Ghosts of Joe Slovo

ACORN's Chief Organizer on The Daily Show 10.30.08

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:27:12 GMT

Enjoy!

Kick ass and take names.

ACORN Video Mark II

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:27:29 GMT

This one has a link to the ACORN Action Center at the end so people can take action to stop the smears and make sure that everyone who is eligible can get to the polls on Election day.

The other one is over 60,000 views and was the 71st most viewed video on all of YouTube on Wednesday October 21 and the 3rd most favorited in the News and Politics section.

Take a minute and change your link to this one instead so people can fight back as well as learn the truth.

Kick ass and take so very many names.

ACORN and Brave New Films Release Video Telling the Truth About ACORN

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 03:19:33 GMT

Who is that handsome devil?

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PASS THIS AROUND TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW! HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE TRUTH.
</shouting>

Kick ass and take names

John Conyers (House Judiciary Chair) On ACORN and FBI

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:30:30 GMT

Nice to have a big gun on your side...

Conyers Questions ACORN Leak

(Washington, D.C.) — Today, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) released the attached letter
questioning today's leaked report of a nationwide investigation into activities of the ACORN organization. The full text of the letter is
below.

October 16, 2008

The Honorable Michael B. Mukasey
TheHonorable Robert M. Mueller
Attorney General of the United States
Federal Bureau of Investigation
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
935 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20530
Washington, DC 20535

Dear Mr. Attorney General and Director Mueller:

It is with shock and disappointment that I read today's
Associated Press report that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has
opened and leaked an investigation into whether ACORN, a longstanding
and well regarded organization that fights for the poor and working
class, is involved in nationwide voter fraud.

As an initial matter, it is simply unacceptable that
such information would be leaked during the very peak of the election
season. Such leaks of information about ongoing criminal
investigation matters are always inappropriate, and likely violate
the provisions of the U.S. Attorney manual governing release of
information about ongoing investigations (and which, in any event,
would require approval from the responsible U.S. Attorney or
Department division before release1). More significant in this case,
however, they also run afoul of valuable Department traditions
regarding the need for cautious and sensitive handling of election-
related matters during the run up to voting (or, as here, while early
voting is underway). Indeed, I note with dismay that this sort of
release likely would have violated the traditional principles stated
in the Department's Election Crimes Manual, such as the requirement
that prosecutors "must refrain from any conduct which has the
possibility of affecting the election itself," and that "most, if
not all, investigation of an alleged election crime must await the
end of the election to which the allegation relates," but those
provisions were removed by the Department in May 2007 as the U.S.
Attorney controversy was unfolding and it was learned that former
U.S. Attorney Brad Schlozman had apparently improperly brought
enforcement action against ACORN volunteers during the run up to the
2006 national elections.

Moreover, this news is all the more troubling in light
of the proven wrongdoing at the Justice Department in the United
States Attorneys scandal. As you are aware, there is extensive
evidence that political operatives improperly pressured United States
Attorneys to investigate and prosecute spurious claims of vote fraud
in close proximity to an election. When some did not, they were
terminated. Thus, one must view the timing of this extraordinary
leak with added suspicion, given that it comes less than 24 hours
after the Republican Presidential candidate raised these allegations
in a nationally televised debate.

I know that it has become a right-wing cottage industry
to cry wolf over alleged "voter fraud" during an election season
(only to have such claims evaporate after the election has
concluded). Indeed, using superlatives that would make P.T. Barnum
blush, Senator John McCain, the Republican Presidential candidate,
said in the debate last night, that ACORN "is now on the verge of
maybe perpetuating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in
this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy." One would
hope the Justice Department and FBI would more skeptically examine
such sensational accusations than some cable news outlets. And this
is particularly true where the allegations, even given their fullest
reading, simply do not support such alarmist and unreasonable claims.

