‘Culture of Corruption’ Category
» posted on Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 at 8:53 am by 84rules
U.S.-Mexican Border Security Continues To Deteriorate
Despite Barack Obama’s May 5, 2010 claim that the Federal government has secured the border, violence continues, especially when Mexican authorities flatly refuse to control their side of the border. This refusal to control their own citizens has resulted in two deaths, Anastasio Hernandez Rojas and Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereca, the latter known to be a drug smuggler.
From Sara A. Carter in the Washington Examiner:
| After the shooting, Mexico opened a homicide investigation, and the FBI also commenced a probe of the death. Mexican President Felipe Calderone said he was “shocked and outraged” regarding the two deaths, and Mexico’s foreign affairs minister said shooting at the teen in El Paso was a “disproportionate use of force.”
But for U.S. agents working the border, the deaths illustrate the stark reality of a violent situation that threatens to spin out of control. “Enough is enough,” said T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, which represents U.S. agents. “The Mexican government demanding a full investigation and pretending they have no control or responsibility over what happened is unbelievable,” Bonner said. “They openly encourage people to cross. Nobody shows up to stop the rock throwers, smugglers on their side. It’s a terrible thing that they are allowing criminals to gather on their side of the border to assault our agents.” |
How long will our government remain asleep at the switch? Here is an especially telling fact about how hypocritical the Mexican government is on this issue:
| “Do you think U.S. Border Patrol agents would allow American teenagers to throw rocks at Mexican police or military from our side of the border into Mexico?” a Department of Homeland Security official said. “It would never happen. But daily, agents and officers are confronted by thugs while Mexican law enforcement rarely lifts a finger and many times are a part of the problem. “ |
You can access the complete article on-line here:
U.S.-Mexican Border Security Continues To Deteriorate
Sara A. Carter
Washington Examiner
June 15, 2010
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Anastasio Hernandez Rojas · Bonner · Corruption · Culture of Corruption · Government · Immigration · Mexico · Politics · Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereca · border patrol · illegal immigration · smuggler
» posted on Monday, June 14th, 2010 at 10:13 am by 84rules
Democrat Bob Etheridge (D-NC) Assaults Student On Street
Uh-oh! The Dems are really getting nervous now as November approaches and the mid-term elections are now being billed as a referendum on Obama’s radical agenda.
So, it is no surprise that a Democrat Congressman from North Carolina would react in such a vile and uncivil manner to being asked a simple question by a couple of students on the street. However, this does not make his act any less illegal than it was. Etheridge assaulted and illegally detained a young man. (He grabbed the student by the arm thereby arresting his movements and then grabbed him around the neck.)
I doubt you will see this on ABC, NBC, CBS or CNN nor will it be on the front page of either the Washington Post or New York Times. You see, Etheridge isn’t a Conservative Republican.
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Bob Etheridge · Corruption · Culture of Corruption · Democrat · Elections · Government · North Carolina · Obama · Politics · Social Issues · agenda · assault · student · video
» posted on Sunday, June 13th, 2010 at 10:50 am by 84rules
Hidden Cameras Show That The Border Is NOT Secure
During a Cinco de Mayo speech last month, Obama said the following:
| “The way to fix our broken immigration system is through common-sense, comprehensive immigration reform. That means responsibility from government to secure our borders, something we have done and will continue to do.” |
Well, let’s check the video from a hidden camera at the border to see whether or not border security is really “something we have done.”
Where are the Washington Post, New York Times, ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN on this story?
To access this and many other videos exposing Obama’s lie about securing the border, go to the following:
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Corruption · Culture of Corruption · Government · Immigration · Politics · Social Issues
» posted on Friday, May 28th, 2010 at 10:54 am by 84rules
I Was Right! Senator Mark Warner Is A Coward!
Yes! I said it! Mark Warner (D-VA) is a coward of the first order!
