A little bit of Tree Shaking in South Florida.

From FOX News (Hat Tips: ASPF and Michelle Malkin)

Arrest warrants have been issued in Miami for 11 people suspected of falsifying information on hundreds of voter registration cards — including registering the name of the late actor Paul Newman — the Florida state attorney’s office told FOXNews.com.

The FBI and state authorities took six people into custody Wednesday as it issued 11 arrest warrants for voter registration fraud in Homestead, Fla., in June 2008.

“Names were filled out on the registration forms that were not actual voters,” said Ed Griffith, a spokesperson for the state attorney’s office. Griffith said the names included people who were already registered voters, fictitious names, and the name of the late actor Paul Newman, who died in Sept. 2008.

Griffith said the workers being sought were hired to register voters by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN. He said ACORN alerted the state attorney’s office after it reviewed hundreds of voter registration cards it suspected were fraudulent. Griffith said that none of the names in question actually voted.

In a statement sent to FOXNews.com. on Wednesday, Florida ACORN board member Leroy Bell said, “We want to commend the state attorney for taking decisive action. Today’s action demonstrates the seriousness we brought to the task of not only expanding the electorate, but also of protecting the integrity of the voting process.

How many of those fraudulent registrations had names that began, Jose, Donald Duck or Deceased?

They certainly bring “diversity” to the voting booth. You could make a movie about ACORN and call it, “The Dead, the Illegal and the Fictitious”

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Well, you cannot even turn around in your own front yard without one of these Mafia-wannabe Purple Shirts trespassing on your property.

The newest Chicago/Union Extortion Scheme: Strong-arm home-based caregivers into joining their ranks.

From the Chicago Tribune: (Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin)

Kathy Keith has cared for a son with Down syndrome for 23 years and never dreamed that one day organized labor would consider her a prime candidate for a union card.

So she was skeptical when representatives from two of the nation’s largest unions began competing for her attention over the last few weeks with unannounced visits to her home, mailings and phone messages promising to fatten her state stipend.

The Bartlett resident is among about 3,000 people who receive state funding to assist someone at home with a developmental disability. As a result of an executive order signed by Gov. Pat Quinn in June that allows collective bargaining by “individual providers of home-based support services,” unions are now trying to sign them up in an unusual effort to boost membership.

The move has left some care providers angry and confused. Many are mothers, fathers or close relatives who are caring for loved ones, advocates say.

“Are you saying I can go on strike and not wipe my son’s rear end?” Keith said, questioning if union membership would pit her interests against her son’s.

Soon, she and others expect to receive ballots by mail that ask them to join the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) or the Service Employees International Union(SEIU). Or they may vote against representation.

Caregivers who vote against joining a union or don’t vote at all would get to choose whether to become members if SEIU or AFSCME receives the most votes, but even if they decline to join, they will have to pay “fair share” dues, according to union representatives.

That folks, is called extortion.

Those “dues” (aka protection money) will be draining what limited resources many of these families have for providing care for their loved ones.

Pam Harris of Western Springs said she will vote against joining a union and is angry over what she calls “strong-arm tactics.” She worries about what will happen if she is forced to join a union as a caregiver for her son, Josh, 20, who has a rare genetic syndrome that causes cognitive and physical disabilities.

“I need that money for my son,” said Harris, who spends $1,400 a month on medical insurance for her son.

Organizers showed up at her doorstep on a recent Sunday morning, she said.

“I am not an employee of the state,” Harris said. “I work from my home. I don’t want the union in my home. I can Norma Rae with the rest of them.”

And the most laughable line:

Anders Lindall of AFSCME addressed some of the fears that families have expressed.

“It is absolutely critical for people to understand that the union would not interfere in any way with their control over hiring or any decisions about the care made for individuals,” he said.

Oh, I am sure the same thing was said when the UAW was formed.

Once they get their foot in the door, the union goons will be dictating, at the government’s behest, who the caregiver can hire, what they can pay the employee etc. After all, since a lot of these caregivers receive government money either via stipends from the state and/or SSI benefits via the federal government, you can bet there will be a lot of hooks and conditions built in. The unions will basically just act as the musclemen for the government.