The facts as I understand them are these. A
longstanding and well regarded organization that fights for the poor
and working class has come under partisan fire for its voter
registration acitvities. This organization has registered more than
one million voters. There are allegations that some paid workers
essentially cheated ACORN by filling out registration forms with
bogus names and incorrect information. This of course would have
harmed ACORN since ACORN pays to register potential voters, not
phantoms, but – critically – does not deprive any person of their
own right to vote or result in any unauthorized or fraudulent votes
being cast. As one expert in this field has explained, "Mickey
Mouse may show up on a registration list, but he's not likely to
vote."

Furthermore, despite a long partisan campaign to stir
up fears regarding so-called "voter fraud," they have been unable
to produce any credible examples of meaningful fraudulent voting that
could have a tangible impact on any election. Just this week, in
fact, the Republican Governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, said - with
respect to his state - that such allegations are "less than is being
discussed" and ascribed these types of allegations to "some who
enjoy chaos." Similarly, the Republican Secretary of State has
indicated that he does not believe that ACORN is engaged in
systematic voting fraud. Indeed, such allegations repeatedly
dissolve under fair scrutiny.2

At the same time, numerous allegations have emerged that
political operatives are engaged in supression of eligible voters and
this activity has apparently failed to receive the intense attention
that the federal government is now reportedly devoting to ACORN. For
example, there are reports that the chairman of the Republican Party
in Macomb County, Michigan, a key swing county in a key swing state,
has planned to use a list of foreclosed homes to block people from
voting in the upcoming election as part of the state GOP's effort to
challenge some voters on Election Day. Additionally, the Columbus
Dispatch reports that the Ohio GOP in Franklin County, "has not
ruled out challenging voters before the election due to foreclosure-
related address issues."3

Accordingly, I condemn the leak of this sensitive
information and remind you both of your and your agencies'
obligations to handle election-related matters in an appropriate and
non-political matter as the election season proceeds. In addition,
please let me know no later than Thursday, October 23, 2008, if the
release of information and all other actions taken regarding this
investigation are consistent with the US Attorneys Manual and the
Election Crimes Manual and, if not, what action has been taken in
response. Please direct your response to the Judiciary Committee
Office at 2138 Rayburn House Office Building (tel: 202-225-3951, fax:
202-225-7680).

Sincerely,

____________________________
John Conyers, Jr.
Chairman

Lades and Gentlemen... The FBI!

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:53:56 GMT

I didn't know that getting poor people to vote was a Federal case, but apparently I live in something called the 21st century and the Bush Justice Department lives in the 1880's...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VOTER_FRAUD_FBI?SITE=ORROS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Officials: FBI investigates ACORN for voter fraud

By LARA JAKES JORDAN

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The FBI is investigating whether the community
activist group ACORN helped foster voter registration fraud around the
nation before the presidential election.

A senior law enforcement official confirmed the investigation to The
Associated Press on Thursday. A second senior law enforcement official
says the FBI was looking at results of recent raids on ACORN offices
in several states for any evidence of a coordinated national scam.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Justice
Department regulations forbid discussing ongoing investigations
particularly so close to an election.

ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, says
it has registered 1.3 million young people, minorities and poor and
working-class voters - most of whom tend to be Democrats.

Republican accusations about the group were raised during Wednesday's
presidential debate between Democrat Barack Obama and GOP candidate
John McCain.

Some ACORN employees have been accused of submitting false voter
registration forms - including some signed `Mickey Mouse' or other
fictitious characters.

Those voter registration cards have become the focus of fraud
investigations in Nevada, Connecticut, Missouri and at least five
other states. Election officials in Ohio and North Carolina also
recently questioned the group's voter forms.

ACORN has said the "vast majority" of its workers are conscientious,
but some might have turned in duplicate applications or provided fake
information to pad their pay. Workers caught submitting false
information have been fired, ACORN officials say.

ACORN says laws in a number of states require it to submit all
registration cards it collects even dubious ones, so its workers
segregate applications with missing, suspicious or false information
and flag them so state election officials can quickly check them
further.

