The American Spectator

jacobus cambria| 3.11.10 @ 9:49AM

The author of this article is, apparently, not aware of the "bill of attainder" clause of the Constitution of the United States of America.

It would seem to me that you should be angry about representatives and senators seeking to exercise the constitutionally mandated power of the judiciary.

Nick| 3.11.10 @ 10:09AM

Mr. Cambria,

You, apparently, are not aware of what a "bill of attainder" is.

My organization isn't getting any federal funds. Am I being punished?

jacobus cambria| 3.11.10 @ 3:38PM

According to Judge Rehnquist, "a bill of attainder was a legislative act that singled out one or more persons and imposed punishment on them, without benefit of trial. Such actions were regarded as odious by the framers of the Constitution because it was the traditional role of a court, judging an individual case, to impose punishment." My understanding is that the SCOTUS includes bills of pains and penalties under this interpretation.

As far as I'm aware ACORN has not been found guilty of anything to this point in time. Individual persons who work for ACORN may have been accused of various forms of malfeasance. If you are aware of any findings of guilt by a court, I'd be happy to be enlightened.

I'd also be more than pleased to learn which part of the judge's ruling in this particular case is incorrectly reasoned.

As for whether you are being punished, I cannot say one way or the other. Have you been subject to "a legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial?" If yes, then that would be illegal.

Nick| 3.11.10 @ 4:03PM

Mr. Cambria,

I think you mean CHIEF JUSTICE Rehnquist.

What was the Congressional ACT that punished ACORN? House or Senate bill number will suffice.

Congress wasn't going to take ACORN's money with a fine or tax. They were going to stop giving them taxpayer's money. That is not punishment, it is common sense.

Is this so hard to understand?

ZerObama| 3.11.10 @ 11:22PM

Well, of course ACORN hasn't been found guilty of any crime--Obama's corrupt Justice Dept. keeps covering up for their disgusting crimes.

OBAMA = ACORN--what do you expect?

kathy| 3.12.10 @ 6:58AM

You sure don't understand what a "bill of attainder" is, Jacobus! Congress has the right and responsibility to decide how to spend taxpayer money. They are responsible for deciding how best to morally spend that money.

That is different than taking private property by the government. There is only so much money for public groups, and they Congress can decide who deserves it the most and cut the funds of the rest.

The Congress can also even dismantle the court system if they want too and establish a different system, which means Nutty Nina may have to ask ACORN for a job!!

ACORN is an anti-social group. You can tell if a group is social or anti-social by their products, behavior and who they associate with.

The taxpayers do not have to fund anti-social groups. Thomas Jefferson did not believe in having an income tax system because he said that it may then cause people to contribute to things they do not morally believe in. He believed in a tariff system on goods from other countries.

In fact, no one who is sane, intelligent and peace-loving would contribute to an anti-social group. The Congress acted responsibly to cut off our money to that anti-social group.

However, you're just the type of person who is a weak link in America because you can't morally weigh data or personal behavior.

A wise man once wrote: "Crazier still are those who just stand around and do nothing in the face of insanity."

Whose team are you on, J? Good or evil? It's time to decide.

Marc Jeric| 3.11.10 @ 12:03PM

Why is it that we cannot sue the judges for malfeasance in office? I would sentence that creep to 20 years without parole. Clinton appointee - right? Aha - that disbarred felon!

Jon B| 3.11.10 @ 7:02PM

I agree. When the US SC violated the Constitution to install the President, there was no punishment available except impeachment and removal. The Republican majority was not going to support support the Constitution.

There is no 12-12 deadline for counting votes written in law anywhere. This was a deadline created out of thin air by the US SC when they chose to give 0 value to 10's of thousands of legal votes, preferring to give full value to another set of legal votes. A direct violation of the equal protection cause of the 14th amendment, and one of the biggest crimes this nation has ever witnessed. No punishment at all for it since there is no law to prevent the US SC from violating the Constitution.

