Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Liberalism: Do You Agree We've Had Enough of It? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lorne who wrote (72884)	9/30/2009 9:16:51 AM
From: lorne	5 Recommendations Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 224744

ACORN May Face Trial for First Time as Nevada Prosecutors Allege 'Widespread' Criminal Policies Tuesday, September 29, 2009 By Eric Shawn foxnews.com LAS VEGAS — When ACORN took to Las Vegas and started playing "Blackjack" and "21," the activist group was making a far bigger gamble than it ever guessed, according to Nevada prosecutors. There's nothing wrong with playing the tables in Vegas, but authorities say ACORN was using the names of those casino games as a cover to illegally pay workers to sign up voters as part of an illegal quota system. A preliminary hearing Tuesday in the downtown Clark County courthouse has put ACORN on trial for the first time as a criminal defendant. Until now, prosecutions for voter registration fraud have focused on ACORN workers, and authorities have secured guilty pleas from several who admitted to falsifying voter registration forms. But when investigators from Nevada Secretary of State Ross Miller's office raided the ACORN Las Vegas office, Ross says they found a paper trail that implicated the ACORN organization itself. "We came across policy manuals that outline their policy of creating a quota system, which is against the law," Miller told FOX News in an interview. "This, in fact, was something that was widespread and something the organization itself knew about, and it's important to hold the organization criminally accountable as opposed to the individual field directors." ACORN denies it had a quota for the number of voter registration forms that its workers were required to turn in every day. Instead, the organization says there were "performance standards" — an expectation that workers would find 20 new voters a day. But prosecutors say ACORN paid a $5 bonus per day to workers who would sign up 21 or more voters per shift, hence the name "21" or "Blackjack," an alleged quota system that Ross says is the first step toward corrupting the democratic system. "These charges strike at the heart of having integrity of the electoral process. That's something that is important in Nevada and the entire country," he told FOX News. "By filing these charges we are sending a clear message we are not going to tolerate these kinds of activities. We have seen voter registration abuse before and we are holding these people accountable." Pressure has been mounting on ACORN in recent weeks after videotapes surfaced showing staffers in multiple cities offering advice to a man and woman posing as a pimp and a prostitute on how to commit tax fraud. The IRS and Census Bureau have severed ties with the group, and the inspector general of the Department of Justice is reviewing the agency's involvement with ACORN. More than a dozen state and local authorities are also scrutinizing ACORN, including Maryland's attorney general. ACORN lawyer Lisa Rasmussen told FOX News that the Nevada prosecution is "selective and has unfairly targeted ACORN." She claims the case violates the right to petition to gather voters. At the preliminary hearing Tuesday, prosecutors and defense lawyers sparred over the arcane regulations of voter registration. But the highlight of the proceedings was the testimony of Christopher Edwards, the 33-year-old former ACORN field director who has cut a deal with prosecutors to testify against the group. Edwards has begun to provide a view inside ACORN's operations, telling investigators about the Blackjack program in the Las Vegas office, which allegedly submitted the names of the starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys as new voters. "It's Las Vegas, it's blackjack," Edwards testified, describing what he called the "Blackjack bonus," saying ACORN set a quota of 20 cards per day for workers, and 1,000 a week for the group's political organizers. Edwards described a huge sign in the ACORN office that read: "Blackjack Bonus, 21 cards, extra 5 dollars," and said the program was instituted with the approval of higher-ups. In fact, he said, other ACORN offices were jealous of the Blackjack program. Edwards said there were problems with payroll fraud at ACORN, noting that a Detroit voter registration director paid himself twice, falsely claiming he was also a canvasser. Edwards told the court that he hired Nevada "non-violent offenders" from a prison transition facility as canvassers, and when asked if there was pressure from ACORN to increase voter registrations, he said, "every day." If the trial goes forward and ACORN is convicted, the Nevada operation could lose its tax-exempt status. That would have national implications for the organization — meaning ACORN could end up with a losing hand.