Busted!

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:23:14 GMT

Keith Olberman and Rachel Maddow get it right on ACORN.

You can find out the real truth here: The Real ACORN.

Here's Keith.

Here's Rachel.

Kick so much ass and take so many names.

ACORN is Now Officially The Worst Organization In America

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:46:32 GMT

Jackpot!

McCain attacks us via his new web ad.

This is complete garbage, of course and ACORN will have a response site up over the weekend.

But, for now, enjoy the lies.

Kick ass and take so so many names!

Brave New Films

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:46:54 GMT

I have now traded e-mails with Robert Greenwald.

That's got to be worth some progressive street cred.

Because, you know, it's all about me.

Here's the latest John McCain video from Brave New Films:

Whee! Now it gets really fun!

Kick ass and take names.

15 Minutes Starting Now

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:38:57 GMT

I opened up my LA Times today to the Metro section to see an in-your-face head shot of... smyley!

It's a piece on how folks are using You Tube to fight the fight over CA's Proposition 8, which would create a Constituional amendment to strip queer folk from the right to marry.

You can read it here. Unfortunately without the cool picture.

And, for your viewing pleasure, I'm replaying one of his videos on the subject.

Kick Ass And Take Names

Wingnuts Heads Explode!

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:55:10 GMT

How To Tell If You Are Doing A Good Job

The right wing falls over itself to link you with everything bad, including the finanical meltdown and undermining the integrity of elections.

Latest exhibit: http://stopacorn.org/, a project of NetRightNation.

Best example of crazed insanity:

In response to ACORN’s nationwide track record of voter fraud and coercive high-risk loan activities, StopAcorn.org is calling upon President Bush to take the following actions:

Direct the Secretary of State and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency to investigate the efforts of ACORN International in efforts to undermine democratically elected governments and to determine the full extent of the relationship between ACORN and ACORN International with the governments of Cuba and Venezuela.

What. The. Fuck?

Cuba and Venezuala? The Director of Central Intelligence?

I want what they are eating for breakfast because it it working way better than my homemade granola and yogurt.

Kick Ass and Smoke A Cuban Cigar That I Bought At A Citgo Station In Caracas.

Wherein the National Review Agrees With Me

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:12:25 GMT

How often does this happen? One of the leading lights of Young Conservatism agrees with me on my last post regarding what the D's should do next regarding the financial mess.

UPDATE: Ramesh Ponnuru says:

If I Were Pelosi [Ramesh Ponnuru]
I would figure out if there were a bill to the left of the one the House just voted on that could pass on a party-line vote and reassure the markets.

I'm feeling way smarter than average right now.

I'm sure that will pass.

Kick ass and take names.

Bailout = FAIL

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:43:34 GMT

The bailout package agreed to over the weekend, a package carrying the sweet sweet smell of dogshit mixed with battery acid, went down to defeat in the House of Representatives today 205-228. Over 100 R's and almost 100 D's voted no. Bless them.

I don't often find myself in the same corner as the wingnuts, nor abandoned by such progressive stalwarts as Maxine Waters, but on this case the ultimate outcome was good. There is now absolutely no reason for the D's not to craft an actual progressive piece of legislation, which should bring the GOP back to the bargaining table so that they can stop a true piece of leftist legislation from taking shape. This should give the D's more leverage for getting a minimum number of provisions, such as the ability of bankruptcy judge to modify lending agreements, into the final package.

If the Administration wants to leave anything left of the rapidly collapsing infrastructure of this country and salvage whatever hopes McCain has of taking the White House they will need to put everything they have left into twisting the arms of the GOP caucus for something that everyone can live with. The D's had leverage the whole time, but forgot that they actually wield power in the Congress. Now is the time to remember that, force some progressive legislation and get the GOP to either eat shit on a moderate bill with some victories for Main Street or take full credit for the meltdown of the entire economy 4 weeks before a national election.

