questions was called to the attention of elections officials BY Acorn and not ABOUT Acorn.
1) From MoveON:
Dear MoveOn member,
We're hearing a lot about the trumped-up charges against ACORN these days-but very little about the massive voter suppression campaign being orchestrated by the Republicans. The GOP is trying to purge thousands of Democratic voters off the rolls in states like Ohio, Florida, and Colorado.1
Mostly under the media's radar, GOP operatives are targeting the millions of newly registered voters who are excited about Barack Obama-especially African-American, low-income, and young voters.
The GOP's voter suppression campaign could steal this election. But we can stop them with a rapid-response fund to support legal actions, run newspaper ads to get the media talking about GOP voter suppression, and prosecute anyone who tries to steal this election.
The simple act of raising funds to protect this election will send a warning to right-wing operatives who think they can get away with voter suppression.
As we saw in last night's debate, John McCain is accusing the community organizers at ACORN of deliberate voting fraud in order to distract the media from Republican voter suppression schemes.2 In fact, ACORN-which has registered a remarkable 1.3 million new voters-has followed the law scrupulously.3
For over twenty-five years, Republicans have promoted the myth of voting fraud to argue for restrictive voting laws-but Bush's own Justice Department found virtually no organized voting fraud.4 Now McCain is attacking ACORN in order to justify a frenzy of lawsuits making it harder for Obama supporters to vote.
Here's what he's not telling you:
* The only fraud committed was against ACORN itself. ACORN hired 13,000 workers to register voters. And a few of them turned in registration forms with inaccurate and even made-up names to get credit for work they didn't do. ACORN fired them and turned them over to the authorities.5
* ACORN reported the fraudulent registration forms. In most states, ACORN is required by law to submit all forms collected whether they appear to be bogus or not-that way election officials, not partisan groups, can make the call. ACORN flags cards that may not be legitimate. And in many places, the charges of fraud only came up because ACORN was the one who flagged the cards!6
* This won't have any impact on the election. No one is allowed to vote unless they are properly registered. And there is no evidence of false registrations actually leading to organized voting fraud.7
We can't let false charges of voting fraud distract us from the very real voter suppression campaign that is already well under way.
Republicans are looking for typos on voter registration forms, threatening to challenge homeowners facing foreclosure, and falsely warning that voters with outstanding traffic tickets may be arrested if they go to the polls.8
(To maintain your interest, I am copying the list of Sources to the very bottom of this post. If you wish to see the numerically linked sources, just jump to the bottom with our end key)
2) From PFAW
On Saturday night, we obtained text and audio of the threats made to ACORN in the last several days. I urge you to read this post on People For the American Way's Right Wing Watch blog. It's a sobering reminder of how much hate remains in the world and how much work lies ahead in combating it.
Since coming out in defense of ACORN against the ludicrous and overblown charges of so-called "voter fraud" by the McCain-Palin campaign, we've received some pretty disgusting hate e-mail too. Unfortunately, these types of fear mongering messages may continue if we are doing our job of standing up to injustice and hate. But I am proud that People For has the guts to be out front in support of our allies and stand up against the increasingly ugly and destructive right-wing machine.
The threats and hate mail come as part of a crescendo of hate and bigotry and outright racism that we've seen building over the last two weeks, including:
* an escalation in volatile rhetoric from white supremacist groups,
* video footage of attendees at McCain-Palin rallies spouting ignorant and frightening comments about Barack Obama's race, and
* incidents like a California GOP women's group sending out a newsletter saying that if Barack Obama is elected, his image would appear on food stamps, not dollar bills like other presidents (with an illustration following the statement of an "Obama Bucks" bill featuring Obama's image surrounded by a bucket of fried chicken, watermelon, ribs and Kool-aid).
The GOP has recklessly fanned these flames with ugly robocalls and "push polling" calls that attempt to tie Obama to terrorists (some of the calls actually purport to be from the Obama campaign). And earlier this week, Sarah Palin started referring to her ticket's supporters as "pro-American" as if the rest of us somehow are not -- a sentiment later echoed by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) who invoked Joe McCarthy by suggesting that someone launch an investigation to expose which members of Congress are not sufficiently "pro-American."
People For the American Way is proud to counter the lies and insinuations of the Right. Please know that we are counting on all of you. Together we can send the message that this kind of hate and bigotry is unacceptable and has no place in the America for which we strive.
Please take a moment to sign on to a simple statement to that effect, and if you've seen incidences of racism, threats and hate speech in your community, please share the story with us.
