ACORN Donation Obama Figures?

Another ACORN scandal – in a funeral home?
Group operating out of small building donated $33 million to Obama campaign
Posted: May 14, 2009
11:30 pm Eastern By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
Fox News' Glenn Beck may have uncovered another twist to a series of ACORN's alleged scandals when he revealed on his show that the group's main affiliate is operating out of a former New Orleans funeral home and bringing in millions of taxpayer dollars.

The Service Employees International Union's New Orleans headquarters location that also houses ACORN is supposed to be home to more than 270 related corporations and non-profits.

"Does that former funeral home look big enough to you to house 270 organizations?" Beck asked. "The owner of the building is a company whose partners are – oh my gosh! – Wade and Dale Rathke."

Wade Rathke, a New Orleans resident, is founder of ACORN and also founder and chief organizer of Service Employees International Union, which donated $33 million to President Obama's campaign last year.The online OpenSecrets.org estimates Obama's entire campaign spending at about $640 million.

According to the New York Times, he failed to notify police in 2000 when he learned that his brother Dale, ACORN's chief financial officer, had embezzled $948,600 from Citizens Consulting Inc., the ACORN affiliate that handles its financial affairs.

Beck said Wade and Dale are listed as president or partner in dozens of companies based in the New Orleans building.

"[T]he big question remains unanswered: Millions of dollars flow into that building every year," Beck said. "Where does it go?"


Wade Rathke


He said ACORN received as much as $10 million in federal grants last year. But it could get up to $8 billion more after the House passed Rep. Barney Frank's amendment allowing organizations indicted for voter fraud or related crimes to receive taxpayer dollars today.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., urged Congress to block ACORN's access to federal housing funds.

"ACORN, as you know, is no stranger to the spotlight," Bachmann said outside the Capitol. "Yet no matter how many times prosecutors investigate and even indict ACORN and their employees, they emerge unblemished as far as the federal government is concerned from having access to federal tax dollars."

Bachmann told Fox News that ACORN has received at least $53 million in tax dollars since 1994. Frank's amendment passed by a vote of 245-176, largely upon party lines.

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=98145

Beck: ACORN web of connections

Glenn Beck revisits the issue of ACORN and its "web of connections" - he wants to know what we might know. So send in your investigative reports...

Last episodes discussion

Former ACORN Board Member Wants Answers
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
This is a rush transcript from "Glenn Beck," May 11, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

GLENN BECK, HOST: Now, let's talk to somebody who I may not agree with on politics — I don't really know because I haven't talked with him — but I know he is working at ACORN and I think that's just a left group, but I do agree with the man on principle.

Current ACORN member, Michael McCray: He was a member of ACORN's national board like the women I spoke to on Friday on this program. He, like them, was pushed off the board after they all started asking questions...

...BECK: Oh, yes. That's why, you know, I was told on Friday by the two amazing women that were here, I was told on Friday, "Glenn, stop looking at this as politics. It's not politics. It's about money." Can you tell me — because what I'm trying to do is I'm trying to find — I'm trying to find the beating heart of this — this is like hydra. You can cut ACORN off but it just sprouts another head. There are all kinds of affiliated organizations.

Can you tell me at all what CCI is?

MCCRAY: Well, I'm glad you asked that, Glenn. Essentially, CCI — Citizens Consulting, Inc. — is basically the financial nerve center for ACORN and all its entities. So, if you really want to try to follow the money, that's why we requested a forensic examination and financial audit of CCI.

BECK: OK. CCI — can you put that back up on the screen, please? CCI shows one — what a surprise, it's in New Orleans. There's no corruption down there. It shows one address. This is the address that has — that all of the other ACORN entities, they all list this as their address.

So, if you are — correct me if I'm wrong here, Michael — but if you're in one of these organizations and you apply for federal dollars or any kind of dollars, the money goes there?