Purple shirts, brown shirts. It is all the same in the end.

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Well, this did not take too long.

Desperate to stop the popular uprising against ObamaCare and under orders from the President himself, union thugs were hastily dispatched to fan out, invade and disrupt local town halls.

And to also do what union thugs do best. Act as Ton Ton Mocoute members. Or at least White Panther members.

In St. Louis, a health care town hall that was to be headlined by Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO) was invaded by SEIU goons, who proceeded to lock out a 1,000 strong contingent who arrived to listen and participate.

As reported by Gateway Pundit:

In this video you see one Carnahan supporter allowed into the meeting at Bernard Middle School through a side door. There were 1,000 tea party taxpayers stranded outside the main door.

When two SEIU members attempted to get in the same side door marked “handicapped” the crowd went nuts and blocked them at the door. Did you notice how nonchalant the SIEU members were about getting inside the door? Like they knew right where to go.

As the event was winding down. violence broke out when one citizen, who was handing out “Don’t Tread on Me” flags was set upon and attacked by as many as six goons.

As reported by STLDaily.com

UPDATE: St. Louis County police say six people were arrested. Two of those were arrested on suspicion of assault, one of resisting arrest and three on suspicion of committing peace disturbances. Carnahan was gone when the ruckus started.

Kenneth Gladney, a 38-year-old conservative activist from St. Louis, said he was attacked by some of those arrested as he handed out yellow flags with “Don’t tread on me” printed on them. He spoke to the Post-Dispatch from the emergency room of the St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, where he said he was waiting to be treated for injuries to his knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face that he suffered in the attack. Gladney, who is black, said one of his attackers, also a black man, used a racial slur against him before the attack started.

“It just seems there’s no freedom of speech without being attacked,” he said.

In Tampa, more union goon behavior:

From Red State:

Early reports coming in from Florida indicate the hastily scheduled townhall with Kathy Castor ended badly, as predicted, because of SEIU thugs.

The event was conveniently held in a forum where only 250 people could fit. 1000 people showed up. SEIU members were given reserved seating that took up at least half of the 250 seats. As people came in who visibly oppose the Democrats healthcare plan, SEIU members barred access to the room.

From TBO.com:

The problems began when a crowd of around 500, many of them recruited to attend by interest groups both for and against the proposal, sought to enter the meeting room. The room, in the offices of the Hillsborough County Children’s Board on East Palm Avenue, has a capacity of only about 250.

Several hundred people, mostly opponents, wound up outside or packing a hallway leading into the meeting room. Some scuffled with members of the sponsoring groups who manned the doorway.

One man who said he was injured and intended to file a police complaint, Randy Arthur of Oldsmar, was outside the meeting room with his wife, Kathy Arthur, when organizers tried to close the doors.

She said he was slammed against a wall. He later talked to police officers, his knit shirt ripped and a few scratches visible on his chest.

Among the crowd outside, opponents and a smaller number of proponents got into occasional shouting matches.

After trying to speak, Castor left at about 6:40 p.m., taking jeers as she left.

“They’re hiding from their constituents. She works for us and needs to listen,” said Karen Jaroch, a Tampa homemaker and organizer for the 9-12 Project, set up by TV commentator Glenn Beck, which had recruited its members to attend.

How interesting that these once peaceful, if a bit heated town halls have all of the sudden turned into a war zone. And all of it orchestrated by the White House, and as is always the case when unions and Left-Wing parasites show up anyplace, it degenerates into hate speech, shouting threats and violence. This is their hallmark, their raison d’ete and a tactic they have perfected for the better part of half a century. And a lot of it funded by your tax dollars.

However, in spite of their little temper tantrums in FL and MO today, they are vastly outnumbered and they know it. Which is why the word went out for them to quickly mobilize and try to crush dissent in ways that would make the mullahs in Iran smile knowingly.

Only time will tell how all of this will play out. I do not think it will be all that pretty.

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