Thank you for the work you do in your communities -- and for the work your support enables us to do.
All the best,
Kathryn Kolbert, President
People For the American Way
OK, now if you got all of that you need to see how this is being twisted by the anti-obama forces to which I currently subscribe and reveal here in my blog. The following is directly quoted from NewsMax. See how they are distorting the facts to try to disenfranchise legitimately registered voters
3) from NewsMax
There's only ONE way to STOP the far-left Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) from possibly hi-jacking our electoral system.
The actions you take (or do not take) RIGHT NOW as you read this urgent appeal may well determine whether or not ACORN will succeed.
Powerline.com went so far as to write: "It is reasonable to ask whether ACORN is in fact a criminal conspiracy to subvert the voting rights of Americans."
ACORN's actions, which are currently under investigation in 12 states, may actually strike at the very heart of the freedoms we cherish and enjoy in the United States of America!
This is probably the most urgent and pivotal letter we've ever put before you.
These are desperate times and simply listening to Sean Hannity or Rush talk about this evolving scandal on the radio WILL NOT STOP ACORN!
Hearing allegations about ACORN on FOX News WILL NOT STOP ACORN!
Simply shooting off an angry e-mail IS NOT going to STOP ACORN!
And no, threatening "legal action" AFTER the fact IS NOT going to STOP ACORN!
Frankly, RIGHT NOW, talk is cheap.
There's only ONE way to STOP the apparent massive voter fraud that may be taking place right under your nose.
Simply put, if the voter registration allegations against ACORN are true, that means thousands of fraudulent votes could be cast in pivotal swing states and make a farce of our entire electoral process!
Most everyone has heard the old story about dead people voting in Chicago.
Imagine such a thing happening on a much larger scale. ACORN presently operates in 38 states!
But there is a simple solution to this potential problem!
Congress must be called back into session IMMEDIATELY and emergency legislation must be passed that simply states that voters must produce a valid state or federal ID at the polls or have their votes counted only provisionally until legitimacy can be verified.
Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent, separate and distinct Blast Faxes to President George W. Bush and each and every Member of the Leadership of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
Tell them to call Congress back into session immediately and demand that they pass emergency legislation that will require all voters to present valid state or federal IDs at the polling place or have their votes counted only provisionally until legitimacy can be verified. Tell them that the cherished privilege to vote is pivotal to our way of life and MUST be protected from ALL illegitimate challenges whether they come from the political left or the political right!
Demand they do it NOW! Threatening to cut off federal funds from ACORN AFTER the election is simply too little too late. ACORN's actions constitute a clear and present danger to our system of government. While such actions should and must be taken, cutting off funding and issuing court challenges and indictments after the fact does not address the threat we now face and only destabilizes our government, sets a dangerous precedent and encourages future threats!
- SEND MY BLAST FAXES-
If the above hyperlink does not appear to function, you should copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
We MUST flood our legislative officials with high-impact faxes and calls. After you take action, please forward this urgent and time sensitive alert to at least 10 of your friends. Our system of government hangs in the balance!
ACORN "Wiseguys" Laugh At Criminal Indictments!
Some will say that criminal investigations are already in progress and since authorities already plan a nationwide sweep of ACORN offices there is no need to panic.
In other words, the system will handle the problem.
But the sad truth of the matter is that such Pollyanna pronouncements will do NOTHING to STOP ACORN.
Quite frankly, if past performance is any indication of future results, CRIMINAL INDICTMENTS OR LAWSUITS MAY NOT STOP ACORN!
According to some reports, ACORN, in the past, has actually recruited convicted felons.
The Associated Press recently reported that the Milwaukee ACORN office hired at least seven felons who were convicted of crimes ranging from drug possession to robbery.
According to the Washington Post: "Nevada Secretary of State and Attorney General who alleged in an application for a search warrant that ACORN had hired 59 felons through a work release program as canvassers..." [Emphasis Mine]
ACORN's Wisconsin political director Carolyn Castore rather matter-of-factly told the Associated Press: "We have a lot of folks with felony records and, frankly, they need jobs."
And yes, there is a history of complaints against ACORN.
Michael Gaynor with Canada Free Press recounts an article published in the Wall Street Journal TWO YEARS AGO:
"These are recent complaints, but ACORN's history is riddled with criminal activity. During the last major election, the Wall Street Journal did a story about ACORN. Four ACORN workers had been indicted by a federal grand jury for submitting false voter registration forms to the Kansas City, Missouri, election board; other ACORN workers were convicted in Wisconsin and Colorado and investigations, at the time the article was written, were under way in Ohio, Tennessee and Pennsylvania."
