Buckeye Institute Files State Rico Action Against ACORN

[stephanie]

posted October 14, 2008


COLUMBUS - The Buckeye Institute, a Columbus-based think tank, today filed a state RICO action against the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) on behalf of two Warren County voters. The action filed in Warren County Court of Common Pleas alleges ACORN has engaged in a pattern of corrupt activity that amounts to organized crime. It seeks ACORN's dissolution as a legal entity, the revocation of any licenses in Ohio, and an injunction against fraudulent voter registration and other illegal activities.

Plaintiffs Jennifer Miller of Mason, Ohio and Kimberly Grant of Loveland, allege that ACORN's actions deprive them of the right to participate in an honest and effective elections process. They allege fraudulent voter registrations submitted by ACORN dilute the votes of legally registered voters.

"The right to cast a vote that is not diluted by fraudulent votes is a fundamental individual right," Buckeye Institute President David Hansen said.

"ACORN appears to be recklessly disregarding Ohio laws and adding thousands of fraudulent voters to the state's roles in the process," Maurice Thompson, Director of the Buckeye Institute's 1851 Center for Constitutional Law said. "Such voter fraud erodes the value of legally cast votes," he added.


read the rest..
http://buckeyeinstitute.org/article/1207

[hjmick]

Things are a mess for ACORN up in Cuyahoga County as well.

Not surprisingly, Obama is now trying to distance himself from his old friends:

...Which brings us to Mr. Obama, who got his start as a Chicago "community organizer" at Acorn's side. In 1992 he led voter registration efforts as the director of Project Vote, which included Acorn. This past November, he lauded Acorn's leaders for being "smack dab in the middle" of that effort. Mr. Obama also served as a lawyer for Acorn in 1995, in a case against Illinois to increase access to the polls.

During his tenure on the board of Chicago's Woods Fund, that body funneled more than $200,000 to Acorn. More recently, the Obama campaign paid $832,000 to an Acorn affiliate. The campaign initially told the Federal Election Commission this money was for "staging, sound, lighting." It later admitted the cash was to get out the vote.

The Obama campaign is now distancing itself from Acorn, claiming Mr. Obama never organized with it and has nothing to do with illegal voter registration. Yet it's disingenuous to channel cash into an operation with a history of fraud and then claim you're shocked to discover reports of fraud. As with Rev. Jeremiah Wright and William Ayers, Mr. Obama was happy to associate with Acorn when it suited his purposes. But now that he's on the brink of the Presidency, he wants to disavow his ties.

The Justice Department needs to treat these fraud reports as something larger than a few local violators. The question is whether Acorn is systematically subverting U.S. election law -- on the taxpayer's dime.

[PostmodernProphet]

if he loses the election, perhaps he could represent them again....

[Yurt]

has there ever been a presidential candidate who has had to distance himself from so much....especially close friends?

[theHawk]

has there ever been a presidential candidate who has had to distance himself from so much....especially close friends?

Does Obama have any friends he can admit to?

[hjmick]

Does Obama have any friends he can admit to?

Look under the bus.

[Abbey Marie]

Look under the bus.

There simply cannot be any room left under that bus.

[Yurt]

There simply cannot be any room left under that bus.

maybe this is obama's bus..

[mundame]

You could throw a lot of people under that bus.

[Nukeman]

You could throw a lot of people under that bus.

What do you mean could??? He HAS!!!!!

[Little-Acorn]

if he loses the election, perhaps he could represent them again....

Does Obama have training in criminal trials?

[Little-Acorn]

Look under the bus.

If Obama throws everybody under the bus who supports socialist, anti-American, etc. ideas, who will be left to vote for him?

[Abbey Marie]

maybe this is obama's bus..

That explains a lot.

[Abbey Marie]