Letter to the editor

Argumentation class inspires response

ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) is the Nation’s largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, working together fo social justice and stronger communities, according to Acorn.org.

Muriel Montgomery claims that Wis., "is one of 13 states which ACORN is under investigation for election fraud" and that "the number of ACORN workers suspected with the tampering of voter registration in Milwaukee alone is upwards of 49 individuals." In the column written by Montgomery, Barack Obama is tied back to this fraud through a series of claims.

Montgomery claims that because Obama is endorsed by ACORN, that means he is responsible for the fraud that has taken place. Montgomery does not provide any evidence for this in her column.

There is no direct link of causation in this claim as Montgomery generalizes 49 people to all 50 states and all 50 states to Barack Obama. In addition, Montgomery uses ACORN’s contribution to the failed bail-out plan as support for her claim that Barack Obama is tied to the fraudulent registration forms. The supposed role that ACORN played in the economic bailout, which again Montgomery does not have sufficient evidence for, has no relation to one another. They are separate issues.

ACORN is, said by Montgomery, to have stolen the elections. Again, this is a generalization from 49 people to ALL the ACORNs in every state.

According to Montgomery's column, Talbott of the Chicago division of ACORN has asked Barack Obama to train ACORN in leadership. What does this have to do with fraud? Just because Barack Obama has contributed to ACORN does not necessarily mean, for a fact as Montgomery claims, that Barack Obama and the democrats are responsible for the 49 people in 13 out of 15 states.

Although some of the "facts" Montgomery states may be true, these facts have no correlation to each other. Anyone who is able to think critically may find themselves questioning the validity of the "facts" as they relate to each other. Where is the evidence that says Barack Obama directly created fraudulent registration forms? These claims cannot be true if there is no real evidence to support them.

Really, how does Roe vs. Wade relate to homosexuality, and how do these two combined relate to the fraudulent registration forms by 49 individuals?

There is no doubt that it is wrong to create fraudulent registration forms, but it is also not good to claim something as a fact. Especially when there is no evidence to support it.

Cassie Vogt, student