On May 24, 2010, I posted the following:
Letters To Webb And Warner Concerning The Applause Offered To Felipe Calderon By The Democrats
84rules
May 24, 2010
In my letter to Warner, I made the following points and mentioned that I did not expect him to have the courage or integrity to respond to any of them:
| Why do you roll over like a submissive puppy when a foreign leader who has no integrity on the issue of illegal immigration maliciously insults the United States and you simply go along with your fellow Democrats because it somehow suits you to see the United States so wrongfully and viciously maligned?
Why have you not called out your fellow Democrats and demanded to know why they rendered such honors to a man who oversees one of the worst human rights abuses in the Western Hemisphere while criticizing a much more humane and lenient U.S. system? Why have you not called out Attorney General Eric Holder for offering unjustified criticism on a bill that he hadn’t even read and which only mirrors Federal law which he, as “top cop,” is obligated to uphold? Why have you not demanded that the Obama administration enforce Federal law rather than unjustly criticize a U.S. State for daring to enforce a law which the Federal government has been overtly failing to enforce? |
Well, here is Warner’s response:
| Thank you for contacting me regarding our nation’s immigration system. I appreciate the benefit of your views on this important issue.
Our current immigration system is broken, which is why I believe Congress should work to pass bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform. Comprehensive immigration reform should include policies to secure our nation’s borders, curb future illegal immigration, establish an effective employer verification system and find a practical solution for the millions of illegal immigrants currently residing in the U.S. I do not believe that illegal immigrants should gain an unfair advantage from their actions. Any effort to earn legal status must include paying back taxes, a fine or penalty and taking steps to learn English. Reform should also not penalize those individuals who have followed the law and are here legally. On April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into law Arizona State Bill 1070, which grants broad powers to local law enforcement officials to determine and request proof of legal status of anyone suspected of violating federal immigration laws. The enactment of this new law is yet another sign that the federal government needs to act to fix our broken immigration system rather than allowing for a state-by-state patchwork of laws and ordinances. I also believe Arizona’s law raises civil rights concerns, fails to recognize the economic contributions of legal immigrant workers, and harms our nation’s ability to attract entrepreneurs from around the world who create jobs here in the United States. Our nation faces many tough challenges. Immigration reform is a complicated and difficult issue but the current system is not working. We must put our differences aside to create a better system. Again, thank you for writing. As we move forward in the 111th Congress, please continue to contact me with your opinions and concerns. Sincerely, |
He did not address one single point of my original letter. Instead, like a scared dog, he tucked his tail between his legs and simply rattled off a bunch of meaningless talking points. In his criticism of Arizona law, he completely ignored how Title 8 of the United States Code makes Arizona’s law completely Constitutional, which I also pointed out to him in my original letter.
Clearly, Mark Warner is a coward who cannot be trusted to answer straightforward questions nor can he be the least bit expected to stand up to the corruption and wrong-doing of his own party, even when his own party applauds a foreign leader who is viciously and hypocritically maligning the United States.
Any supporters of Warner or members of his staff are strongly encouraged to respond to this post as a public debate on this issue will certainly go a long way to allowing a greater understanding of Warner’s detachment from reality regarding this issue.
Now, it remains to be seen if Mr. Webb’s cowardice will be the equal of Mr. Warner’s.
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Arizona · Commonwealth of Virginia · Corruption · Culture of Corruption · Government · Immigration · Jan Brewer · Mark Warner · Politics · Social Issues · Title 8 · United States Code · Virginia · Webb · coward · illegal immigration
» posted on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 at 8:47 am by 84rules
Mothers Against Debt Video
This is the first of what will probably be multiple videos. The politicians in Washington D.C. clearly do not care what sort of hardships they are saddling on our children and grandchildren as a result of all this out of control government spending. Fortunately, the Mothers of America are stepping up and raising their voices. Which political party is going to listen first?
And check out the U.S. Debt Clock:
Given that we are being forewarned about the economic catastrophe we are heading into, no one, especially the politicians who are currently in power, should be the least bit surprised by it nor should they make any attempt to assign blame to anyone else.
