The ACORN doesn't fall far from the tree

From The Daily Grind:

Legitimacy

By Bill Wilson

All governments rise or fall on the degree to which the people find them legitimate. When the people no longer believe a government has gained power by legitimate means or that a government operates in an honest and legitimate manner, only force and intimidation maintains it.

And as history has shown repeatedly, no amount of force or state-terror against the populous is ever enough to prevail. True, brute thuggish tactics can hold off the will of the people for a long time. It worked for over 70 years in Russia, but only 12 in Nazi Germany. It has been effective in Cuba for nearly 50 years, but fell quickly in Cambodia.

One of the true strengths of the United States has been the accepted process for the peaceful transfer of power from one group of people to another. This process, elections held at regular intervals, has conferred that most precious of all commodities on the United States Government: legitimacy.

But in 2008, in a desperate drive for power, that most valuable of gifts from our Founding Fathers is being abused and discarded. Simply put, it is becoming more and more evident every day that the elections this year may not be legitimate, that the “winners” will not be able to claim they assumed office in a fair and open manner. In short, we could be about to be ruled by an illegitimate government founded on fraud and outright criminality.

All across America reports are coming in of obvious voter fraud. While election offices have been flooded with new registrants, even a cursory review is finding rampant fraud. The abuse was so blatant in Nevada that police secured a search warrant and raided one of the offices of the registration organization. They had arrogantly used the roster of the Dallas Cowboys football team on multiple registration forms.

If all of these incidents were isolated, then you could just chalk it up to an over enthused electorate. But they are not isolated; they are coordinated and planned. And all of the abuse and outright criminal behavior leads back to one place, an organization named ACORN.

ACORN is a radical leftwing group formed out of the Welfare Rights organization. Its founder, Wade Rathke, was a member of the SDS, the violent, anti-American organization. Over the years, this fringe group has grown in power and stature through tens of millions of dollars in tax money funneled to them from crony politicians and from a network of socialist private foundations.

The level of fraud is so great that some brave U.S. Attorneys are looking at taking action. But the odds are it is too late, that their efforts will be squashed and the election will be outright stolen. There is zero precedent in America for overturning an election once it has been certified. So, the fraudulent election is likely to take place, the results certified and the so-called “winner” will assume office.

And since it is Barrack Obama who is joined at the hip with ACORN, one must assume it is for his election that ACORN is breaking every law it can. That should not be much of a surprise since the Obama campaign paid ACORN $800,000 for “advance” work, even going so far as to try to hide who was actually getting the money.

Justice may yet prevail. The U.S. Justice system may block this assault. It is not pre-ordained that Barrack Obama will be sworn in to office on January 20. A lot is going to happen between now and the election.

But the question should be asked: If Obama does win based on a plan of massive voter fraud, intimidation, and outright criminal activity, how will he govern? How can anyone who has attained the office through tactics more akin to tin-horn dictators ever have the legitimacy to govern?

The answer is self-evident, he will have no legitimacy. Every act he and his dutiful lackeys in Congress take will have no legitimate base with the American people. As someone who will have only attained power through the crude, thuggish actions of ACORN and their allies, nothing he says will carry the authority or respect all law depends on to function.

As observed before, when power lacks moral authority and the true consent of the governed, it has only one way to assert its will – force, the threat of violence, and outright physical control. And, especially given the temperament of the American people, such action would lead to only one reaction, resistance.

That is what is at stake. The seeds are being sown now of what could be the darkest chapter in our nation’s history. An illegitimate government using force to compel a restive citizenry to “share” their income in ever increasing amounts for dubious social welfare scams and radical One World foreign policies will not end well.

One person has the ability to prevent this. Barrack Obama himself is the only person who can short-circuit the dangerous cycle we have entered. If he immediately called on state election officials to purge voter lists in a manner designed to remove the fraudulent registrants, if he joined with people of good faith of all political persuasions to establish a monitoring system, if he openly discussed his relationship with ACORN and cooperated with law enforcement authorities, he would ensure the legitimacy of the elections. And, he would accomplish what he says he wants, true reconciliation in America.

Whether Obama would win in a fair contest is hard to say. He has many assets and skills. If he fails to acts now, he could win the White House and lose all. He would forever be seen as the interloper, the illegitimate beneficiary of the largest fraud ever committed. But if he does “man-up” at this crucial moment, he will gain the respect of friend and foe alike. He will have earned for himself the legitimacy no stolen election can ever confer.

Bill Wilson is the President of Americans for Limited Government.