Posted on 10/19/2006 6:53:53 AM PDT by calcowgirl
Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be tracked back to some democrats?
Let's see... Headline and first sentence say "have linked to Republicans". Fourth paragraph "We BELIEVE". So do you have proof or is this just an 'accidentally' misleading headline?
I've read it a couple of times and I'm still not finding the link.
Second, when will just one of these newspapers publish the whole letter? Based on my translation of the partial letter published by La Opinion, the first line reads: "This letter is being sent because you recently registered to vote. If you are a citizen of the United States, you are requested to participate in the democratic process of voting." Hardly hateful or intimidating.
Lastly, I find it amazing that people are calling the letters "racist" and calling for prosecution as a hate crime, but there is no outrage about the death threats received by the leader of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform whose letterhead was forged in this stupid scheme.
I think it probably will be tracked back to a "Republican" (who was a democrat 2 years ago).
There is more detail in the LA Times and OC Register versions of the story but they were too hard to excerpt.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-letter19oct19,0,6413307.story?coll=la-story-footer
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/state/article_1324403.php
A federal DA was on Fox & Friends this morning about this letter. He claimed that immigrants can register to vote and, in fact, can vote. The problem is that only U.S. citizens can vote. Legal immigrants cannot vote unless they've become citizens. No one is bothering to make that point and it is very important.
The letter mixed facts with some false statements, allegedly in an effort to intimidate voters. i'm not sure exactly which laws were broken. Had they not included falsehoods, I don't think there would have been a problem.
What's so intimidating about a cold, hard fact?
That's what I'm trying to figure out. If they are legal and citizens they are perfectly within their right to vote.
However, Sanchez (D) has already alluded to the fact that illegals should get out and vote. I don't blame the guy at all.
Se le envía esta carta debido a que recientemente fue registrado para votar. Si ud. es ciudadano de los Estados Unidos, se le ruega a que participe en el proceso democrático de la votación.
My translation:
This letter is being sent because you recently registered to vote. If you are a citizen of the United States, you are requested to participate in the democratic process of voting.
What's so intimidating about a cold, hard fact?
Well, the bold part is not true. Millions of immigrants are citizens and eligible to vote.
Threatening but accurate??? (except for the tracking part, which they should do).
Exactly what crime has been committed here?
The articles don't mention what mis-statements were made in the letter, nor does it mention what laws were broken. Surely it cannot be illegal to tell people that it is illegal for non-citizens to vote. My guess is that the only thing illegal about the letter is the letterhead.
"You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time."
What's so intimidating about a cold, hard fact?
____________________________________
"If you residence in this country is illegal OR YOU ARE AN IMMIGRANT."
As someone who came to this country and became a citizen, i could see where it could be read that anyone not born American, (i.e., an immigrant), and now a citizen, could see this as being told they couldn't vote.
If a private citizen paid for the letter and it contained no mention of a political race or ballot initiative, I don't think any laws were broken. If a campaign paid for it, though, there are a lot of laws about disclosure notices that have to be put on the piece ("Paid for by Friends of Furd Burfle") -- and McCain's friggin CFR law might have made those disclosures even tougher, I don't know.
Good catch ya'll. I missed that one. Of course legal immigrants are allowed to vote.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