Gaynor also writes of more recent indictments and investigations:
"Last year, The Seattle Times reported the biggest voter-registration fraud scheme in Washington history. Three ACORN employees pleaded guilty, and four more were charged for filling out and submitting more than 1,800 fictitious voter-registration cards during a 2006 registration drive in King and Pierce counties.' (Keith Ervin, 'Three plead guilty in fake voter scheme,' 10-30-2007)"
"This year, an ACORN employee in West Reading, PA, was sentenced for up to 23 months in prison for identity theft and tampering with records. A second ACORN worker pleaded not guilty to the same charges and is free on $10,000 bail.
"There are also examples of indictments this year, such as the four ACORN employees in Kansas City charged with identity theft and filing false registrations during the 2006 election and the Reynoldsburg fellow indicted on two felony counts of illegal voting and false registration, after being registered by ACORN to vote in two separate counties. And there are current investigations into ACORN for voter fraud all over the map..." [Emphasis Mine]
Ask yourself the following (assuming these most recent allegations are credible), if criminal indictments have not deterred ACORN in the past, why should the prospect of criminal indictments deter ACORN NOW?
Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent, separate and distinct Blast Faxes to President George W. Bush and each and every Member of the Leadership of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
Tell them to call Congress back into session immediately and demand that they pass emergency legislation that will require all voters to present valid state or federal IDs at the polling place or have their votes counted only provisionally until legitimacy can be verified. Tell them that the cherished privilege to vote is pivotal to our way of life and MUST be protected from ALL illegitimate challenges whether they come from the political left or the political right!
Demand they do it NOW! Threatening to cut off federal funds from ACORN AFTER the election is simply too little too late. ACORN's actions constitute a clear and present danger to our system of government. While such actions should and must be taken, cutting off funding and issuing court challenges and indictments after the fact does not address the threat we now face and only destabilizes our government, sets a dangerous precedent and encourages future threats!
- SEND MY BLAST FAXES-
If the above hyperlink does not appear to function, you should copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
We MUST flood our legislative officials with high-impact faxes and calls. After you take action, please forward this urgent and time sensitive alert to at least 10 of your friends. Our system of government hangs in the balance!
Too Little Too Late...
Investors' Business Daily (IBD) recently made the following suggestion to John McCain:
"McCain would be wise to start preparing a challenge to voter registration rolls should he lose the race in a close contest. He'd be crazy not to contest the results in light of these events."
With all due respect to IBD, the only "craziness" would be to wait. This is NOT a Republican vs. Democrat or Liberal vs. Conservative issue.
IF ACORN has already violated our system of government and IF they plan to continue violating our system through election day with impunity, closing the barn doors after the horses have gone is not a sound strategy.
Some of our elected officials are starting to talk tough but again, talk is cheap.
According to Politico.com, House Minority Leader John Boehner is already talking about cutting off federal funding to ACORN.
But his proposed actions fall short of the mark.
"Election cycle after election cycle, this organization has been at the forefront of breaking the law in order to promote their left-wing agenda. All the while, they have been the recipients of millions of dollars of federal funding through various federal programs and third-party groups. House Republicans took a stand recently to cut off funding to an ACORN slush fund created by their allies in the House Majority, but now more must be done."
"All federal funding to ACORN must be stopped. The ACORN slush fund must be disbanded. Sources of federal funding through the Department of Housing and Urban Development or any other agency must be stopped. Contracting for services between candidates for federal office and ACORN, as Senator Obama has done, must end. Now that the taxpayers own Fannie Mae, any funding from Fannie Mae's nonprofit foundation to ACORN must stop.
"ACORN spent decades promoting the housing policies that brought America's economy to the brink, and similarly over the years has committed fraud on our system of elections, making American voters question the fairness and accuracy of the exercise of their most fundamental right under the Constitution. Now it is time to cut off ACORN before it grows even more destructive."
No Congressman Boehner!
Now is not the time to just cut off funding (frankly, that should have happened years ago).
NOW is the time to protect our electoral process!
Boehner does however, bring up a valid point. Your tax dollars ARE STILL going to ACORN. You're actually paying them just as surely as if you wrote the check yourself!
Yes, we should cut off ALL funding to ACORN NOW as Boehner states. Yes, we should have Congressional investigations. And yes, if the allegations are true, we shouldn't stop with ACORN... heads should roll in Congress as well!
But that's not enough to STOP the clear and present danger we all face today!