Kick Ass. The names have been taken.

Letterman Stays Mad

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 02:01:09 GMT

I'm not sure how smart it is to piss off a guy with one of the top rated late-night talk shows 38 days before a national election in which you are a candidate. Sen. POW's judgement comes through again.

Kick Ass and Rush, Rush I Say, To Be Interviewed By Katie Couric.

Which Is More Of A Hot Ghetto Mess?

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 21:52:09 GMT

OK! Which is more of a hot ghetto mess?

2007 Miss Teen South Carolina's Americans can't locate America on a map and such as?

Or

Sarah Palin's bailout blowout hummana hummana hummana?

Vote in the comments.

Hat tip to claudelemonde for making the And Such As connection for me.

Kick Ass And Such As Hummana

Battleground States See Pervasive Systemic Efforts to Block the Vote

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:24:47 GMT

Project Vote blog on how the myth of voter fraud is driving systematic attempts to suppress the vote.

Here's how it starts:

Weekly Voting Rights News Update
By Erin Ferns
"I think the days of ballot box stuffing are more or less gone." - Allen Raymond, former GOP operative
Voter fraud by individuals has been a major partisan debate in recent elections, inspiring multiple states to consider or pass laws that purport to stop it, including "no-match, no-vote" list maintenance procedures and strict voter ID requirements. Despite federal findings that the act of casting an illegal ballot is exceedingly rare, partisans often cite large scale voter registration drives as voter fraud culprits, and perpetuate the myth of voter fraud by spreading the fear that such votes cancel out legitimate ones. With rising registration rates - particularly among historically underrepresented Americans - it is no surprise that partisans are spreading this myth, and the media often perpetuates the hysteria by printing stories on the small numbers of bad registration cards submitted by large scale voter registration drives (including the 1.2 million submitted by Project Vote voter registration partner, ACORN).

Check out the rest in any of the following diaries. Feel free to leave comments and forward as appropriate, especially to folks you know in battleground states.

Voting Matters - http://projectvote.org/index.php?id=265&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=2601&tx_ttnews[backPid]=263&cHash=981996ec36

Daily Kos - http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/26/14835/2512?new=true
MyDD - http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/9/26/14265/9276

Open Left - http://openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8567

TPM Cafe - http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/project-vote/

Booman Tribune - http://www.boomantribune.com/?op=displaystory;sid=2008/9/26/142640/571

Pam's House Blend - http://pamshouseblend.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=7225

Buckeye State - http://www.buckeyestateblog.com/battleground_states_see_pervasive_systemic_efforts_to_block_the_vote

Uppity Wisconsin - http://www.uppitywis.org/battleground-states-see-pervasive-systemic-efforts-block-vote

Kick Ass and Mobilize The Vote.

For Posterity: Sarah Palin Making Katie Couric Look Like Edward Murrow

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:14:10 GMT

She wants to be Vice-President? Really?

Really?

Gulp.

American Prayer

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:03:54 GMT

My mom sent this link around this morning. I don't know how long its been around the interweb - not long judging from the footage - but its probably all ove it anyhowr. So I'm doing my small part to get it out there as well.

What I like about this video is the powerful use of images and their connection with the music. Music has been a great adjunct to the Obama campaign's work and this continues that tradition.

And, as a community organizer, I'm a sucker for Civil Rights Movement footage. The entire website is here.

Kick Ass and Say A Prayer.

Fer reals?

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:39:17 GMT

Wait, what?

You can call "time out" in a Presidential campaign?

McCain thinks that with 41 days to go before a National election and two days before the first debate, you can just say, "Hold it! I need a time out."

Wow. Why don't you just say, "I'm getting pasted and I need to duck the battering before I start pissing blood. The fundamentals of the economy are strong! Strong I tell you! Strong!."

If he shows up and tanks the debate, does he get to call a do-over?