MCCRAY: Well, Glenn, I'm glad you mentioned that. I mean, that's the main problem. As a matter of fact, the money goes there first.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519948,00.html

Former ACORN Board Members Speak Out
Monday, May 11, 2009
GLENN BECK, HOST: This week, I learned an awful lot about the "ACORN 8," eight members of the group that joined because they wanted to help people. They said when they learned about some of the fraud and corruption; they just couldn't take it anymore. They tried to blow the whistle but it seems like nobody would listen to them.

I want to introduce you to two women that were in my office this afternoon and we had about a 45-minute conversation. We're going to try to break it down here in the next few minutes. They are — they were once national board — once national board members of ACORN. They ran an organization after the CEO and CFO of the group were fired over a million-dollar embezzlement scandal. Then, when they tried to get the books opened to find out about the corruption, one of them was fired from the board.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,519834,00.html

Write-in Choice: Paper Recorded Ballot

Want to send a message to unsatisfactory candidates whose names appear on the Primary ballot? Use the write-in option and vote another candidate whose name doesn't appear on the ballot for the contest, or if there is nobody that meets your specs, vote None of the Above as a write-in choice.

Want to send a message to election officials who chose wholly electronic voting systems and who have yet to see the usefulness of hand-marked ballots that provide a record in ink in the event a recount is ordered?

Want those election officials to adopt paper ballots as a voter choice of voting system at the polling place in the Primary or General Elections?

if you are displeased with only one choice of voting system when you show up in person to cast a vote at the polling place, under a contest between candidates you intend to leave blank, or under-vote, use the write-in feature on the electronic voting machine to write-in a choice for inclusion of paper ballots.

In a Friday, May 19, 2006 piece online, PA Voters' Dirty Write-In Votes & a Better Idea, Joyce McCloy of Black Box Voting.com makes several recommendations to send just such a message.

Put the "write in" feature to good use. Why not write in your "vote" for one of these candidates (especially in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida or anywhere that the lawmakers and election officials refuse to listen to the voters) :

-voterverified paperballots
-noproof notruth
-HR550
-no vaporballots
-paper ballots

If enough people write in the same thing, for the same contest, your candidate, "No Vaporballots" might win.

Regardless, your write-in vote will be counted, and then the media can report something that actually IS newsworthy - that the voters do not want paperless voting. Count those write ins if you don't believe us!

If "voterverified paperballots" got 2,000 votes in a small contest, it might win!

http://blackboxvoting.com/s9/index.php?/archives/124-PA-Voters-Dirty-Write-In-Votes-a-Better-Idea.html

Rather than the above, might we suggest a very clear message "paper recorded ballot."

While many election officials (who tout electronic method of marking a ballot) have actually argued the electronic marked direct recording machines (called DREs) can print-out on paper each electronically cast ballot, there is actually no way for anyone to determine whether the voter indeed actually made the selection recorded in data stored in an internal memory area.

Nobody can determine whether what is stored on a memory card for instance was tampered with and so if what officials print out from the DRE has in some way been tampered with, nobody will ever know.

However, with a paper ballot, hand-marked by the voter, and the optical-scan system used to scan the ballot for counting (the system also enables second-chance voting in case of error or voter changes) the actual "record" of the voted ballot is the paper ballot.

In the event of a recount - there is something visible to recount. A paper ballot.

That's not to say a wholly paper ballot system cannot be tampered with. It can be. Memory cards can be tampered with. Ballots themselves can be manufactured or created anew and inserted into the optical scan machines.

That's why the chain of custody for paper ballots must be as clean and visible or transparent as possible.

That's why the state of Minnesota is in the position it is with the contest between Norm Coleman and Al Franken.

The chain of custody there during the recount was horrendous.

The entire state uses paper ballots, but not all precincts used precinct scanners.

There were enough questionable delivery of absentee ballots there to warrant a complete investigation yet no investigation was done.

yet in comparison to wholly electronic voting systems, the paper ballot with optical scanner as a choice for the voter can have safeguards built-in, if only election officials would allow that choice.