In a day and age when we have to present valid identification to board an airplane, it's not a stretch to ask someone to simply prove their identity to vote.
It does not present a "constitutional crisis" or deny anyone access to a polling place to ask them to either present valid identification or vote provisionally. If their identity can be verified later, then their vote is counted.
Free societies actually institute such requirements.
Tyrannies and Banana Republics DO NOT!
It's unfortunate that our conservative leaders often lack the imagination and the forethought to understand the gravity of the threats we face.
We shouldn't have to ask that our liberties be protected. Our elected leaders should be calling upon us to take action... not visa-versa.
But do it we must.
If we don't send the message NOW, the message will not be sent... at least not until it is TOO LATE!
Join us by acting NOW!
Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent, separate and distinct Blast Faxes to President George W. Bush and each and every Member of the Leadership of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
Tell them to call Congress back into session immediately and demand that they pass emergency legislation that will require all voters to present valid state or federal IDs at the polling place or have their votes counted only provisionally until legitimacy can be verified. Tell them that the cherished privilege to vote is pivotal to our way of life and MUST be protected from ALL illegitimate challenges whether they come from the political left or the political right!
Demand they do it NOW! Threatening to cut off federal funds from ACORN AFTER the election is simply too little too late. ACORN's actions constitute a clear and present danger to our system of government. While such actions should and must be taken, cutting off funding and issuing court challenges and indictments after the fact does not address the threat we now face and only destabilizes our government, sets a dangerous precedent and encourages future threats!
- SEND MY BLAST FAXES-
If the above hyperlink does not appear to function, you should copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
We MUST flood our legislative officials with high-impact faxes and calls. After you take action, please forward this urgent and time sensitive alert to at least 10 of your friends. Our system of government hangs in the balance!
Yours In Freedom,
Jeff Mazzella
President
www.cfif.org
P.S. Please help us reach as many concerned Americans as possible by forwarding this e-mail to at least 10 of your friends and family members.
Center for Individual Freedom
113 S. Columbus St., Suite 310
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-535-5836
Fax:703-535-5838
CFIF is a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit constitutional advocacy organization with
the mission to protect and defend individual freedoms and individual rights.
Contributions to CFIF are
not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
Contributions may be deductible as a business expense.
Powered by GrassTopsUSA
The following list of Sources regards the defense of Acorn, but due to its length I moved it down here as not to detract from the ludicrous charges of the Republican party.
Sources:
1. "States' Actions to Block Voters Appear Illegal," New York Times, October 8, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/us/politics/09voting.html
"Check-off box delays thousands of voter registrations," Denver Post, October 14, 2008
http://www.denverpost.com/previous2/home/ci_10713377
2. "ACORN defends efforts amid voter-fraud allegations," Associated Press, October 14, 2008
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081014/ap_on_el_pr/voter_fraud
3. "The Truth About ACORN's Voter Registration Drives," ACORN
http://acorn.org/quickfacts
4. "In 5-Year Effort, Scant Evidence of Voter Fraud," New York Times, April 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12fraud.html
"The Truth About Fraud," Brennan Center for Justice
http://www.truthaboutfraud.org/
5. "Group Answers Charges of Voter Registration Fraud," New York Times, October 14, 2008
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/acorn/
6. "Voter Group Admits Mistakes, Defends Work," ABC News, October 14, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31241&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=5
"Is there ACORN fraud in Florida?," Orlando Sentinel, October 15, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31239&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=6
7. "'Fraud' vs. 'Suppression'," Politico, October 14, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31240&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=7
8. "After A Surge in Registration, A Surge in Suppression," Brennan Center for Justice, October 7, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31236&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=8
"Democrats fear GOP will turn away foreclosed voters; GOP won't rule out using residency change to challenge a ballot," Indianapolis Star, October 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31237&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=9
"Vote-scam fliers target black neighborhoods," Philadelphia Daily News, October 2, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31041&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=10
The only way to prevent the Republicans from stealing this election is to be aware of this and, in my opinion, to protest against the unreasonable requirement of use of federal IDs before permitting citizens to vote. It might have been reasonable if presented several months ago, but there simply is not enough time left for everyone to get the sort of ID the Republicans are currently demanding.
----
I was beginning to believe Obama had a GOOD chance of taking this election, but the recent Republican misrepresentation of voter fraud on the part of the Democrats may just be enough to turn the tables on us.
I would like to refer you to three websites:
1) One by MoveON which describes the misrepresentation currently taking place
and
2) People for the American way, who is also justifiably concerned about the rhetoric that McCain is dishonorably claiming about Acorn. If he's qualified to run the country, he should certainly realize that HE IS LYING!