Kick Ass And.. Hey! Do-Over! That's A Do-Over!

Cong. Marcy Kaptur Kicks Ass

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:14:04 GMT

My LJ friend fengi has a much more comprehensive posting on this up on his journal, so you should read that. But I've linked to the video he has up of the fantastic smackdown Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) gave last night to this whole bailout fiasco.

TV worth watching.

Kick Ass And Take Names

News Coverage of Bailout Hits And A Way To Get Involved

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:58:40 GMT

First, if you want to yell about the ridiculousness of this massive piece of corporate welfare, check this website out. There might be a chance to give someone a piece of your mind coming to a city near you tomorrow. www.truemajority.org/nobailout/search

Press from ACORN's actions yesterday:

TV Stations
1. ABC Los Angeles, Local rally to protest federal bailout,
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=6409305

2. ABC Denver, Bailout Critics Take To Streets,
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/17542574/detail.html

3. FOX 41 WDRB, Putting the $700 billion bailout bill together is taking time,
http://fox41.com/Global/story.asp?S=9059892

4. WCBSTV.com, Group Calls For Bail Out Of Those Near Foreclosure,
http://wcbstv.com/business/foreclosure.bailout.housing.2.823874.html

5. NYI, Lawmakers, Homeowners Concerned Over Wall St. Bailout,
http://www.ny1.com/content/features/86156/lawmakers--homeowners-concerned-over-wall-st--bailout/Default.aspx

6. WTAE TV 4, Community Groups Protest Proposed Wall Street Bailout,
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/17540205/detail.html

7. WISH TV 8, Hubbard, Pence weigh in on $700B buyout,
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9060259&nav=CPFP

8. KING 5, Seattle, Will Bailout Help Individual Homeowners?,
http://www.king5.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=285762

9. WAVE 3, Louisville, Wall Street Woes Felt In Louisville,
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?s=9061105

Publications
1.The Advocate, Protesters urge Shays to stop foreclosures
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/ci_10543724

2.San Francisco Chronicle, How bailout might help troubled homeowners,
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/24/BU57133LNM.DTL

3.Miami Herald, Too much on the line to rush Wall Street fix,
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/columnists/story/698898.html

4.Miami Herald, Economic bailout backlash grows,
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/story/698917.html

5.Insight News, Fannie Mae - Freddie Mac takeover: Non-Profits wary of bailout,
http://www.insightnews.com/articles.asp?mode=display&articleID=4835

6.Miami Herald, Wall Street bailout could boost South Florida housing market,
http://meltwaternews.com/redirect.asp?u=183953&p=328880&d=516899673&url=http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/697448.html

7.The Seattle Times, Seattle collaborates with 22 banks and credit unions to offer services to people who have no bank accounts,
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008196605_unbanked230.html?syndication=rss

8.Roll Call, ACORN Members Want Support in Bailout Bill,
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_38/news/28637-1.html

9.Metro, Wall St. executives pay price of failure,
http://www.metrobostonnews.com/us/home/

10.Denver Daily News, Group demands ‘Main St.’aid,
http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=1971

News Services
1.Arkansas News Bureau, Lincoln leery of bailout plan; homeowner advocates call for safeguards,
http://arkansasnews.com/archive/2008/09/24/News/348065.html

2.RIS Media, Struggling Homeowners Demand Bankruptcy Provisions as Congress Moves to Bailout Financial Industry,
http://rismedia.com/wp/2008-09-23/struggling-homeowners-demand-bankruptcy-provisions-as-congress-moves-to-bailout-financial-industry/

3.The Associated Press, Congress balks at quick bailout,
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/nation/story/B2A68DCDB35A55C3862574CE0011B11E?OpenDocument

4.DSNews.com, Officials Testify Before Senate on Proposed Bailout,
http://www.dsnews.com/view_story.cfm?id=2893