Many don't so if you want that choice you might want to write it in this next election in areas of the ballot you intend to leave blank anyway.

Silent Sebelius Sidesteps How Taxpayers Pay Uninsured Coverage

Secretary of Health faced the question posed twice by Mike Barnacle on Morning Joe programming this morning but skirted it with platitudes.

Barnacle asked: How are we going to pay for this?

Sebelius responded: We need to change healthcare...

Barnacle asked: How is this going to be paid for?

Sebelius responded: We need to lower costs...

Her answers didn't answer the direct question posed two different ways.

How are we - taxpayers - going to pay for this via the federal government program?

In other words, if (approximately 46 million)(according to reports)(the number keeps rising because people keep dropping out of the private programs expecting public-funded replacement healthcare insurance and assurance)(no matter their unhealthy lifestyle choices) more people need insurance, but aren't acquiring insurance by paying in through private business employer/employee split insurance programs, how are the rest of the taxpayers going to pay for those who will use the new healthcare program but are not expected to chip in?

Another consideration, guess who currently is statistically the largest employer in the U.S.? Right, government. For the first time in history, government entities now employ more individuals than all the few left manufacturing plants, private business entities and banks too big to fail, and little mom 'n pop stores - combined!

Wouldn't it be interesting to discover that there are also now more than can be imagined illegal aliens who are included, yes included in the numbers cited 46 million uninsured?

ILLEGAL ALIENS AND EMTALA
Dr. Madeleine Cosman, Ph.D., ESQ
March 23, 2005
NewsWithViews.com


http://www.newswithviews.com/Cosman/madeleine.htm

2003 June 22 Sunday
Illegal Immigration Drives Up Number Of Medically Uninsured
Bruce Crawford argues that the high percentage of illegal immigrants with few skills and with less than a high school education is driving down wages among the poorest sector of society while driving up the number of people who have no medical insurance.

It is true since 1989 the national population without health insurance has grown by 7.8 million to 41.2 million in 2001. This is almost exactly the incease in the number of illegals in the U.S. When one counts both immigrants and children born to them, over 95 percent of the increase in uninsureds is the result of immigration, more than half of which (by some estimates, 70 percent) is attributable to illegal immigration.

This is a plausible argument. The level of uninsured among the Hispanic population in the United States is much higher than that of other ethnic and racial groups.

http://www.parapundit.com/archives/001395.html

Uninsured Immigrants Burden the Health Care System
Health Care News October 2001

Written By: A Camarota and James R. Edwards Jr.
Published In: Health Care News > October 2001
Publication date: 10/01/2001
Publisher: The Heartland Institute

Managing Editor’s note: The increase in the number of people without health insurance is one of the our most troubling social trends. An under-reported study from the Center for Immigration Studies finds the nation's health insurance crisis is being driven to a measurable degree by immigration policy.

The study, "Without Coverage: Immigration's Impact on the Size and Growth of the Population Lacking Health Insurance," was written by the Center's director of research, Steven A. Camarota, and James R. Edwards Jr. of the Hudson Institute. It offers detailed information, based on Census Bureau data, on immigrant and native insurance coverage at the national level, as well as for the major immigrant-receiving states and cities.

http://www.heartland.org/policybot/results/456/Uninsured_Immigrants_Burden_the_Health_Care_System.html

August 28, 2007 Right Truth
Almost half of uninsured in America are illegal aliens - UPDATED II
Poverty is down and median income is up, according to just released census figures 2006, Current Population Survey. (pdf) Reporting: Molly Henneberg, Fox News Channel.

2006: number of uninsured in America 47 million people, or 15.8% of the population.
2005: number of uninsured in America 44.8 million people, or 15.3% of the population.

Joseph Antos, American Enterprise Institute, looks inside the numbers, because they are very misleading.

uninsured who are NOT U.S. CITIZENS IS 45% of the 47 million.

Broken down by age, 18 - 24 years old - 29.3% of the 47 million.

