News

by James Tillman

Washington, DC, October 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – ACORN, the famously corrupt and fraud-ridden community organizing group, has received nearly a million dollars in Homeland Security funds to help fight fires in Louisiana.

The grant was only three of such grants issued to the state and made up almost 80% percent of the firefighting money earmarked for Louisiana.  Several other agencies had applied for the money but lost to ACORN, although the left wing agency has no clear background in fire prevention.  The news comes as fire departments across the nation are struggling to make ends meet.

Charles Flynn, chief of a fire department about 24 miles north of New Orleans, says that ACORN possesses no fire safety or fire prevention expertise and that many smaller and bigger departments really need the money.  His department wished to purchase smoke alarms for low-income families after a fire killed four children.

Sen. David Vitter sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urging that she rescind this grant.  “ACORN's continued contempt for state and federal laws,” he said, “has placed their entire organization under a cloud of serious scrutiny, and this grant should be rescinded and awarded to a more deserving group of first responders.”

He continued: “I am familiar with many fire departments in Louisiana that are in dire need of funds for many worthwhile programs, and I'm sure that this is the case throughout the country.  These firefighters that put their lives on the line for the safety of their communities deserve a full explanation of this award.”

“Again, I request that you immediately rescind this funding to a group that has a long and clear history of abusing federal dollars and reward these monies to a more deserving group of first responders. Thank you for your time and attention.”

ACORN responded with a written statement that blasted Vitter but did not explain how ACORN planned to use the money.

This is the second year ACORN has been awarded the fire prevention and safety grant.  In the 2007 fiscal year, ACORN received $450,484 out of Louisiana's $859,596 share.

A large amount of corruption and fraud in ACORN has come to light recently.  A recent series of videos made by undercover journalists feature ACORN employees giving advice regarding how to run a prostitution ring with 13-year old sex slaves from El Salvador.  They also give advice regarding how one may evade income tax when doing so.  ACORN is currently suing the journalists who uncovered this corruption.

ACORN is also infamous for fraudulent and illegal voter drives: for instance, over 1,700 voter registrations submitted by ACORN employees were rejected as fraudulent in Washington.  ACORN is connected with voter fraud in at least 12 other states, and a high-ranking member of ACORN has been accused of embezzlement of at least a million dollars.

The House has voted recently to deny all federal funds to ACORN.  The fire-fighting grant was awarded before Congress signaled that it intended to cut off all ACORN funding.  FEMA has said that it has not yet distributed the money to ACORN.

ACORN is also connected with Barack Obama.  Obama has worked for a legally separate but practically identical institution, Project Vote.  ACORN has admitted that Obama was a guest speaker at two of their training sessions; according to some there was direct coordination between the Obama campaign and ACORN.