In stark contrast to
3) The claims of the Republicans who are spinning the facts to make the Obama supporters appear dishonest.
Unfortunately I can supply neither link because the information does not exist in links. It exists in EMAIL sent to me by both parties. So, I am including this information attached behind the cut:
First, here are the actual facts about the limited extent of the "fraud" that Acorn is in fact associated with. It is not the "voter fraud" that it is being depicted as. As you will read, the actual fraud in questions was called to the attention of elections officials BY Acorn and not ABOUT Acorn.
1) From MoveON:
Dear MoveOn member,
We're hearing a lot about the trumped-up charges against ACORN these days-but very little about the massive voter suppression campaign being orchestrated by the Republicans. The GOP is trying to purge thousands of Democratic voters off the rolls in states like Ohio, Florida, and Colorado.1
Mostly under the media's radar, GOP operatives are targeting the millions of newly registered voters who are excited about Barack Obama-especially African-American, low-income, and young voters.
The GOP's voter suppression campaign could steal this election. But we can stop them with a rapid-response fund to support legal actions, run newspaper ads to get the media talking about GOP voter suppression, and prosecute anyone who tries to steal this election.
The simple act of raising funds to protect this election will send a warning to right-wing operatives who think they can get away with voter suppression.
As we saw in last night's debate, John McCain is accusing the community organizers at ACORN of deliberate voting fraud in order to distract the media from Republican voter suppression schemes.2 In fact, ACORN-which has registered a remarkable 1.3 million new voters-has followed the law scrupulously.3
For over twenty-five years, Republicans have promoted the myth of voting fraud to argue for restrictive voting laws-but Bush's own Justice Department found virtually no organized voting fraud.4 Now McCain is attacking ACORN in order to justify a frenzy of lawsuits making it harder for Obama supporters to vote.
Here's what he's not telling you:
* The only fraud committed was against ACORN itself. ACORN hired 13,000 workers to register voters. And a few of them turned in registration forms with inaccurate and even made-up names to get credit for work they didn't do. ACORN fired them and turned them over to the authorities.5
* ACORN reported the fraudulent registration forms. In most states, ACORN is required by law to submit all forms collected whether they appear to be bogus or not-that way election officials, not partisan groups, can make the call. ACORN flags cards that may not be legitimate. And in many places, the charges of fraud only came up because ACORN was the one who flagged the cards!6
* This won't have any impact on the election. No one is allowed to vote unless they are properly registered. And there is no evidence of false registrations actually leading to organized voting fraud.7
We can't let false charges of voting fraud distract us from the very real voter suppression campaign that is already well under way.
Republicans are looking for typos on voter registration forms, threatening to challenge homeowners facing foreclosure, and falsely warning that voters with outstanding traffic tickets may be arrested if they go to the polls.8
(To maintain your interest, I am copying the list of Sources to the very bottom of this post. If you wish to see the numerically linked sources, just jump to the bottom with our end key)
2) From PFAW
On Saturday night, we obtained text and audio of the threats made to ACORN in the last several days. I urge you to read this post on People For the American Way's Right Wing Watch blog. It's a sobering reminder of how much hate remains in the world and how much work lies ahead in combating it.
Since coming out in defense of ACORN against the ludicrous and overblown charges of so-called "voter fraud" by the McCain-Palin campaign, we've received some pretty disgusting hate e-mail too. Unfortunately, these types of fear mongering messages may continue if we are doing our job of standing up to injustice and hate. But I am proud that People For has the guts to be out front in support of our allies and stand up against the increasingly ugly and destructive right-wing machine.
The threats and hate mail come as part of a crescendo of hate and bigotry and outright racism that we've seen building over the last two weeks, including:
* an escalation in volatile rhetoric from white supremacist groups,
* video footage of attendees at McCain-Palin rallies spouting ignorant and frightening comments about Barack Obama's race, and
* incidents like a California GOP women's group sending out a newsletter saying that if Barack Obama is elected, his image would appear on food stamps, not dollar bills like other presidents (with an illustration following the statement of an "Obama Bucks" bill featuring Obama's image surrounded by a bucket of fried chicken, watermelon, ribs and Kool-aid).
The GOP has recklessly fanned these flames with ugly robocalls and "push polling" calls that attempt to tie Obama to terrorists (some of the calls actually purport to be from the Obama campaign). And earlier this week, Sarah Palin started referring to her ticket's supporters as "pro-American" as if the rest of us somehow are not -- a sentiment later echoed by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) who invoked Joe McCarthy by suggesting that someone launch an investigation to expose which members of Congress are not sufficiently "pro-American."