25 - 35 years old - 26.9% of the 47 million.

http://righttruth.typepad.com/right_truth/2007/08/health-care-hyp.html

Health Care Lie: '47 Million Uninsured Americans'

http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/wosu/posts/list/1542810.page

From: Cafe, Election Central
Obama, Illegal immigrants and Health Insurance
By AM - July 27, 2008, 6:28PM
They reported that Obama has stated (showed a clip of a debate) that he
does not plan insuring the illegal immigrants in this country. He
stated his reason as "we have limited resources." Then they said
that he has stated many times his intention to insure the 47 million
uninsured people in this country, and that 40% of those are
illegal. Then CNN quickly moved onto something else...

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/07/obama-illegal-immigrants-and-h.php

Net the Truth Online

By Donna Smith Donna Smith – Wed May 6, 3:42 pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday said a proposed government health insurance plan backed by President Barack Obama would compete with private insurers rather than lead to a socialized system as Republicans claim.

In her first appearance before a congressional panel since taking office, Sebelius fielded questions about a new government health plan that would help cover the estimated 46 million uninsured Americans.

"Dismantling the private market ... is not something the president supports. He supports moving forward and filling the gap, not disrupting the entire market," Sebelius told the House Ways and Means Committee.

Republican and private insurers argue that a government-run plan would drive insurance companies out of business. Sebelius said it would inject competition in the market, keep costs low and help cover the uninsured.

Obama has not put forward a specific plan and is leaving it to the Democratic-controlled Congress to write the legislation.

Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel said how the plan they proposed would operate and what benefits it would offer depended largely on costs.

Sebelius said several states offer public insurance plans to their employees, taking on the underlying risk but contracting with private insurers to operate the plan.

Obama wants an overhaul of the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare industry passed by the end of the year. The ambitious undertaking has become more urgent amid soaring health costs and rising U.S. unemployment that is leaving many workers without their employer-sponsored health insurance.

"The costs of the current system are unacceptable and unsustainable," Sebelius told the committee.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090506/pl_nm/us_usa_healthcare_overhaul

Choice Easy Between Candidates for Fayette Common Pleas Judge

We find it interesting during the Fayette Civic Forum debate between two candidates for Fayette County Common Please Court Judge a notable defining issue was presented to voters who take time to sift through the stark and different information each presented to the audience.

From a Herald-Standard report Judicial candidates' debate spirited by Jennifer Harr

Candidates for Fayette County Common Pleas Court Judge (crossfiled)

Ernest P. DeHaas III

Nancy D. Vernon

DeHaas said that civil cases - which include not only lawsuits, but also custody cases, divorces and any other non-criminal matter that would come before the court - make up the bulk of the court's docket.

However, Vernon said she believes criminal cases did. She said she got that assessment from the county's current judges.

Which candidate is actually "correct" yes correct in different statements concerning the kind of cases that make up the often overwhelming docket in Fayette County court?

Shouldn't the candidate who got the information "correct" be the candidate who can bring more than experience to the bench?

Something more like 'trustworthiness?'

While DeHaas cited his background with civil cases, Vernon cited her background with prosecuting criminal cases.

The exchange between the two candidates on that matter alone could enable voters to determine which is the spinner and which is the truth-teller?

Shouldn't the candidate who did her or his homework and provided an accurate portrayal of the kinds of cases that make up the Fayette County docket be the candidate who voters will trust to well do his or her homework on the law?

So which is the correct info?

More Fayette County Common Pleas Court cases are non-criminal?

More Fayette County Common Pleas Court cases are criminal?

Should it turn out it's 50-50 voters will have a much more difficult choice. If not, the choice should be pretty clear.

Net the Truth Online

The following article is posted as published in the Herald-Standard for discussion purposes and in full so as not to leave out anything that might help make an informed decision.

