The lunacy continues unabated. My mom forwarded the following email to me, which rather says that while she doesn’t have a seat on it, she’s located awfully close to the tracks on which the crazy train runs.

The email is basically trying to make you fear the upcoming 2010 census, especially because you might encounter “ACORN goons” who will steal your information and use it “for racially motivated purposes like gerrymandering.” While the Census Bureau does intend to use ACORN as one of many groups contracted to help with the census, the attempt here is clearly to leverage the manufactured election hoopla over ACORN’s relationship with Obama to somehow cast the census as a subversive activity.

Plan for dealing with your private personal info to potential census takers. Prevent identity theft.
Here’s my plan on how to effectively deal with the upcoming US Census. You are required to provide certain information to the census by law, and other data according to agency “rules”. But read my plan as shown below, and gain an advantage on the A.C.O.R.N. goons who may be ringing your doorbell. REMEMBER, … you have the right to DEMAND any form of positive identification you desire before divulging any personal information which may compromise your identity safety or personal, physical safety (Social Security number, date of birth, etc.). If someone shows you a “census taker” ID card, demand to see two other forms of identification such as their driver’s license and another photo ID or a credit card. Do not refuse to cooperate…just tell them that when one of their people can show up with the required documentation to prove that they are legitimate census takers, you will give them the information they seek (in part, read my comments on ethnicity below). Census takers MAY be A.C.O.R.N. goons, and giving them your data does not guarantee that it won’t show up on the black market, or in some secret database somewhere. However, if you DEMAND to see a supervisor, all of the supervisors are federal employees hired by the Census Bureau. MAKE SURE YOU DEMAND THE SAME VERIFICATION OF DATA FROM THE “SUPERVISOR”!!!
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This is really curious, but the page referenced in the link you provided has been taken down by the Census Bureau. I will assume that the information that was to be found there is like many of the other “vanishing” web pages the Obama administration has posted to various websites; not properly vetted, poorly researched, unsubstantiated data, based on extremist ideology, etc.

I eagerly await the arrival of the first census takers to my property. It is my intention to assess their credentials and to determine whether they are in fact US Government employees or “contractors” from A.C.O.R.N.

If they are not Government employees, I will promptly eject them from my property and demand that a supervisor who actually IS a government employee should appear on my property to take my census information.

Also, the census representatives can NOT make demands of your personal time. They have no authority to insist that you must make disclosure to them at the time they arrive. You can always claim to be “too busy” and ask for a rescheduling of their visit. Of course, you can be “too busy” later as well.

This type of behavior is called “contumacious” behavior; the short definition is “politely defiant” or uncooperative. The census is a lawful procedure that we are all familiar with; the concept is thousands of years old and serves a legitimate government interest. However, like many others, I am growing tired of the incessant demands of these agencies, usually for racially-motivated purposes like gerrymandering and redistricting.

As far as my “ethnicity” goes, I intend to answer “unsure”. I checked my birth certificate, the official document which chronicles my entry into this world, and nowhere on that document is there any reference to my “ethnic heritage” or “ethnic ancestry”. So except for my name, date of birth and current address, all of my informational responses will be “unsure”, followed by a request of the “government representatives” to provide me with the specific data they seek, so I may make an informed response. Perfectly legal, since a knowingly false answer is a crime. If they can prove to me exactly where my ancestors came from, I’ll be glad to report it back to them.

Of course, the obvious solution to all your census taker fears is just to fill the damned form out that comes in your mailbox and send it in. Over 90% of the modern census data is collected by mail. But some people don’t fill out the forms, or lack a permanent address, so people are sent into the field to try and count the stragglers. Further, the constitution only requires that you be counted. All the rest of the data is optional, although strongly encouraged. But as far as I’m concerned, if you’re letting blather like this census paranoia scare you, then by all means, decline to participate.

After all, the census is used to determine your legislator count in the House of Representatives. If your neighborhood is under-counted, then that’s more seats and more votes for sane people. Further, over $100 billion a year in federal funds is allocated using census data. It sponsors community programs and services, education programs, housing and community development, health-care services for the elderly, job training and more good stuff that will come our way. Businesses use census data to locate factories, stores, offices (and therefore jobs) based on where workers/consumers are available. More jobs for us. The list goes on. So yes, by all means, avoid census takers like the swine flu. Get the laces of your boot squarely in your sights and pull the trigger with confidence. No yelling though! The census takers might find you.

Oh, and BTW, “contumacious” means stubbornly disobedient, wilfully obstinate, or rebellious, not “uncooperative.” It is primarily a legal term meaning you are likely to be spending tonight in jail for contempt of court. Nice word though. I guess I did learn something from the email.

Oh, and one other thing… the U.S. Census Bureau has dropped Acorn as a contractor. And not because they were planning to overthrow the government.