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The scene has been played out for years. Bloggers, columnists, television and radio talk show hosts, and editorial writers and their ilk, have waged a not-so secret war on the American citizen. Their right to protest and be heard has been ridiculed and suppressed, effectively rendering them silent in the face of the ever-changing tide in our country. The most fundamental American right, the right to freedom of speech and dissent,  is systematically being subverted in order to continue a pattern of abusive neglect on the part of an elitist minority in political life today. No, not these so-called “Tea Party’ demonstrators.  I’m talking about those proud Americans living in our inner cities and rural areas. If these Tea Party demonstrations have taught me anything, it is that our great strength lies in the power of dissent. And that dissent, manifested as a ballot at any voting booth in America, is the great equalizer.

In that respect, how are ACORN, and the people they serve, any different than your average tea party protest?  ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), is a collection of community-based organizations in the United States that advocate for low- and moderate-income families by working on neighborhood safety, voter registration, health care, affordable housing, and other social issues. The organization was founded in 1970, to advocate for those who could not do so for themselves. They give voice to the forgotten man, woman, and child, swept under the rug of poverty and irrelevancy.

ACORN provides the means for some in society to exercise their rights as American citizens, by registering millions to vote. ACORN, and the poor, are under attack. In recent days, ACORN has been in the news for all of the wrong reasons. Having an undercover sting operation expose some of the most seedy people in your organization, is most assuredly a negative. It diminishes some of the gains made over years of dong what others will not do. That is a problem. Conservatives in the media and on capitol hill, have singled out ACORN for many years, sensitive to the fact that one of the aims of the organization is to register low income whites and minorities to vote. While those on the right may consider this a noble goal, they revile it and its intended consequences.

They view ACORN now as nothing more than a political arm of the Democratic party, and not the non-partisan entity that it is intended to be. This is precisely the reason why conservatives have worked tirelessly to strip the organization of any federal funding it receives. This reasoning is foolhardy. Most in lower income communities tend to vote for Democrats because that is normally who the poor vote for. It’s the same in wealthy communities, where a disproportionate number of the rich vote Republican. Conservatives pushing this line of thought are truthfully bankrupt and hypocritical. This is nothing more than a politically charged falsehood.

While I am in no way supporting the foolishness and borderline criminal behavior exhibited by some who work for ACORN, the organization still has a vital role to play in securing and promoting the liberties of those Americans who feel left out of the process. Perhaps it’s time to truly examine the real aims of those in stark judgment of this group. If conservatives believe that their “tea party” protests sound the clarion call for dissent, and are indignant about any inferences to the contrary, then why would they be so quick to quash the dissent of others?  Their intolerance is wrapped up in a pretty package of false indignation. And it’s destroying Americans who already feel worthless.

1. Keith Graham says:

   September 30, 2009 at 2:20 am

   I confess I’ve had only slight contact with ACORN but I found most of it positive. Clearly, some people who worked for the organization acted stupidly when dealing with right-wing provocateurs. But does that condemn the whole organization? I can’t endorse ACORN nor can I denounce it with any meaningful knowledge. I don’t think the main-stream media has covered the questions about it in any way that would help the general public make an intelligent decision. The media we used to depend on has failed us in this regard. I think the media coverage to date has largely been a belated result of pressure from well-organized right wing groups. Did Congress have a full hearing to weigh the good versus the bad? No. Have far more scandalous reports come out against unscrupulous defense contractors that continue to be on the government payroll at far greater cost to taxpayers? Very unfortunately, yes. Weigh the good vs. the bad in such cases. ACORN, at least, deserves a fair hearing. If we want to pick on every organization that includes bad actors, we could start with Congress and work down from there.

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2. Matthew Wright says:

   September 30, 2009 at 7:39 am

   That is the issue I have here Keith. For the past year, we’ve been inundated with negative information about this organization. The voter fraud allegations have been investigated, and they were found to be baseless, yet this claim continues to live and breath. They’ve already been convicted in the court of public opinion, but I don’t believe the public has the complete story. There is a lot of work done by ACORN that is good, honest, and worthy. I don’t want it to disappear in a plume of smoke just because of a political vendetta.

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3. Terri Evans says:

   September 30, 2009 at 9:30 am

   Well said by by both Matthew and Keith. All I have to say is, “ditto.”

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4. bobj says:

   September 30, 2009 at 1:49 pm

   On one TV interview, I heard an ACORN spokeswoman plead for balance in coverage. She said something like, “Why don’t you also show the taped interviews where our people turned down some of those phony applicants?” It’s a fair question, of course, but the know-nothing buttheads in charge of TV and other mainstream coverage are no longer interested in striving for objectivity. Not even remotely.
   as ever,
   bobj

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5. Matthew Wright says:

   September 30, 2009 at 1:57 pm

   It is full-attack mode Bobj. I would like to see some balance as well.

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6. Cliff Green says:

   September 30, 2009 at 4:03 pm

   This outfit in under attack because it spends much of its time and money registering poor folks to vote. I mean, what’s a right-winger worth his white sheet to do now that socialist politicians and activist judges have succeeded in doing away with poll taxes, literacy tests and whites only primaries?

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7. Matthew Wright says:

   September 30, 2009 at 4:21 pm

   Exactly Cliff.

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8. Jeff Cochran says:

   September 30, 2009 at 5:33 pm

   the right is worried about the acorn becoming a big oak overnight. years ago rush limbaugh observed that the left would always go nuts when the democrats were out of power. there might have been some truth to that, but now look at the right. once they hear that poor voters are getting rides to the polls, they’ll demand a new tax on gasoline. it’d be fun to see them become that desperate

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9. Matthew Wright says:

   September 30, 2009 at 6:35 pm

   Nothing spells fear to republicans more than poor folks voting.

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10. bobj says:

    September 30, 2009 at 8:18 pm

    To tell the truth, I don’t personally know any poor people altho’ I profess to be generally “on their side.” I occasionally cross paths with people apparently living on the ragged edge, and I’m always mindful and polite. But I’d be hard-pressed to name one such person, much less cite one as an acquaintance. Just a tho’t….

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11. CB Hackworth says:

    October 24, 2009 at 12:41 pm

    Hahahahahahahhaahahahahahahaha.

    Seriously, though…

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