5.Kmov.com, Local group protests government bank bailout plan,
http://www.kmov.com/localnews/stories/kmov_localnews_080923_acorn_protest.a534c01f.html

6.PR-GB.com, ACORN Members Facing Foreclosure to Attend Senate Hearing to Plead Case: Bail Out Main Street, Not Just Wall Street,
http://pr-gb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=54992&Itemid=34

7.Yahoo! Italia (Associated Press), A ACORN, The Association of Community Organizations ...,
http://it.notizie.yahoo.com/foto/galleria/foto-george-bush.html?imageUrl=/ap/20080923/r_p_ap_ot_other/pot-homes-homeowners-protese7dfeef7bfc9

Blogs
1.The Huffington Post, The Bush Bail-Out—We’ve Been Here Before,
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-dreier/the-bush-bail-out----we-h_b_128731.html

2.The Albany Project, ACORN To Feds: Bail Out Main Street, Not Just Wall Street,
http://www.thealbanyproject.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=1D2C5378DBC0F6EB6EADDFB07E92183A?diaryId=4477
http://www.thealbanyproject.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=4477

3.TeamTish (NY Council Member Letitia James), Bail Out Main Street, Not Just Wall Street,
http://teamtish.blogspot.com/2008/09/bail-out-main-street-not-just-wall.html

4.Franz Strasser Blog, Protesters Demand Bailout for Main Street,
http://www.franz-strasser.com/blog/?p=114

5.Mark Zilbert , Wall Street Bailout Could Boost South Florida Market,
http://www.zilbertblog.com/miami_beach_archives/48

A Moment For The Gays

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:58:50 GMT

My friend smyley, who I know through the Bay Area slam scene, made this video recently concerning the two anti-gay (marriage) propositions on the California and Arizona ballots. Totally worth watching.

Kick ass and take names.

Fight Back On Massive Blowjob, er, I mean, Bailout For The Financial Sector

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:38:16 GMT

Yesterday ACORN staged demostrations in 35 cities calling on Congress and the Fed to add Main Street into the Wall Street bailout.

Here are some choice exerpts from their press release on the actions:

In Washington, D.C., more than 50 ACORN members from Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington, D.C. attended the U.S. Senate hearing then staged a rally outside. The only low- to moderate-income people at the hearing, ACORN members testified about losing their homes to foreclosure.

Outside the Senate building, Baltimore ACORN member Robinette Balmer dressed as a cat wearing a life preserver to demonstrate how Wall Street's "fat cats" are getting bailed out. ACORN members then headed to the U.S. Treasury building for another rally.
Afterward, Maryland ACORN members went back to Baltimore to protest at their local office of the Federal Reserve Bank.

Here are the demands ACORN made on behalf of their 450,000 member families and working people across the country:

Require Automatic Modifications for Distressed Homeowners. Any financial institution that participates in the federal bailout must provide automatic affordable loan modifications to homeowners facing foreclosure, structured along the lines of the loan modification program recently enacted by the FDIC.

Amend the Bankruptcy Law. We must allow homeowners to restructure their mortgages in bankruptcy court and save their homes, just like wealthy Americans can with vacation homes and yachts.

Re-regulate the Industry. Any financial institution that benefits from the bailout must in return provide public benefit by investing in low- and moderate-income communities through an updated Community Reinvestment Act. Further, Wall Street should agree to comply with new regulations over disclosure, capital requirements, conflicts of interest, market manipulation, and true protections for borrowers from predatory lenders.

Robust Oversight from Congress. The Treasury Department should be required to report at least monthly on its work, and CEO compensation should be strictly limited until justified by performance.

Here's a short overall report from a senior ACORN staff member:

"In less than 48 hours, we pulled off 35 events around the country and probably had our best press day in years, if not ever. In addition, we did these with labor and other allies in many cases. We were the voice of working families in America today, fighting back against this all-out effort by Bush/Paulson/Bernanke to steal a $700 Billion blank check from us.