Net the Truth Online

Judicial candidates' debate spirited
By Jennifer Harr, Herald-Standard
05/06/2009
Updated 05/06/2009 12:57:59 AM EDT

When voters go to the polls on May 19, they will have two longtime Fayette County attorneys to choose between for their next common pleas court judge.

And while Ernest P. DeHaas III and Nancy D. Vernon agreed on some issues, they entered into a spirited debate about their respective qualifications and other issues during a debate hosted Monday by the Fayette Civic Forum at the State Theatre Center for Arts in Uniontown. The forum was one of four held at the theater Monday night.

While Vernon, 53, cited her 10-year tenure as the county's chief prosecutor as one of her qualifications to take a seat on the bench, DeHaas, 61, said voters should consider his broad experience in civil cases.

Both have cross-filed in the primary.

DeHaas said that civil cases - which include not only lawsuits, but also custody cases, divorces and any other non-criminal matter that would come before the court - make up the bulk of the court's docket. However, Vernon said she believes criminal cases did. She said she got that assessment from the county's current judges.

Moderator Gary Altman, a local attorney, asked both about their ideas for improving the civil and criminal court systems in the county.

Because civil court week is held four times a year and most cases are settled before they actually go to trial, Vernon suggested the judges could set specific times to hear civil trials.

DeHaas said that, with twice as many civil cases filed than criminal cases, increasing the number of days for arbitration might be beneficial.

Cases in which plaintiffs sue for $50,000 or less are automatically scheduled for arbitration.

"A full-time DA wouldn't realize that because they're just (handling) criminal cases," DeHaas said.

DeHaas suggested that Vernon's office does not efficiently schedule cases to get them into court during the county's monthly criminal court term.

Vernon bristled at the suggestion.

She said that she schedules 10 cases for each courtroom to be heard during the week, however, it is beyond her control when a defendant decides to enter a plea, or continue the trial.

Although he cited a wealth of courtroom experience, Vernon said that she never has seen DeHaas in a criminal trial, and questioned his ability to keep up with the fast-paced ways of criminal law.

Vernon cited her vast criminal trial experience, which includes trying 26 homicide cases as district attorney. Of these, 15 resulted in first-degree murder convictions and nine in third-degree murder convictions. In two of the first-degree cases, she obtained a death sentence from jurors.

Vernon said she has tried more homicides than any district attorney ever has in Fayette County, and conducted more trials in general.

"I have the experience necessary to take the bench," she said.

"Experience as a prosecutors would have some importance if we were running for district attorney, but we're running for judge," DeHaas said.

He noted that former county judge Fred C. Adams has indicated to him that while on the bench only about 15 percent of the workload a judge sees is criminal.

By those numbers, DeHaas said he is uniquely qualified for the post because he has a wealth of experience in civil cases.

"My experience far exceeds hers," he said.

The candidates also went back and forth at different times during the debate about advertisements DeHaas has run criticizing how Vernon has dealt with appeals.

Those ads include quotes from various appellate court rulings that have criticized Vernon for not filing briefs in some cases.

In advertisements that attack Vernon's record in filing briefs in appeals cases, she said DeHaas as "misstated (facts) and misled people."

Vernon said a conviction never has been reversed because she failed to file a brief, and noted that she is not required to file one.

DeHaas, however, said that he never has failed to file appeals briefs, and has received compliments from judges for the work he has done on cases over the years.

Both candidates vowed that politics would not enter into his or her courtroom if elected.

"We don't want a person who is going to make a decision based on politics on the bench," DeHaas said.

As district attorney, Vernon said she is accustomed to making decisions based on the law and not on any other considerations.

"I have never made a decision based on politics, and I would never jeopardize the integrity of my office to do that," she said.

DeHaas noted that it is not often that voters get to elect a new common pleas judge, and said they should vote to continue the excellence on the bench.

"We're electing a judge, we're not electing a district attorney," he said.

He said voters should focus on his broad legal experience, proven ability to handle cases, his impartiality, non-political background and good work ethic.