People For the American Way is proud to counter the lies and insinuations of the Right. Please know that we are counting on all of you. Together we can send the message that this kind of hate and bigotry is unacceptable and has no place in the America for which we strive.
Please take a moment to sign on to a simple statement to that effect, and if you've seen incidences of racism, threats and hate speech in your community, please share the story with us.
Thank you for the work you do in your communities -- and for the work your support enables us to do.
All the best,
Kathryn Kolbert, President
People For the American Way
OK, now if you got all of that you need to see how this is being twisted by the anti-obama forces to which I currently subscribe and reveal here in my blog. The following is directly quoted from NewsMax. See how they are distorting the facts to try to disenfranchise legitimately registered voters
3) from NewsMax
There's only ONE way to STOP the far-left Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) from possibly hi-jacking our electoral system.
The actions you take (or do not take) RIGHT NOW as you read this urgent appeal may well determine whether or not ACORN will succeed.
Powerline.com went so far as to write: "It is reasonable to ask whether ACORN is in fact a criminal conspiracy to subvert the voting rights of Americans."
ACORN's actions, which are currently under investigation in 12 states, may actually strike at the very heart of the freedoms we cherish and enjoy in the United States of America!
This is probably the most urgent and pivotal letter we've ever put before you.
These are desperate times and simply listening to Sean Hannity or Rush talk about this evolving scandal on the radio WILL NOT STOP ACORN!
Hearing allegations about ACORN on FOX News WILL NOT STOP ACORN!
Simply shooting off an angry e-mail IS NOT going to STOP ACORN!
And no, threatening "legal action" AFTER the fact IS NOT going to STOP ACORN!
Frankly, RIGHT NOW, talk is cheap.
There's only ONE way to STOP the apparent massive voter fraud that may be taking place right under your nose.
Simply put, if the voter registration allegations against ACORN are true, that means thousands of fraudulent votes could be cast in pivotal swing states and make a farce of our entire electoral process!
Most everyone has heard the old story about dead people voting in Chicago.
Imagine such a thing happening on a much larger scale. ACORN presently operates in 38 states!
But there is a simple solution to this potential problem!
Congress must be called back into session IMMEDIATELY and emergency legislation must be passed that simply states that voters must produce a valid state or federal ID at the polls or have their votes counted only provisionally until legitimacy can be verified.
Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent, separate and distinct Blast Faxes to President George W. Bush and each and every Member of the Leadership of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
Tell them to call Congress back into session immediately and demand that they pass emergency legislation that will require all voters to present valid state or federal IDs at the polling place or have their votes counted only provisionally until legitimacy can be verified. Tell them that the cherished privilege to vote is pivotal to our way of life and MUST be protected from ALL illegitimate challenges whether they come from the political left or the political right!
Demand they do it NOW! Threatening to cut off federal funds from ACORN AFTER the election is simply too little too late. ACORN's actions constitute a clear and present danger to our system of government. While such actions should and must be taken, cutting off funding and issuing court challenges and indictments after the fact does not address the threat we now face and only destabilizes our government, sets a dangerous precedent and encourages future threats!
- SEND MY BLAST FAXES-
If the above hyperlink does not appear to function, you should copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
We MUST flood our legislative officials with high-impact faxes and calls. After you take action, please forward this urgent and time sensitive alert to at least 10 of your friends. Our system of government hangs in the balance!
ACORN "Wiseguys" Laugh At Criminal Indictments!
Some will say that criminal investigations are already in progress and since authorities already plan a nationwide sweep of ACORN offices there is no need to panic.
In other words, the system will handle the problem.
But the sad truth of the matter is that such Pollyanna pronouncements will do NOTHING to STOP ACORN.
Quite frankly, if past performance is any indication of future results, CRIMINAL INDICTMENTS OR LAWSUITS MAY NOT STOP ACORN!
According to some reports, ACORN, in the past, has actually recruited convicted felons.
The Associated Press recently reported that the Milwaukee ACORN office hired at least seven felons who were convicted of crimes ranging from drug possession to robbery.
According to the Washington Post: "Nevada Secretary of State and Attorney General who alleged in an application for a search warrant that ACORN had hired 59 felons through a work release program as canvassers..." [Emphasis Mine]
ACORN's Wisconsin political director Carolyn Castore rather matter-of-factly told the Associated Press: "We have a lot of folks with felony records and, frankly, they need jobs."
