[StBernard] ACORN, MoveOn.org Could Receive Billions of Dollars

[Westley Annis]

	Dear Editor:
	
	The following op-ed is being submitted for your consideration. 
	
	Thank you.
	
	Sincerely,
	
	Ed Isler
	
	GOA
	
	
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	ACORN, MoveOn.org Could Receive Billions of Dollars
	
	"Economic Stimulus" Designed to Aid Anti-gun Radicals
	
	by John Velleco 
	
	The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN),
	the far left anti-gun group under investigation for voter fraud,
	could be eligible to receive millions, if not billions, of dollars
	from the economic bailout bill that passed out of the House of
	Representatives on Wednesday. 
	
	ACORN was an aggressive
	 supporter of Barack Obama -- who had served
	as the group's legal counsel and even trained ACORN in "community
	organizing" -- in the presidential election. The Obama campaign even
	paid the group $800,000 for "voter turnout," the very activities
that
	came under scrutiny by the FBI. 
	
	In October 2008, ACORN's Las Vegas office was raided by law
	enforcement agents investigating voter registration fraud. According
	to the Nevada Secretary of State's office, voter information
	submitted by the group included nonexistent names, false addresses,
	duplicate filings and even the starting lineup of the Dallas
Cowboys.
	
	
	In addition to turning in massive amounts of fraudulent voter
	registration forms leading up to the 2008 elections, ACORN is also
	involved in anti-Second Amendment activism. For instance, a New
	Jersey ACORN chapter supported a one-gun-a-month ordinance in Jersey
	City, a law that was struck down last
	 year by an appeals court for
	violating the State's preemption law. 
	
	This group should not be eligible to receive one penny of your tax
	money, yet ACORN has received over $28 million in taxpayer dollars
in
	2008 alone and over $53 million since 1994. Last year, some members
of
	Congress were able to strip $100 million of potential ACORN money
from
	the home mortgage industry bailout bill, but it was reinserted into
	the current legislation. 
	
	The total amount of money for which groups like ACORN would be
	eligible in the bill is a staggering $4.2 billion, under a provision
	for "neighborhood stabilization activities." According to the bill,
	the money can be utilized by state and local governments and also
	"nonprofit entities or consortia of nonprofit entities." 
	
	ACORN can possibly collect more money under this legislation that it
	has over the past 15 years, and you can bet that ACORN is expert
	 at
	accessing those funds. 
	
	Another group that could benefit from the bailout bill is
MoveOn.org,
	an organization that has advocated for sweeping gun control laws. 
	
	According to Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican,
	"MoveOn.org's civic action committee could receive stimulus funds
	such as money earmarked for energy 'activities', since MoveOn.org
	lists one of its goals to 'reduce America's dependence on
	oil.'" 
	
	Both ACORN and MoveOn.org have also been heavily involved in
	supporting Secretary of State candidates, thus placing allies in a
	position where they can help swing close elections in their favor. 
	
	This strategy has apparently paid off handsomely in Minnesota, where
	ACORN supporter and former community organizer Mark Ritchie ran the
	election recount that saw pro-gun incumbent Senator Norm Coleman's
	slight lead on election night evaporate into a win for supposed
	funnyman Al Franken.
	 Over 25 voting precincts recorded more votes
	than there are registered voters, votes that "happened" to be
	overwhelmingly in favor of Franken. 
	
	Mark Ritchie was supported in 2006 by the Secretary of State
Project,
	a so-called "527" organization co-founded by MoveOn.org's
	director of
	grassroots mobilization.
	
	The defeat of Sen. Coleman, if it holds up in court, will mean one
	less Senator to vote against bills like the semi-auto ban. 
	
	Pro-gun Senator David Vitter (R-LA) sees the bill as "payoff" for
the
	liberal interest groups that helped to put Barack Obama in the White
	House, and that some provisions in the bill were actually written
	with specific interest groups in view. 
	
	Sen. Vitter told FOX News that the bill "is a payoff for that
	political activity in last year's election, particularly with the
	fraudulent voter registration drives," Sen. Vitter said. 
	
	The bottom line is that the only
	 thing this bill will "stimulate" is
	attacks against the Second Amendment. 
	
	Gun Owners of America is calling on the Senate to strip the
	provisions which can fund anti-gun organizations, or to reject the
	bill in its entirety. 
	
	____________________
	
	John Velleco is the Director of Federal Affairs for Gun Owners of
	America.