Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Hyperventilating, Hysteria and Misinformation in the CA-47

Cutting through the nonsense and adding some perspective on Tan Nguyen and the so-called anti-immigrant letter

There has been absolutely no crime committed here, so why is there a criminal investigation couple weeks prior to a very important election? That’s a very good question.

Governor Schwarzenegger apparently thinks that informing people that illegal residents are committing a criminal offense if they vote illegally is in and of itself a "hate crime,"???


Let’s put the cowardice of the California Republican Party aside for a moment and focus on the man. Tan Nguyen (a naturalized citizen immigrated from Vietnam) is the 2006 Republican candidate for US House of Representatives running in California's 47th district against the incumbent Democrat Loretta Sanchez. A few days ago, a letter went out in Spanish to approximately 14,000 people in the district from Nguyen's campaign stating that voting by illegal immigrants is a crime for which they could face arrest.

The original letter in question:

You are receiving this letter because you recently registered to vote. If you are a citizen of the U.S. we encourage you to participate in the democratic process.

However, if you are here illegally or are just a resident with a green card, you should be advised that voting in any Federal Election is a crime and may result in imprisonment, and WILL result in deportation.

In fact, the U.S. Government is in the process of installing a new computer system which will be used to check and verify all new registrants who vote in the October/November elections. Private anti-immigration organizations may also bring a law suit to have access to this new computer system.

Unlike Mexico, there is NO BENEFIT to voting. There is no VOTER CARD in the USA. It is therefore very stupid to vote in any election if you are not a citizen.

Do not pay attention to any politician who tells you anything contrary. They have THEIR OWN INTERESTS. They just want to win elections. They do not care what happens to you.


Immediately, the hysteria machine when into full gear with some people declaring Nguyen unfit for office and demanding that he quit the race. Of course, you expect this kind of nonsense from the opposition party and their proxies in the press, but he's been hit by top Republicans in the state. How can an immigrant be against immigration? The county party has publicly called for his withdrawal, with Scott Baugh chairman of the Republican Party of orange county and Governor Schwarzenegger leading the way! funny the party tries to disown Tan but never supported him in the first place. He’s received no money or bodies from the Ca Republican party!

Nguyen is accused of hate crimes and violations of the Voting Rights Act, the holocaust and beating young children about the head and neck!

OK! The first two may be a bit ridiculous…lol

Seriously, the letter was sent out to 14,000 people who were on a database held by the office of Tan Nguyen a staffer (with permission from Tan) forwarded the database to a group that sent the letter.

But let’s assume for a minute that Tan himself penned the letter? So what! There is absolutely no crime in informing people of the law. You can’t intimidate people who have no business voting in the first place. Looking into this story you start to see a deliberate fueling of the fire that can only be coming from one place, the Sanchez campaign!

Let me begin by answering all the political figures, including the Chairman of the Orange County Republican Party- Scott Baugh, and their ridiculous call my withdrawal. I am innocent…and there is NO WAY IN HELL I AM QUITING THIS RACE. Mr. Scott Baugh, like many people this week, has made a rush to judgment and without all the facts. I find it incredible that he didn’t even call me, to get my side of the story, or didn’t even wait for the result of this so called investigation.

THERE HAS BEEN NO CRIME COMMITTED, SO WHY IS THERE A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION BEING CONDUCTED BY THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL, THREE WEEKS PRIOR TO A VERY IMPORTANT ELECTION?

What is going on? And who is fueling this hysteria?

I would be doing a disservice to myself and the people of this community if I were to quit. A recent survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies found that I am neck and neck with my opponent, Ms. Sanchez. However, among voters who are 100% likely to vote this November, I am leading Ms. Sanchez by 13%. We have tremendous support from the people of this district because we have bonded with them in the last two years. We have listened to their concerns and we’ve been telling it like it is, whether when it comes to the issue of Illegal Immigration, Border Security, The War in Iraq, Caring for Our Elders, or Keeping American Jobs Here in America.

I have always tell it like it is and that’s what I am going to do today.

There is no crime committed, not a hate crime, and not even a love crime. The whole hysteria and nonsense about there being a crime is just a BIG FAT LIE and those who are fueling this hysteria and nonsense should be ashamed of themselves.