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Culture of Corruption · Debt Clock · Economy · Government · Mothers Against Debt · Politics · Social Issues · Taxes · national debt
» posted on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 at 9:19 am by 84rules
“I Do Think At A Certain Point, You’ve Made Enough Money”
On April 29th, 2010, Barack Obama made the following statement:
| I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money. |
Well, what about Obama’s friends and donors? At what point did they make enough money? Glenn Beck asks that question without speaking a single word:
Note the final question at the end:
| Mr. President, why don’t you ask your friends to set the example on how much is too much? |
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Al Gore · Andy Stern · Culture of Corruption · Economy · Franklin Raines · George Soros · Glenn Beck · Government · Hillary Clinton · Jeffrey Immelt · John Edwards · Michael Moore · Obama · Oprah Winfrey · Politics · Social Issues · hypocrisy · video
» posted on Sunday, April 11th, 2010 at 11:04 am by 84rules
Jason Levin: The Man Behind The “Crash The Tea Party” Movement
Study the following picture:
This person is Jason Levin. His goal in life is to crash the Tea Party movement and incite racial incidents in an attempt to damage the image of the Tea Parties. He started the following website:
At this website, you will read the following:
| HOW WE WILL SUCCEED: By infiltrating the Tea Party itself! … Whenever possible, we will act on behalf of the Tea Party in ways which exaggerate their least appealing qualities … |
In other words, they will be fabricating racial slurs and other such falsehoods while pretending to be Tea Party activists. Also note that the people in this group claim to be Democrats. (Nevermind the fact that at least 40% of Tea Party members are Democrats or Independents.)
So, the next time you here about an alleged (and completely unsupported charge) of racism in the Tea Parties, remember to first ask if Jason Levin is responsible for it.
Also, here is something interesting to note. After Levin created this website, he tried to hide his tracks by changing the registry information. Here is what he tried to pass off:
Registrant:
Ben Franklin
3 chestnut lane
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19115
United States
Here is the true registry info:
Domain ID:D158773927-LROR
Domain Name:CRASHTHETEAPARTY.ORG
Created On:03-Apr-2010 22:52:43 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:GoDaddy.com, Inc. (R91-LROR)
Registrant ID:CR45137659
Registrant Name:Jason Levin
Registrant Street1:8575 SW Birch Street
Registrant City:Portland
Registrant State/Province:Oregon
Registrant Postal Code:97223
Registrant Country:US
Registrant Phone:+1.5039366588
Registrant Email:xenex11@gmail.com
Admin ID:CR45137663
Admin Name:Jason Levin
Tech ID:CR45137661
Name Server:NS2.IPOWER.COM
Name Server:NS1.IPOWER.COM
How many Democrats out there will claim to be proud of such a pathetic display of lies and deceptions as Jason Levin has shown?
You can also check out the following link to see a self-description of Jason Levin and some pictures of others who may try to help him in his infiltration:
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Corruption · Crash The Tea Party · Culture of Corruption · Government · Jason Levin · Politics · Social Issues · Tea Parties · democrats
» posted on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 at 10:32 am by 84rules
What Democrats Think Of The American People
Bill Kristol sums it up in two words: “Not much.”
Writing for the Weekly Standard and referencing an article from the Politico, Bill notes the following:
| A memo from a top aide to Maryland Democrat Chris Van Hollen late last week counseled other Democratic staffers to tell their bosses not to worry, that “things like reconciliation and what the rules committee does is INSIDE BASEBALL.” Yesterday House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters, “I don’t think any American … is going to make the distinction” between the Slaughter procedure and a straightforward vote on the legislation. “Process is interesting, particularly to all of us around this room. But in the final analysis, what is interesting to the American public is what does this bill do for them and their families.” |
Actually, what is interesting to us is what this bill will do to us and our families. We already know thanks to examples like Canada and Great Britain. That is why the majority of us are against socializing our health care. But the Dems seem to be completely oblivious to our position.
More:
| Here the Democrats betray their contempt for the supposed simple-mindedness and short-sightedness of the American public. They also convey their vision of the American people living under the big government liberalism: We are to be passive consumers of government action, who accept what is done for us and to us in light of our perceived narrow short-term self-interest. We are not to think of ourselves as self-governing citizens with a stake in the process of constitutional self-government and a concern for the good of the whole. |
Yep. That is exactly how the Democrats think. They think they know more about our needs from sitting in their taxpayer-financed luxury offices in Washington D.C. than we know about our needs from living out here in the real world.
