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I can only hope that this incident focuses California's attention on the state's extremely lax system of determining voter eligibility and the identification of persons casting votes.

The initial application process is subject to readily available, fraudulent processes and verification at the polling place is essentially an honor system. The availability of a permanent absentee status, requiring only a request, is also a formula for gaming the system.

My hat is off to whomever wrote and directed the letter to voters and I'm sadly disappointed in the reaction of both political parties and the governor to the letter.

Until and unless candidate Nguyen is convicted of a crime, I urge voters to consider his suitability for office based on his viewpoints and his track record, not on any association with recent events in his district.

Loretta Sanchez has a public record of deceit and efforts to game our voting system to her advantage. Tan Nguyen does not.

I posted this on another thread, so apologies if it is redundant. These are my notes from listening to the audio of the press conference (link posted above)

From Tan Nguyen at press conference.

"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 not vote. What is wrong with that."
"There is now some debate to what the Spanish translation really means, especially when it comes to the word 'emigrado'."
"I took a long walk last night along the beach and I met many hispanics. I asked about the word 'emigrado' and what it means. . . . it either means a person with a green card, or they are just here legally but they are not a citizen. This is also a term that is used by the U.S. Government's immigration services agents who would ask those who cross our borders whether they are a citizen or an "emigrado"--a person who is here legally but with only a greencard."

From an attorney (Braniff) commenting on the letter on behalf of the campaign:

"... investigation has indicated that someone connected with Mr. Nguyen's campaign did draft a letter in English... that letter was given to a respectable Spanish translator... to translate into Spanish... with the Mexican idiom... "

Braniff reading the "original English version of the draft" (saying he would limit himself to the relevant parts and not read it in its entirety..

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 at any federal election is a crime.

Other tidbits:

Recent survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies found:

• Neck and neck with opponent Ms. Sanchez
• Leading by 13% among voters 100% sure that they will be casting ballots.

Regarding Scott Baugh, OC GOP Chairman:

• Didn't wait for results of investigation
• Didn't call Nguyen to get his side of story

Questions not answered:

• Why was the letter sent on forged letterhead of another group?
• Why did and LAPD officer pay for the letter?

A bad move, IMO:

• Apologized to his office manager that he had discharged
• Invited them to rejoin the campaign.
With respect to his office manager, he said "her forwarding of the database without my knowledge was a mistake...." That seems to imply that she was not the author of the letter or the mastermind behind this effort. More facts to come, for sure!

And now for the "hypocrisy" category:

http://www.mexiconews.com.mx/21156.html

The Mexican government said Monday it will present the U.N. Human Rights Council with a resolution criticizing a U.S. plan to build hundreds of kilometers (miles) of additional fencing on the border. Mexican Ambassador Luis Alfonso de Alba, president of the 47-member council, said the resolution will denounce the fence for violating human rights and driving undocumented migrants to cross the border in more remote and dangerous areas. The United States is an observer but not a member of the council, which this year replaced the widely discredited U.N. Human Rights Commission. At the council´s first sessions this year, members failed to reach agreement on the most hotly debated issues, such as on human rights violations in Sudan. Last month, the U.S. Senate approved a bill to build 1,100 kilometers (700 miles) of border fencing. U.S. President George W. Bush has said he will sign it into law, despite pleas from the Mexican government for a veto. President Vicente Fox has called the plan "shameful" and compared it to the Berlin Wall. An estimated 11 million Mexicans live in the United States, about half them illegally.

Why don't WE file a complaint with the UN over Mexico's flagrantly anti-gringo immigration laws that lead to the poverty there of which they hypocritically complain? Their laws are detailed here:

http://www.directory.com.mx/immigration