To: lorne who wrote (72884)	9/30/2009 10:17:20 AM
From: MJ	1 Recommendation Respond to of 224744

Young Kennedy is simply flaming the flames with his talk of his family that historically has served but served with a tainted past. That's a shame-----if it were the Republicans in office with a healthcare bill----does anyone believe that this young Kennedy would not be at the forefront of criticism in Congress and in demonstrations? The constitution protects our right to gather and for freedom of speech. Young Kennedy should get use to it------that's politics. Consider all of the demonstrations in our history----one of the biggest being the Anti-Vietnam War Demonstrations------consider when Washington D.C.--- 14th Street was pillaged and burned. Young Kennedy should look at his deceased Uncle and ask if the tactics used by Kennedy in the debates about the ERA and later about Abortion were fair------Ted Kennedy used every trick of the trade to control the states of the nation via these amendments that were defeated in the states. And now the Obama Administration wants to push this Ted Kennedy Obamacare that will control every American in the USA----every facet of our and your lives. Is this what young Kennedy wants? Control over every fact of our and your lives? Young Kennedy should remember why his family came here and why others came---------to escape the tyrannies of the nations that we came from in Europe. When Congress imposes laws, rules, and regulations that reimpose those tyrannies why should people not protest? The Boston Tea Party happened for reasons. mj

To: lorne who wrote (72884)	9/30/2009 1:55:25 PM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 224744

The primary is nearly a year away, but the candidacy of Mr. Romanoff, a former two-term speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, is forcing Democrats to choose sides. The two men have no glaring policy differences, but the contested primary, some Democrats fear, could weaken the party in the general election. “We thought by this time we wouldn’t have a primary,” said Pat Waak, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party. “I would rather us focus on who our candidate is.” Mr. Romanoff and his supporters had lobbied hard for the Senate appointment that went, to the surprise of many Democrats, to Mr. Bennet, and over the past year, questions about Mr. Romanoff’s future had lingered. Friends said he had even pondered a challenge to the governor, Bill Ritter Jr., who is up for re-election next year. Mr. Romanoff explained his decision to seek the Senate seat by saying Colorado voters deserved the right to decide who should be senator. “I believe the Democratic Party and Colorado are strong enough to survive an honest contest,” he said. “My aim is to grow our ranks, not to divide them.” Meanwhile, Mr. Bennet — a former Denver public schools superintendent whose father, Douglas, held positions in the Clinton and Carter administrations — is proving to be a prodigious fund-raiser, raising about $2.6 million so far. This month, President Obama made a point of endorsing him. Ms. Waak, the party chairwoman, said she was disappointed with Mr. Romanoff’s decision to enter the race and has warned local party officials to stay out of the campaign. But the state’s elected officials are a different matter. Many members of the state legislature who know Mr. Romanoff are publicly backing him, while others are standing with Mr. Bennet. So far, Democrats in Colorado’s Congressional delegation have mostly lined up behind Mr. Bennet, with Senator Mark Udall and Representative Betsy Markey backing him. But Representative Diana DeGette says she plans to stay neutral, and Representative Ed Perlmutter has not yet signaled a preference. “Nobody has given me a compelling reason why Michael Bennet has not earned the opportunity to be our U.S. senator for a full term,” said Terrance D. Carroll, the speaker of the Colorado House, who is supporting Mr. Bennet despite being a friend of Mr. Romanoff. The early goings of the primary race have also split the state’s Hispanic voters, an important voting bloc for Democrats in past elections that makes up 10 percent of the electorate. Mr. Romanoff, who speaks Spanish, has surrounded himself by some of the state’s most influential Hispanic politicians. “Andrew has developed relationships within the Hispanic community over the past couple of decades,” said Polly Baca, a longtime former Colorado legislator, who is advising Mr. Romanoff. Mr. Bennet has been making inroads among Hispanics, some of whom are still wary of Mr. Romanoff because of his prominent role during a special legislative session in 2006, in which tough immigration measures were passed. “Senator Bennet has told us that he is willing to lose an election over immigration reform,” said Jessie Ulibarri, a Latino Democratic advocate. “It is comforting to have a senator with that stance.”