You can access the complete article on-line here:
What Democrats Think Of The American People
William Kristol
The Weekly Standard
March 16, 2010
And the Politico article on-line here:
Dems: Time To ‘Rip The Band Aid Off’
Patrick O’Connor
Politico
March 12, 2010
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Bill Kristol · Corruption · Culture of Corruption · Government · Health Care · Louise Slaughter · Patrick O'Connor · Politico · Politics · Steny Hoyer · Van Hollen · inside baseball
» posted on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 11:05 am by 84rules
Pelosi, Slaughter Went To Court Against Self-Executing Rule In 2005
This is basically an extension of my post from yesterday:
Democrats Change The Rules, Set To Trash The Constitution
84rules
March 15, 2010
Not only is Pelosi & Company set to usurp the Constitution in order to ram a Socialized Health Care bill that a majority of Americans do not want down our collective throats, but they were also “friends of the court” in a case back in 2005 when they challenged a piece of GOP legislation that focused on raising the debt limit.
From Mark Tapscott at the Washington Examiner:
| Dial the date selector back to 2005 when the Republican majority in Congress approved a national debt limit increase using a self-executing rule similar to the Slaughter Solution.
Guess who went to Federal court to challenge the constitutionality of the move? The Ralph Nader-backed Public Citizen legal activists. |
And their argument went thus:
| “Article I of the United States Constitution requires that before proposed legislation may “become[] a Law,” U.S. CONST. art. I, § 7, cl. 2, “(1) a bill containing its exact text [must be] approved by a majority of the Members of the House of Representatives; (2) the Senate [must] approve[] precisely the same text; and (3) that text [must be] signed into law by the President,” Clinton v. City of New York, 524 U.S. 417, 448, 118 S.Ct. 2091, 141 L.Ed.2d 393 (1998).
“Public Citizen, a not-for-profit consumer advocacy organization, filed suit in District Court claiming that the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Pub.L. No. 109-171, 120 Stat. 4 (2006) (“DRA” or “Act”), is invalid because the bill that was presented to the President did not first pass both chambers of Congress in the exact same form. In particular, Public Citizen contends that the statute’s enactment did not comport with the bicameral passage requirement of Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution, because the version of the legislation that was presented to the House contained a clerk’s error with respect to one term, so the House and Senate voted on slightly different versions of the bill and the President signed the version passed by the Senate. “Public Citizen asserts that it is irrelevant that the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate both signed a version of the proposed legislation identical to the version signed by the President. Nor does it matter, Public Citizen argues, that the congressional leaders’ signatures attest that indistinguishable legislative text passed both houses.” |
Note the words in italics. That is the issue here. According to the above argument, it is not constitutional for the House and Senate to pass two different versions of the same legislation and then just arbitrarily choose which version shall become law.
Oh, and who also filed amicus briefs on this case? Read on:
- Nancy Pelosi
- Henry Waxman
- Louise Slaughter
Also note that the Dems were against raising the debt limit 5 years ago while today they are spending our great-grand-children’s future.
Democrat, thy name is Chutzpuh!
You can access the complete story on-line here:
Pelosi, Slaughter Went To Court Against GOP’s Self-Executing Rule In 2005
Mark Tapscott
Washington Examiner
March 16, 2010
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Constitution · Corruption · Culture of Corruption · Government · Health Care · Louise Slaughter · Pelosi · Politics · Ralph Nader · Slaughter Solution · Socialized Health Care · self-executing · socialized medicine
» posted on Monday, March 15th, 2010 at 9:01 am by 84rules
Democrats Change The Rules, Preparing To Trash The Constitution (Slaughter Solution)
How many times did we Conservatives warn about this during the 2008 election cycle and how many times were we ignored? The Democrats are radicals who want to force the failure of European-style socialism on the United States.
