On ACORN and Voter Fraud

Could you imagine if McCain was tied to a group such as ACORN, which has already admitted in some states to non-existent people, with non-existent addresses being registered to vote? It would be the fecal storm of the century and we the public would be buried up to our necks in dung from news organizations rushing to cover the scandal and their spewing of it into our homes through all forms of media. However, Obama has ties to this very group and it raises some interesting legitimate questions, yet he gets a free pass on it for the most part. It is true that my thoughts concerning media coverage between Obama and McCain in such circumstances is of a scenario that is mainly a hypothetical of a hypocritical, but based on the current trend of media and cultural biases, I do think this would be the case. Yet, with media hardly mentioning it, this isn't what really gets to me. No, in fact, media is just representing the culture in this case. This is very dangerous to the values that America claims to hold onto, but that are now, in reality, just hanging by a thin threat. Again, its our own fault for we Americans are apparently too busy or stuck in our ways to give a damn about any large injustice that takes place, as this certainly is.

I can't speak for every one of the 14 states where ACORN is being investigated, but I will use my home state of Washington as an example that I may build my point from, if there is a point that is; we will soon find out. In Washington State, ACORN has already admitted to "fraudulently" collecting voter registration. Felony charges were brought against seven people in what is referred to as the "worst case of voter fraud in Washington State history." Nearly 1800 falsified registrations, with names such as "John McCay," "Frekkie Magoal," and "Fruto Boy Crispila" (sounds like a cereal marketed towards gay people) were uncovered and all that ACORN needed to do was pay for the investigation costs, which was about $25,000 dollars and promise that they will never do it again, or face criminal prosecution. A federal, serious crime that could heavily influence the future direction of the nation and all the local government did was wave their finger at these people? Tsk, tsk ACORN. Bad ACORN.

The most interesting thing about this whole deal is some of the arguments coming from the left-wing blogosphere, which are hilarious in their lack of real thought or reasoning. I few of these include:

A.) It doesn't really matter because they are only 1800 votes, which isn't enough to swing an election.
B.) It doesn't really matter because you have to show your ID before you vote, so it wouldn't have made an impact anyway.
C.) It doesn't really matter because the Republican party probably does it too.

Well, now. Allow me to retort.


The first one is truly the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Yes, that may be the case in the end, but can we really assume that all fraud was caught? Are we safely and legitimately able to make that assumption? I, for one, don't think so and believe that though 1800 are caught, countless more probably slip through the cracks. Let us look at the last election where our current state Governor won by only 130 votes out of 2.9 million ballots, the closest in the country. Votes do matter, they count and voter fraud has the ability to sway any election one way or another, otherwise people wouldn't even attempt to do it in the first place, but they do because they know it makes an impact.

The second one is great as well and is equally, if not more stupid. Truthout.org put it worst when they said, "But this is not voter fraud, it's voter registration fraud. The two are not the same. Jive Turkey isn't showing up at the polls asking for a ballot." Yes, voters need to register, and I hope you all have, and they do need to provide a valid ID before they vote, but these two things in unison are what allows a vote to be counted. You cannot just be registered and NOT vote and have a vote counted, (or your not supposed to be able to, but perhaps there are additional fraud schemes that help this to occur) nor can you NOT be registered and vote and have a vote counted. It needs both of these things, so people who use this argument are forgetting the fact that registration is not the final step, but such groups also intend to falsify ballots as well. So such a statement holds no water at all.

The third and final one I cannot believe is even being used as an argument because all of us learned a simple basic lesson when we were children and that was that, "two wrongs don't make a right." Am I excusing Republicans and just focusing on ACORN because of some bias? Not at all, but there are several differences between ACORN and Republican voter fraud that need to be taken into account. First, Republican fraud was found in the State of Ohio with falsified ballots and let me be the first to say it is detestable. However, this is occurring in one state, while ACORN's fraud is being pursued in 13. It is a much wider problem and that’s why it grabbed my attention first, not to mention its occurring in my own home state. Secondly, the degree and amount of fraud and fraudulent names is much, much larger in the ACORN example, than the Republican one. Degree doesn't excuse it though and they are equally horrible and I feel that we Americans need to hold these groups accountable, not fill registration forms from them when we are approached, nor give them our support. Finally, ACORN was charged with wrong doing, while no charges have been filed against the GOP, but if there was illegal activity on the part of the GOP, charges should be filed immediately. So, considering all things, there are some pretty large differences that need to be taken into account when raising such an argument.

I find it appalling that these groups are just able to go about willfully breaking the law and influencing elections to their hearts content, assuming they have a heart. Any Democrat and Republican group who gets charged with such things, needs their funding taken away and they should no longer be able to provide voter registration to anybody. Not a single soul. Yet, nobody holds these people accountable and the public, media, authorities and government all make these lousy excuses in order to overlook the willful, unlawful deeds of such organizations. Why isn't there more outcry? We probably don't have the right anymore as Americans to complain about all these corrupt politicians getting into power because when things like this are uncovered we let it slide, even though it can clearly represent the corrupt nature of those persons that such groups are trying to illegitimately thrust into office. We the public, not the media or those already in government, need to hold these people accountable because if we don't, such fraud will continue to build and get worse and worse as time moves ever forward on its endless march. Right now these groups are able to continue to operate unchecked and it is about time they got a dose of some accountability.