And yes, there is a history of complaints against ACORN.
Michael Gaynor with Canada Free Press recounts an article published in the Wall Street Journal TWO YEARS AGO:
"These are recent complaints, but ACORN's history is riddled with criminal activity. During the last major election, the Wall Street Journal did a story about ACORN. Four ACORN workers had been indicted by a federal grand jury for submitting false voter registration forms to the Kansas City, Missouri, election board; other ACORN workers were convicted in Wisconsin and Colorado and investigations, at the time the article was written, were under way in Ohio, Tennessee and Pennsylvania."
Gaynor also writes of more recent indictments and investigations:
"Last year, The Seattle Times reported the biggest voter-registration fraud scheme in Washington history. Three ACORN employees pleaded guilty, and four more were charged for filling out and submitting more than 1,800 fictitious voter-registration cards during a 2006 registration drive in King and Pierce counties.' (Keith Ervin, 'Three plead guilty in fake voter scheme,' 10-30-2007)"
"This year, an ACORN employee in West Reading, PA, was sentenced for up to 23 months in prison for identity theft and tampering with records. A second ACORN worker pleaded not guilty to the same charges and is free on $10,000 bail.
"There are also examples of indictments this year, such as the four ACORN employees in Kansas City charged with identity theft and filing false registrations during the 2006 election and the Reynoldsburg fellow indicted on two felony counts of illegal voting and false registration, after being registered by ACORN to vote in two separate counties. And there are current investigations into ACORN for voter fraud all over the map..." [Emphasis Mine]
Ask yourself the following (assuming these most recent allegations are credible), if criminal indictments have not deterred ACORN in the past, why should the prospect of criminal indictments deter ACORN NOW?
Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent, separate and distinct Blast Faxes to President George W. Bush and each and every Member of the Leadership of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
Tell them to call Congress back into session immediately and demand that they pass emergency legislation that will require all voters to present valid state or federal IDs at the polling place or have their votes counted only provisionally until legitimacy can be verified. Tell them that the cherished privilege to vote is pivotal to our way of life and MUST be protected from ALL illegitimate challenges whether they come from the political left or the political right!
Demand they do it NOW! Threatening to cut off federal funds from ACORN AFTER the election is simply too little too late. ACORN's actions constitute a clear and present danger to our system of government. While such actions should and must be taken, cutting off funding and issuing court challenges and indictments after the fact does not address the threat we now face and only destabilizes our government, sets a dangerous precedent and encourages future threats!
- SEND MY BLAST FAXES-
If the above hyperlink does not appear to function, you should copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
We MUST flood our legislative officials with high-impact faxes and calls. After you take action, please forward this urgent and time sensitive alert to at least 10 of your friends. Our system of government hangs in the balance!
Too Little Too Late...
Investors' Business Daily (IBD) recently made the following suggestion to John McCain:
"McCain would be wise to start preparing a challenge to voter registration rolls should he lose the race in a close contest. He'd be crazy not to contest the results in light of these events."
With all due respect to IBD, the only "craziness" would be to wait. This is NOT a Republican vs. Democrat or Liberal vs. Conservative issue.
IF ACORN has already violated our system of government and IF they plan to continue violating our system through election day with impunity, closing the barn doors after the horses have gone is not a sound strategy.
Some of our elected officials are starting to talk tough but again, talk is cheap.
According to Politico.com, House Minority Leader John Boehner is already talking about cutting off federal funding to ACORN.
But his proposed actions fall short of the mark.
"Election cycle after election cycle, this organization has been at the forefront of breaking the law in order to promote their left-wing agenda. All the while, they have been the recipients of millions of dollars of federal funding through various federal programs and third-party groups. House Republicans took a stand recently to cut off funding to an ACORN slush fund created by their allies in the House Majority, but now more must be done."
"All federal funding to ACORN must be stopped. The ACORN slush fund must be disbanded. Sources of federal funding through the Department of Housing and Urban Development or any other agency must be stopped. Contracting for services between candidates for federal office and ACORN, as Senator Obama has done, must end. Now that the taxpayers own Fannie Mae, any funding from Fannie Mae's nonprofit foundation to ACORN must stop.
"ACORN spent decades promoting the housing policies that brought America's economy to the brink, and similarly over the years has committed fraud on our system of elections, making American voters question the fairness and accuracy of the exercise of their most fundamental right under the Constitution. Now it is time to cut off ACORN before it grows even more destructive."