The Dems are now going to try forcing Obamacare through the legislative process using a trick known as the Slaughter Solution that is clearly unconstitutional, but they don’t seem to care.
From U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader John Boehner’s Blog:
| The Slaughter Solution is a plan by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), the Democratic chair of the powerful House Rules Committee and a key ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), to get the health care legislation through the House without an actual vote on the Senate-passed health care bill. You see, Democratic leaders currently lack the votes needed to pass the Senate health care bill through the House. Under Slaughter’s scheme, Democratic leaders will overcome this problem by simply “deeming” the Senate bill passed in the House – without an actual vote by members of the House. |
This is referencing a Congress Daily story that states:
| House Rules Chairwoman Louise Slaughter is prepping to help usher the healthcare overhaul through the House and potentially avoid a direct vote on the Senate overhaul bill, the chairwoman said Tuesday.
Slaughter is weighing preparing a rule that would consider the Senate bill passed once the House approves a corrections bill that would make changes to the Senate version. |
Essentially, The Dems want to “bundle” the Senate bill in with the corrections bill. No debate on the Senate bill will take place in the House at all.
This is the most brazen usurpation of our Constitution in the history of the United States. We Conservatives knew the Democrats were more than capable of pulling tricks like this, but few, if any, seemed to listen to us.
Is anyone listening now?
You can access the complete article on-line here:
Democrats Prepare “Slaughter Solution” To Ram Unpopular Health Care Takeover Through Congress Without A Vote
Dave Schnittger
Rep. John Boehner’s Blog
March 10, 2010′s
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Constitution · Corruption · Culture of Corruption · Europe · Government · Government run health care · Health Care · John Boehner · Louise Slaughter · Nationalized Health Care · Obamacare · Politics · Slaughter Solution · Socialized Health Care · socialized medicine
» posted on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 4:40 pm by 84rules
Obama’s Chicago Politics: Selling Judgeships To Buy Health Care Votes?
You would think that with all that has gone wrong for Obama over the past year and after all the revelations of corruption in his cabinet and “czar” appointments that Obama would be more careful about things like appointing the brother of an undecided House Dem to the bench on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
From John McCormack of the Weekly Standard:
| Tonight, Barack Obama will host ten House Democrats who voted against the health care bill in November at the White House; he’s obviously trying to persuade them to switch their votes to yes. One of the ten is Jim Matheson of Utah. The White House just sent out a press release announcing that today President Obama nominated Matheson’s brother Scott M. Matheson, Jr. to the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. |
You can find out who the ten Dems are here:
Now, Scott Matheson may be very qualified to be a judge, but the timing of this appointment couldn’t have been any worse, even if Obama had tried to make it worse.
More:
| Consider Congressman Matheson’s record on the health care bill. He voted against the bill in the Energy and Commerce Committee back in July and again when it passed the House in November. But now he’s “undecided” on ramming the bill through Congress. |
Very suspicious looking. I guess you can take the boy out of Chicago, but you can’t take the gangster-style Chicago politics out of the Community Organizer.
Given all that has happened with appointees like Bill Richardson, Tim Geithner and other corruption tainted players, this looks (on the surface) like another “pay to play” scheme.
You can access the complete news story on-line here:
Obama Now Selling Judgeships For Health Care Votes?
John McCormack
The Weekly Standard
March 4, 2010
Comments Off | filed under 10th Circuit · 84rules · B. Hussein Obama · Corruption · Culture of Corruption · Government · Health Care · Health Care Reform · Jim Matheson · Justice and Courts · Politics · Scott M. Matheson · democrats
» posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 11:39 am by 84rules
Obama Administration Tramples On First Amendment: Issues Gag Order To Insurance Companies
I got laid off from my job last Wednesday and have been busy doing things like getting doctor appointments for my family before my medical benefits run out at the end of the month as well as trying to find a new job with benefits so that I don’t have to come up with a way of paying off a $1200/month COBRA payment on limited income.
Anyway, I know I’ve missed a few pretty big news stories since then, but I will try to get them in here as soon as possible.