Those qualities, he said, have helped him earn the respect of county, state and appellate judges.

DeHaas vowed to work hard as a judge, and said he would make decisions based on the law and facts.

"I will keep politics out of my courtroom," he said.

Noting that she was the county's first female trial lawyer and first female district attorney, Vernon said she would be honored to serve as the county's first female judge.

She stressed her many years of legal experience, both criminal and civil, and said that she believes that public service is a calling.

While also promising to keep politics out of the courtroom, Vernon said that she had to run for district attorney because it is an elected post. During that time, she said that she believes she has earned the trust of the voters.

"You know me. You know what I stand for," she said. "I've been here for you, and now I'm asking you to be here for me," she said.

http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20310150&BRD=2280&PAG=461&dept_id=480247&rfi=6

Excuse Lame Not Release City Financial Data

Financial issues draw attention
By Steve Ferris, Herald-Standard
05/06/2009
Updated 05/06/2009 12:58:19 AM EDT
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(Editor's note: The following is the second of a two-part series on the primary race for Uniontown City Council.)Democratic candidates for Uniontown City Council offered varying opinions on the city's financial struggles at a recent debate conducted by the Herald-Standard editorial board.


Incumbent Gary K. Crozier, appointed Councilman Francis "Joby" Palumbo and challengers Gary Gearing and James L. Killinger are seeking Democratic Party nominations for two seats on council in the May 19 primary.

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Republican candidates Curtis R. Sproul, who was recently appointed to fill a vacant council seat until the municipal election in November, and Russ Rhodes were not included in the debate because they are running uncontested in the primary.

A debate between the Democratic and Republican nominees for those two offices and the parties' nominees to serve the remainder of an unexpired term will be conducted prior to the November election.

Crozier, who is running for his fifth consecutive term, said no one should be blamed for the city's financial difficulties, but not raising property taxes in the past is at least part of the cause.

"I voted for raising taxes 10 years ago, 12 years ago," Crozier said.

He said the city's accountant told council then that the city couldn't continue operating with the amount of revenue it was getting from taxes.

"I wanted to raise taxes, it wasn't raised," Crozier said, adding that he believes the city's financial condition is improving.

He said council had to raise taxes this year, but shouldn't have cut services.

Council laid off 31 employees in October 2008 and then raised taxes, laid off 10 more employees and made two others part time this year. Ten employees were recalled in April.

Soon after taking office in January 2008, Mayor Ed Fike reported that the city inherited $1.3 million in debt from the prior administration. The auditor general's office began an audit in February.

Crozier said potholes have to be filled and streets are dirty. He said council has to do something for residents who have been forced to pay higher taxes.

The city needs a manager to handle its finances, he said.

"The city needs a city manager."..."I'm for it 100 percent."

Some people don't understand the role a manager would play, Crozier said. Council would continue to run the city if a manager was hired, he said.

Gearing, who has been a candidate for state representative in the past, said it's hard to know whom to blame for causing the financial struggles because many financial records are not available.

A 2008 financial statement from the current administration had not been completed as of April 2009 and financial information from prior years is "absent," Gearing said, adding that financial documents should be available on line.

"It's all about accountability and responsibility," Gearing said.

He said council did the right thing by reducing expenses and raising taxes, but it is not letting the public know how money is being spent.

This year's budget is "over inflated" and needs a lot of changes, Gearing said.

A city manager would help the city, but finding out how the city got into debt should be the first priority, he said.

In the past, spending was not done in accordance with budgets and the current council has not provided information on spending, Gearing said.

Killinger, a former commander of the state police barracks in Belle Vernon who retired after 30 years in the state police, said the last and previous administrations probably caused the financial problems facing the city.

He said he asked council to contact the auditor general to conduct an audit in 2008 to find out how the city ended up in financial trouble.

"That fell on deaf ears for a year," Killinger said.

He said no information is available about how the last and former administrations spent money. The first priority should be to find out how the city got into debt, he said.