Excellent work-YOU ALL ROCK!!

We hit the Fed in 17 cities today: NYC, Seattle, LA, San Fran, Detroit, Louisville, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, St. Louis, Cleveland, Cincinatti, Miami, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Denver and Little Rock.

In addition, we held events in Albuquerque, Orlando, Providence, Springfield, Bridgeport, Hartford, Tucscon, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Columbus and another 6-7 cities we're still waiting on reports from.

50 leaders from 5 east Coast cities (NYC, Philly, Delaware, DC and Maryland) were up and driving into DC at 3-4 AM today to participate in the Senate Hearing, talk with press(we were the only real people there!), and finally hit Treasury."

And, finally, for those brave souls who have managed to wade through the whole thing, here's a fascinating report from Orlando ACORN on their event yesterday.

"We had over 50 people turn out on a dime for today's action. Several leaders helped to run the press conference/action, including 3 people in foreclosure, one who was locked out of her house for good today.
BUT BEFORE the event, we sent a delegation of members to Congressman Ric Keller's office & US Senators Nelson & Martinez. The goal here was to hear what they were saying & report it back to the rally...then folks could decide what they wanted to do.
Here's what they said the first time around:
Keller's office, when called beforehand by our members (as they were getting ready to head to action), were told that he would only support a bailout that concerned the community. However, when they arrived they were told he didn't have a position & there was no bill. HA. He would not make a decision until he was able to read the finalized product. HA again.
Nelson's office was awesome & gave us a statement & would pass all of our recommendations to Nelson. They told us he would not support anything that did not help the community & individual homeowners & that it appeared that all of our demands were similar to his.
When the delegation rolled into Martinez's office, they were told no one was there who could answer anything. Leader Carolyn Patmon then asked that we do a conference call to the legislative director...and they did. His response was that Martinez wanted to keep this separate...that they needed to rush this bill through for it to be effective & that once this bill is passed, he is interested in looking at the homeowners side of it & re-regulating industry & helping individual homeowners. (We've heard that before).
Right as they finished the rounds (all offices within a couple blocks of each other), the delegation met up with the rally.
At the Rally, several leaders led the agenda, and had state rep Scott Randolph give a rousing speech. In addition, 3 members currently facing foreclosure (including one who was locked out of her home today) & 1 member whose home was saved spoke on pieces of the demands. At the end of the rally, Carolyn Patmon reported to all the folks what each elected said & the voted to split up & half march on Martinez's office & the other half on Keller. Everyone went in one by one demanding there names be added to a list for a bail out since it was clear Congress was "selling them out."
Keller's office again said nothing different & Martinez's office said the Oct 1st bill is to help homeowners, but this [bailout] bill is to save the financial industry.
Channel 6, Univision, Orlando Weekly & WDBO 580 (conservative radio) showed up for the action. Channel 13 was "lost." Channel 9 covered us this morning on the plans for the action.
Also we managed to hook up Pauline Bryant who was locked out of her home today with the New York Times which should be in the paper tomorrow."

Kick ass, especially financial sector, Treasury, and Congressional ass. Taking names will happen after the ass kicking subsides.

Dear American:

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:15:07 GMT

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.
I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.
I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transactin is 100% safe.
This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.
Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbail...@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.
Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson

Saw this floating around the giant tubes of the interweb and though I would help the viral infection take hold.

How To Get A Piece Of the $700 Billion Action

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:25:25 GMT

Okay, so I know that many of you are seeing the $700 billion being thrown at the ~~craven, arrogant, coke-addled~~ innovative financiers at the helm of the ~~global screw-job of working families~~ world economy and you are wondering how you might be able to ~~exploit~~ participate in your own ~~opportunistic and shamelessly self-interested way~~ small, necessary market correction.

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Kick Ass and Get Yours Before Some ~~Low-Life Ho-Bag~~ Brave Captain Of Capital Gets It All