Right now, I’d like to look at the latest action by the Obama administration. As I recall, Obama said he wanted a good debate about health care reform. If so, then why is he trying to silence those who want to get good infomation out to the people that will be most affected by it?
From the Washington Post:
| The federal government has ordered health insurers to stop telling Medicare beneficiaries that proposed health reform legislation could hurt seniors and jeopardize their benefits.
The government might take enforcement action against insurers that have tried to mobilize opposition to the legislation by sending their enrollees “misleading and confusing” messages, a senior official of the Department of Health and Human Services said in a memo Monday. |
The “messages” in question very correctly note that under HR3200, Medicare benefits to seniors will be reduced. Obama and the Democrats have already publically admitted this in their attempt to show that socialized medicine will not add to the defecit.
So, why the gag order? Why worry about the insuarance companies repeating exactly what Obama and the Democrats have already said?
| Proposed health reform legislation would sharply reduce funding for Medicare Advantage plans, and the insurance industry has been battling to prevent that from happening. The bill unveiled last week by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, would directly cut payments to Medicare Advantage plans by an estimated $123 billion over 10 years, and it would indirectly reduce funding for those plans by another $15.6 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. |
And Obama does not want people to know about this? This leads to an even bigger question. Why stifle the debate? Why suppress the very same information that Obama and the Dems have publically acknowledged?
Unless the ultimate goal is to control the debate by controlling the information, nothing else makes sense.
You can access the complete article on-line here:
Insurers Criticize Administration ‘Gag Order’
David S. Hilzenrath
Washington Post
September 22, 2009
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Corruption · Culture of Corruption · First Amendment · Government · HHS · Health Care · Insurance · Obama · Politics · Socialized Health Care · gag order · health care benefits · seniors · socialized medicine
» posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 10:39 am by 84rules
Obama Administration Tramples On First Amendment: Issues Gag Order To Insurance Companies
I got laid off from my job last Wednesday and have been busy doing things like getting doctor appointments for my family before my medical benefits run out at the end of the month as well as trying to find a new job with benefits so that I don’t have to come up with a way of paying off a $1200/month COBRA payment on limited income.
Anyway, I know I’ve missed a few pretty big news stories since then, but I will try to get them in here as soon as possible.
Right now, I’d like to look at the latest action by the Obama administration. As I recall, Obama said he wanted a good debate about health care reform. If so, then why is he trying to silence those who want to get good infomation out to the people that will be most affected by it?
From the Washington Post:
| The federal government has ordered health insurers to stop telling Medicare beneficiaries that proposed health reform legislation could hurt seniors and jeopardize their benefits.
The government might take enforcement action against insurers that have tried to mobilize opposition to the legislation by sending their enrollees “misleading and confusing” messages, a senior official of the Department of Health and Human Services said in a memo Monday. |
The “messages” in question very correctly note that under HR3200, Medicare benefits to seniors will be reduced. Obama and the Democrats have already publically admitted this in their attempt to show that socialized medicine will not add to the defecit.
So, why the gag order? Why worry about the insuarance companies repeating exactly what Obama and the Democrats have already said?
| Proposed health reform legislation would sharply reduce funding for Medicare Advantage plans, and the insurance industry has been battling to prevent that from happening. The bill unveiled last week by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, would directly cut payments to Medicare Advantage plans by an estimated $123 billion over 10 years, and it would indirectly reduce funding for those plans by another $15.6 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. |
And Obama does not want people to know about this? This leads to an even bigger question. Why stifle the debate? Why suppress the very same information that Obama and the Dems have publically acknowledged?
Unless the ultimate goal is to control the debate by controlling the information, nothing else makes sense.
You can access the complete article on-line here:
Insurers Criticize Administration ‘Gag Order’
David S. Hilzenrath
Washington Post
September 22, 2009
Comments Off | filed under 84rules · Corruption · Culture of Corruption · First Amendment · Government · HHS · Health Care · Insurance · Obama · Politics · Socialized Health Care · gag order · health care benefits · seniors · socialized medicine
Rotton Acorn