Killinger said council should have asked the state to help track down the city's debt in early 2008 and should consider hiring a manager.

Palumbo, who was appointed in January 2008 to serve the remainder of Joseph Giachetti's term after he was elected treasurer, said the prior administration caused the financial crisis the city is facing now.

"We had a mess to clean up," when the new administration stepped in last year, Palumbo said.

He said Gearing had not received the information he has requested because the 2008 financial books have not been closed and city officials do not want to release inaccurate information.

Work stopped on the 2007 audit last year because the city didn't have enough money to pay the accounting firm that was conducting the audit, but work has resumed, Palumbo said.

The public should be able to review city financial documents, he said.

Council needs someone, possibly a manager, to work full time on city finances, Palumbo said.

He said there should be a checks and balances system to monitor spending in all departments and the manager.

"We can't afford to relive the past," Palumbo said...."I think greed crept in in the past."

http://www.heraldstandard.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20310148&BRD=2280&PAG=461&dept_id=480247&rfi=6

ACORN Workers Accused Registration Packing Vote Fraud Not Supported

Whether any subsequent action will include criminal charges of voter or election fraud remains to be seen.

Net the Truth Online

May. 04, 2009
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

ACORN voter registration drive nets charges

By ALAN CHOATE
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNALA voter registration drive last year illegally required canvassers to meet quotas to keep their jobs and resulted in thousands of “garbage” registrations gumming up Clark County voter rolls, officials said Monday as they released a criminal complaint against the drive’s organizers.

The complaint names the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, as well as Chris Edwards, the group’s former Las Vegas field director, and Amy Busefink, who was regional director for voter registration...

...Lisa Rasmussen, a local attorney representing ACORN, called the allegations against the group “patently false.”

“Even the state concedes in its charging documents that there was no 'quota’ system that was enforced by ACORN,” she said in an e-mailed statement. “Furthermore, the suggestion that a business cannot implement standards of quality control, performance goals and individual job performance tools is contrary to the First Amendment.”

She also said Busefink would not be available for comment.

The charges are Class E felonies, the penalty for which can be probation or one to four years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

At Monday’s announcement, state and local officials strenuously emphasized that the false voter registrations didn’t translate to people being able to vote fraudulently.

“This is a case of voter registration fraud,” said Secretary of State Ross Miller. “There is absolutely no evidence that there was any voter fraud in the last election.”

Larry Lomax, the Clark County registrar of voters, said his office reviewed the 91,002 voter registration forms turned in by ACORN, verifying that information on the form matched information attached to the voter’s driver’s license number or Social Security number.

If it didn’t, those registrations were tagged as requiring identification at the polling place.

There were 28,097 forms that were duplicates or changes of name, party or address, leaving 62,905 new voters.

Of those, 23,186 actually voted in the 2008 general election, according to a report prepared by Lomax’s office.

That means almost 40,000 of the new voters registered by ACORN didn’t vote, and of those, almost 19,000 had information on file that didn’t match what was turned in on the forms.

“That’s 48 percent of those forms that I believe are clearly fraudulent,” Lomax said.

“This is individuals ripping off their bosses because they have a quota to make.”

http://www.lvrj.com/news/breaking_news/44307912.html

John Murtha No Influence Says Pentagon Awarding Nephew Contract

Murtha's Nephew Got Defense Contracts
Millions in Work Came Without Competition

Murtha has "no influence" in the awarding of particular contracts, a Pentagon spokesman said. (By Charles Dharapak -- Associated Press)

By Carol D. Leonnig and Alice Crites
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life. On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot, and no trucks arrive at the 10 loading bays at the back of the building.