So, if there’s no crime committed, why is there an expedited criminal investigation conducted by the State Attorney General, three weeks prior to an election? What’s the rush? What’s going on? WHY HAS NO ONE STOOD UP AND SAY “THE EMPEROR’S GOT NO CLOTHES!!!!” Well, I am gonna do that!

I have learned that the letter in question was the Spanish translation of a letter in English, urging green card holders and illegal immigrants to refrain from voting. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT? My attorney for the political campaign will address the letter, later.

Then, you be the judge! Where is the hate crime? Where is the voter intimidation? AND IF THERE’S NO VOTER INTIMIDATION AND NO CRIME, THEN WHY IS THERE AN EXPEDITED CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION BEEN CONDUCTED BY THE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL? WHAT’S GOING ON? AND WHO IS FUELING THIS HYSTERIA?

There is now some debate to what the Spanish translation actually says, especially when it comes to the word “EMIGRADO.”

I took a long walk along the beach, last night, and I met many Hispanics. I asked them about the word “EMIGRADO,” and was very surprised to find out that it either means a person with a GREEN CARD or a person here legally but does not have citizenship. This is also a term used by the United States Immigration Service Agents to ask those crossing our border, whether they are a CITIZEN OR AN EMIGRADO, a person who is here legally, but with only a green card. All of us know that a person who only has a green card can not vote.

So, if this is the term used by the United States Government to describe green card holders, then who’s feeding this hysteria? I don’t speak Spanish, but my opponent does…why don’t you ask her what EMIGRADO really means, and why is she fueling the fire. Why is she holding rallies to add to the hysteria?

My opponent, Ms. Sanchez, is not concerned with enforcing our immigration laws. In fact, she has introduced legislation to prevent prospective voters to show valid I.D. before voting. She has even sponsored bills to give social security pensions to illegal immigrants…in a time when we don’t even have enough money to pay our retirees. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that this would encourage more people to vote fraudulently.

I am appalled and surprised at the amount of hysteria that has been generated.
Ms. Sanchez, who has been unavailable to defend her bizarre voting record which includes refusing to condemn Hezbollah, the terrorist organization that killed 241 of our Marines in 1983, refusing to commend our soldiers, refusing to help our senior citizens get cheaper medicines and Long Term Care, has all of a sudden jumped on the bandwagon and made herself very available!


So even if it were true (which we can see by the link above it isn’t) that Tan wrote the letter, what he said there is absolutely legal, correct and proper. There have been numerous likely sounding stories of Democrat operatives actively recruiting illegal Mexican immigrants to vote. It is suspected that exactly such voting was how Ms Sanchez skinned ol' B1 Bob Dornan out of this seat in the first place, back in 1996 Dornan vs. Sanchez. Considering that this has been a tacit Democrat tactic, it's only reasonable that the Republican candidate give people a general notice that such things are illegal - because they are.

"YOU DON'T NEED PAPERS FOR VOTING"

Orange County Republican Bob Dornan was running against Loretta Sanchez. This was quite an interesting election. Miss Loretta had tried several times to run for office under her married name of Loretta Brixley. Didn't work. Then, an epiphany! Why not revert to her maiden name of Sanchez? There are tens of thousands of Hispanics in the district, and though many of them are illegal, being the informed and knowledgeable voters that they are, they would certainly respond better to the Sanchez name than to the Brixley name. So ... change her name she did, and win she did ... on the strength of thousands of votes from unregistered Latino voters. The Republicans, recognizing that some pretty massive voting fraud had taken place, immediately started an investigation. The Democrats, just two years from having lost control of the House, immediately started screaming racism. The tactic worked, the investigation into rampant illegal voting was dropped, and Sanchez remains in the House of Representatives


Through out this whole tragic circus ride, I have to give credit to Tan Nguyen himself for 1) standing up and fighting for what he believes in and 2) re-instating the campaign worker specifically responsible for the controversial letter. He initially fired her from his staff, saying that he had not approved that letter. But after some reflection and giving the letter another look he decided there was nothing wrong with it, and asked her to come back. That's the most honorable act of this entire episode. Imo!!!

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