politics: we get letters

Updated below. Republican congressional candidate Tan D. Nguyen is believed to have sent a warning letter to 14,000 registered Democrats, telling them that they could be deported if they vote in the upcoming election.

Most of the recipients have Hispanic last names. Nguyen, a Vietnamese-American businessman,
had been trailing behind Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez in polls but now might not even make it to election day. His party wants him to drop out of the race.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) called the letter
"a dispicable act of intimidation and a hate crime" while fellow GOP leaders in Orange County are distancing themselves from the dirty campaign tactic.

It used to be that only Black voters got official-looking letters threatening them with jail time if they showed up to vote. To quote Chingo Bling, "Ju better believe it" – Latino voters are now muy importante.

Next up: if you're name ends with a "Z" or has two or more vowels, get ready to show multiple photo IDs on election day.

Update (10/20/2006, 11pm PST)
Reuters: "Police on Friday raided the office and home of a Republican congressional candidate after an uproar over a letter sent to Latinos saying it was illegal for immigrants to vote."