ZerObama| 3.11.10 @ 11:31PM

Wrong thread, dumbtard! lol

Ike| 3.11.10 @ 12:10PM

Mr. Cambria: A bill of attainter was a practice of the English Parliament, a law passed which forfeited the lawfully owned property of a person or a family to the Crown as a punishment. Most often, it was accompanied by some criminal conviction and in addition to whatever punishment was meted out via the courts, but not always. In the 18th Century, it was most often used to punish political opponents without resort to the courts.

But the difference is that ACORN has no ownership rights to public money, whether appropriated or not. If Congress had passed a law confiscating ACORN's bank deposits, real and personal property, and other assets, that would have been a bill of attainter.

Pete| 3.11.10 @ 12:11PM

This is a HUGE issue. This is the only chance the Dims have of winning elections in the next 2 cycles - outright fraud. This must be elevated into the public consciousness ASAP. Why isn't every Republican on TV hitting this issue hard?

uncle curmudgeon| 3.11.10 @ 2:08PM

Absolutely correct, Pete. De-funding the Left is job # 1. Should the GOP ever exercize the competence option, it could become their Energizer Bunny issue for years to come. Somebody hand those dopes an ax. Timmm-buuurrr!

John Baker| 3.11.10 @ 3:05PM

So, I guess it's OK for ACORN to help people to smuggle underage children into the country as sex slaves. What else would you expect from such a radical person.
JUDGE NINA GERSHON SUPPORTS PROSITUTION AND THE ABUSE OF CHILDREN!!!!!

DanMingo| 3.11.10 @ 3:17PM

Acorn did not help or offer to help smuggle anyone anywhere.
If an employee of Acorn did, they were punished.
If you are referring to the highly edited smear films of the indicted Breitbart acolyte; that's not proof of anything.
The court has no lawful right to deprive an agency which is receiving public funds of those funds because of rumors and smears.
If you have information regarding the arrest and conviction of anyone from Acorn for prostitution, soliciting, or child abuse it would be helpful for you to share it (facts only please, not right wing ranting), but if, as is likely, you are just parroting rush, glen, sean or whoever, you have no basis for your accusatory statements.

ZerObama| 3.12.10 @ 3:15PM

Any proof with your hackneyed DNC talking points whine, dumbtard? Talk about a bird-brained parrot.

Projection is a pillar of leftist thought.

Bruce| 3.11.10 @ 4:57PM

Well - I guess if you lefty nutroots can parrot MoveOn, Daily Kos, WaPo, and Soros - we can parrot whoeverthehell we want. Tit for tat and all that. And by the way - ACORN is not an "agency" of the government. At least officially, that is, no matter how hard Zero tries to give them official recognition. They are a private political organization, and have absolutely NO right to public taxpayer money.

Moby Froll| 3.11.10 @ 7:13PM

Ah, yes, Jihadists everywhere love the American court system!

It's all about "branding," so we have hired a New York consultant to help us.

Al-Qaeda will become "Hugs Across the Gulf" and Taliban will change its name to "Fluffy Bunny Slippers."

We are going to rolling in the (federal) dough very, very soon!

I mean, who could turn down hugs or bunny slippers! Those guys in their Brooks Brothers suits were worth every dime!

Maybe they'll even put us in charge of the census! Since we are experts in the cross-border exploitation of women, we can put ACORN to shame in advising aspiring pimps and 'hos.

I just love it when our enemies fund us. Sweet . . .

Lenin said: "When the time comes to hang the capitalists, they will sell us the rope."

He was only half right, though.

They will GIVE us the money to buy it!!!

Prepare for the coming Caliphate!

Better start learning Arabic, Infidels!

Allahu Akbar!

Free Major Hasan!

Gene| 3.11.10 @ 8:50PM

"Only in the through-the-looking-glass world of a leftist activist judge could the organized crime syndicate ACORN..."
And this means? Oh - you have no idea. Neither do I except to show your total prejudice. What a bunch of fascist malarky!