New Orleans The days turn into months, the months turn into years, but time inadequate still to erase the full-on craziness in the land.  I know after 38 years with ACORN I’m not just months shy of three years since I resigned.  ACORN itself threw in the towel and declared bankruptcy almost 5 months ago and was functionally dead six months earlier than that.  But in the wildness, craziness of the manic American mood now, almost a quarter of the Republicans surveyed still firmly believe that ACORN, dead, gone, and never did it, is still going to steal the election for Obama in 2012.  The good news I supposed is that this figure is down from two years ago when more than half of the Republicans in their “wisdom” believed firmly and contrary to all evidence, rumor or accusation that ACORN had somehow “stolen” the 2008 election.   The Republican fear of organization and lower income families, unknown to them I assume outside of the servant class, is still palpable and a boogie man to their ever active and conspiratorial imaginations.

Meanwhile ACORN home breaker, documented liar, and convicted scam artist, James O’Keefe continues to wreck havoc unchecked about the land.  In a note on TMP by Ryan Riley that is too important to miss, a sample of the outlandish arguments he is using to try and defend his illegal taping in California in a federal lawsuit filed by an aggrieved and likely wrongfully discharged former housing employee in San Diego:

“Meanwhile, the fallout from one of O’Keefe’s previous sting operations targeting the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN) is still playing out in federal court, where lawyers for the conservative provocateur are claiming a California law banning audio recordings without the consent of the other party is unconstitutional.

A team of four lawyers is defending O’Keefe on a pro bono basis in the suit filed by one of O’Keefe’s targets, and they’re citing everything from the writings of James Madison to Ashton Kutcher’s MTV show “Punk’d” to a Woody Allen segment on “Candid Camera” to claim O’Keefe’s ACORN sting is protected by the First Amendment.”

Equally juicy and zany is the way that there is a “falling out among the thieves,” as the “whore” in the sting, Hannah Giles, is also filing paperwork trying to remove herself from the case after years of credit taking and rightwing fundraising and speaking on the argument that “he made me do it” or his finger was on the tape…

“Lawyers for O’Keefe’s partner in the ACORN sting, Hannah Giles (who posed as a prostitute in the videos), are arguing that Giles shouldn’t be held responsible because she wasn’t the one doing the actual recording.”

Earlier suits were either dismissed (Maryland) or settled privately (Pennsylvania), but this one may cause the callow youth to modify his behavior.

Who am I kidding?!?

If his aborted and ill conceived operation on Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La) didn’t teach him anything, why would this?  It only means that citizens in the 20 odd states that bar such secret recordings, people – and organizations – could be safe from such crimes, while in the rest of the country ever vigilance should be the constant watchword as long as all of this kind of despicable behavior is a tool in the hands of our enemies and the subject of a constant media swoon no matter how outlandish or false.