No Congressman Boehner!
Now is not the time to just cut off funding (frankly, that should have happened years ago).
NOW is the time to protect our electoral process!
Boehner does however, bring up a valid point. Your tax dollars ARE STILL going to ACORN. You're actually paying them just as surely as if you wrote the check yourself!
Yes, we should cut off ALL funding to ACORN NOW as Boehner states. Yes, we should have Congressional investigations. And yes, if the allegations are true, we shouldn't stop with ACORN... heads should roll in Congress as well!
But that's not enough to STOP the clear and present danger we all face today!
In a day and age when we have to present valid identification to board an airplane, it's not a stretch to ask someone to simply prove their identity to vote.
It does not present a "constitutional crisis" or deny anyone access to a polling place to ask them to either present valid identification or vote provisionally. If their identity can be verified later, then their vote is counted.
Free societies actually institute such requirements.
Tyrannies and Banana Republics DO NOT!
It's unfortunate that our conservative leaders often lack the imagination and the forethought to understand the gravity of the threats we face.
We shouldn't have to ask that our liberties be protected. Our elected leaders should be calling upon us to take action... not visa-versa.
But do it we must.
If we don't send the message NOW, the message will not be sent... at least not until it is TOO LATE!
Join us by acting NOW!
Use the hyperlink below to send your urgent, separate and distinct Blast Faxes to President George W. Bush and each and every Member of the Leadership of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
Tell them to call Congress back into session immediately and demand that they pass emergency legislation that will require all voters to present valid state or federal IDs at the polling place or have their votes counted only provisionally until legitimacy can be verified. Tell them that the cherished privilege to vote is pivotal to our way of life and MUST be protected from ALL illegitimate challenges whether they come from the political left or the political right!
Demand they do it NOW! Threatening to cut off federal funds from ACORN AFTER the election is simply too little too late. ACORN's actions constitute a clear and present danger to our system of government. While such actions should and must be taken, cutting off funding and issuing court challenges and indictments after the fact does not address the threat we now face and only destabilizes our government, sets a dangerous precedent and encourages future threats!
- SEND MY BLAST FAXES-
If the above hyperlink does not appear to function, you should copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
We MUST flood our legislative officials with high-impact faxes and calls. After you take action, please forward this urgent and time sensitive alert to at least 10 of your friends. Our system of government hangs in the balance!
Yours In Freedom,
Jeff Mazzella
President
www.cfif.org
P.S. Please help us reach as many concerned Americans as possible by forwarding this e-mail to at least 10 of your friends and family members.
Center for Individual Freedom
113 S. Columbus St., Suite 310
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-535-5836
Fax:703-535-5838
CFIF is a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit constitutional advocacy organization with
the mission to protect and defend individual freedoms and individual rights.
Contributions to CFIF are
not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
Contributions may be deductible as a business expense.
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The following list of Sources regards the defense of Acorn, but due to its length I moved it down here as not to detract from the ludicrous charges of the Republican party.
Sources:
1. "States' Actions to Block Voters Appear Illegal," New York Times, October 8, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/us/politics/09voting.html
"Check-off box delays thousands of voter registrations," Denver Post, October 14, 2008
http://www.denverpost.com/previous2/home/ci_10713377
2. "ACORN defends efforts amid voter-fraud allegations," Associated Press, October 14, 2008
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081014/ap_on_el_pr/voter_fraud
3. "The Truth About ACORN's Voter Registration Drives," ACORN
http://acorn.org/quickfacts
4. "In 5-Year Effort, Scant Evidence of Voter Fraud," New York Times, April 12, 2007
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12fraud.html
"The Truth About Fraud," Brennan Center for Justice
http://www.truthaboutfraud.org/
5. "Group Answers Charges of Voter Registration Fraud," New York Times, October 14, 2008
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/acorn/
6. "Voter Group Admits Mistakes, Defends Work," ABC News, October 14, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31241&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=5
"Is there ACORN fraud in Florida?," Orlando Sentinel, October 15, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31239&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=6
7. "'Fraud' vs. 'Suppression'," Politico, October 14, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31240&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=7
8. "After A Surge in Registration, A Surge in Suppression," Brennan Center for Justice, October 7, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31236&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=8
"Democrats fear GOP will turn away foreclosed voters; GOP won't rule out using residency change to challenge a ballot," Indianapolis Star, October 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31237&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=9
"Vote-scam fliers target black neighborhoods," Philadelphia Daily News, October 2, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=31041&id=14417-9610373-54AZC0x&t=10