Yet last year, Murtech received $4 million in Pentagon work, all of it without competition, for a variety of warehousing and engineering services. With its long corridor of sparsely occupied offices and an unmanned reception area, Murtech's most striking feature is its owner -- Robert C. Murtha Jr., 49. He is the nephew of Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has significant sway over the Defense Department's spending as chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

Robert Murtha said he is not at liberty to discuss in detail what his company does, but for four years it has subsisted on defense contracts, according to records and interviews. He said Murtech's 17 employees "provide necessary logistical support" to Pentagon testing programs that focus on detecting chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, "and that's about as far as I feel comfortable going." Giving more details could provide important clues to terrorist plotters, he said.

Murtha said he does not advertise being the nephew of John Murtha and considers it "unfortunate" that some will unfairly assume Murtech received its federal contracts because of his uncle's influence at the Pentagon.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/04/AR2009050403743.html?hpid=topnews

Glenn Beck Ignores Dangers Napolitano 2nd Federal Constitutional Convention

On Glenn Beck's program Saturday, Judge Napolitano said the federal income tax has to go as a way to stop government over-spending. He specified states can call a federal Constitutional Convention by submitting the same proposal to "abolish the income tax." He noted 34 states could make the call.

Glenn Beck's response, I like the idea, as a warning to Congress... we don't have to actually do it, but we have to put the fear in them and maybe they'll get the idea.

How sad. As soon as you turn your thoughts to the liberal and progressive coup of United States government with a Democrat President and majority Democrat Congress, and how to combat loss of liberty from those quarters, and soon enough with the help of the minority so-called conservative Republicans, along comes Judge Napolitano and Glenn Beck stumping for a second Convention.

Is Beck unaware of the dangers a convention called by the states presents? (Yes.)

See our sidebar for information showing the dangers inherent in convening a second Federal Constitutional Convention. The precedent for a 'runaway' and unlimited convention if states call for one was set in 1787 to 1789 when the delegates to the convention veered from the stated purpose to convene (amend the Articles of Confederation) and instead presented an entirely new Constitution. The one the U.S. still has in operation.

Another little matter the delegates altered - a unanimous vote required to pass the document on for ratification!

Has Beck read enough history, obviously not. Had he been aware of the controversy over a second Constitutional Convention he'd have responded to Napolitano's idea far differently. He may have stuck to the best warning we can give these Congress-critters who spend unconstitutionally now and on unconstitutional programs now is a boot out of office next chance we have. Can't come soon enough for many.

Net the Truth Online

See Hannity forums for discussion not all ok with second Con-Con there, either

http://forums.hannity.com/showthread.php?t=1451601

Also see commentary

The new Constitutional Convention and what it means for America
Jan 13, 2009


http://toastyaroma.com/blog/the-new-constitutional-convention-and-what-it-means-for-america/


See Eagle Forum and Phyllis Shafly

This page was updated June 5, 2009

Fayette judge overturns zoning board on windmill project
By Liz Zemba TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, May 1, 2009 A Fayette County judge has ruled in favor of an Oregon-based company that accused the county zoning hearing board of bias when it denied the company's permit for a special exception for 24 wind-powered turbines in Georges and Springhill townships.

In the ruling handed down late Thursday, Judge Ralph Warman reversed the hearing board's denial of the special exception for Iberdrola Renewables, formerly known as PPM Atlantic Renewable. Warman found that the zoning hearing board had "abused its discretion and committed errors of law" when it issued the denial.

Warman ordered the zoning hearing board to reconsider Iberdrola's request.

"Since the ZHB has exclusive jurisdiction to hear and render final adjudications in applications for variances and upon consideration that the ZHB has failed to do so in this case, we remand this action back to the ZHB for further proceedings consistent with this opinion," Warman wrote.

"The ZHB shall consider and grant each special exception as required by law and may impose whatever conditions they deem fit to protect the health, safety and general welfare of the community."

Iberdrola wants to use the wind turbines to produce electricity for its South Chestnut Ridge Windpower Project. In the notice of appeal, Iberdrola indicated the 24 windmills were part of a total of 27 that were to be installed over a 3.5-mile section of Chestnut Ridge in Wharton, Georges and Springhill townships.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/fayette/s_623214.html