Media Wars: The First Amendment in Peril

The Bible says in John 8:32” And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  (NKJV).  Knowing the truth sets us free from falling for lies.  This is why our nation’s founders included the right to a free press in the first amendment to our constitution.  They envisioned a media that would have an adversarial relationship with the government in order to protect citizens from any hidden agendas.  The founders of our nation are rolling over in our grave when they see how President Obama has been able to create a relationship with the main stream media that more closely resembles a media as an administration PR office rather than adversarial. 

However, as with any relationship, the relationship of this administration with the media has recently become strained.  It began with the revelation that the administration had secured phone records of certain phones at the Associated Press (AP).  The administration claims it secured the records as part of an investigation of leaks of national security secrets to the media. (1) Granted, it is important for the administration to stop any leaks of national security secrets to the media but why not secure the phone records within the administration to detect the leak instead of targeting one of many media outlets.  I mean by only targeting AP, you may miss something that was leaked to another media outlet. 

Investigators have also discovered that even prior to the securing of phone records of the AP; the administration was targeting James Rosen of Fox News.  Mr. Rosen wrote in his blog that he felt North Korea would respond to United Nations sanctions with more nuclear tests.  The administration alleges that Mr. Rosen secured this information through a leak from Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, an arms expert at the State Department.  (2)  Instead of securing Mr. Rosen’s phone records, why not secure the phone records of Jin-Woo Kim to see whom else he may have leaked information to.

As these revelations came forward, Attorney General Holder continued to claim he knew nothing about what was going on (1) but it has now been discovered that Holder actually approved the warrant to search the Emails of James Rosen.  (3)  I guess I am to believe the Attorney General of the United States approves warrants for which he has no knowledge of the purpose.  Therefore, Attorney General Holder is either lying, or incompetent.  Holder’s failure to put his recusal from the AP investigation in writing is another example of either a lie or incompetence.  (4)

During the entire Obama Administration, we have been the victims of a mainstream media that attacks anyone that dares come against the policies of this administration while failing to do their job of speaking out when the administration’s policies are failing.  It now appears that the administration is trying to control the media through fear of the seizure of emails and phone records.  This represents a blatant disregard of the media's right to freedom of the press. 

We need to begin demanding the immediate resignation of Attorney General Holder due to his lies and incompetence.  We then need to hire an independent prosecutor with the power to subpoena witnesses who will be forced to testify under oath.  We also need to support media outlets that fearlessly speak the truth for as the Bible says in John 8:32, the truth sets us free. 

1. Associated Press. HOLDER: 'I KNOW NOTHING'. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Associated Press, May 15, 2013. [Cited: May 28, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/15/GOP--Dems-challenge-Holder-over-subpoenas-to-AP.

2. Bigelow, William. BEFORE AP: DOJ TARGETED FOX NEWS' JAMES ROSEN. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart, May 20, 2013. [Cited: May 28, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/19/Obama-Administration-Pursued-Cases-Like-AP-s-In-2009.

3. Shield, Elizabeth. Official: Holder Approved Warrant for Fox News Reporter's Emails. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart, May 23, 2013. [Cited: May 28, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/05/23/Official-Holder-Approved-Warrant-for-Fox-News-Reporter-s-Emails.

4. Boyle, Matthew. CONGRESSMAN: HOLDER MAY HAVE BROKEN LAW IN AP SCANDAL. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart, May 15, 2013. [Cited: May 28, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/15/Congressman-Holder-may-have-violated-federal-law-by-not-recusing-from-AP-phone-scandal-in-writing.

Would the Real Lois Lerner Please Stand Up.

Unless you were applying with the IRS for 501 4c tax-exempt status, most of us had no idea who Lois Lerner was until this week.  Even then, you probably would not have known about her unless your application was one of those given heavy scrutiny by her department at the IRS.  However, now people will remember Lois Lerner as the woman who appeared before Congress, pled the fifth, and botched it.

It came as no surprise to most of us that when appearing before Congress on May 22, 2013 Lois Lerner planned to plead the fifth for she had made her plans public prior to her testimony.  For this reason, the committee had Neal Wolin, the Treasury Department’s deputy secretary also scheduled to testify after Ms., Lerner.  (1)  The members of the committee expected that Ms. Lerner would come before the committee, tell them her intention not to say anything, and leave. 

The surprising event was when Ms. Lerner began by making a statement declaring her innocence of any wrongdoing and them pleading the fifth.  This led to an accusation by Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C. that in doing so Ms. Lerner had waived her Fifth Amendment right and was not required to testify.  (2) The thinking by Rep. Gowdy was that once you appear and state your innocence, you have opened the door to questioning so you can defend your position. 

This led committee chairman Darrell Issa to dismiss Ms. Lerner but rather than adjourning the committee, he recessed the committee, which leaves open the possibility Ms. Lerner will be called back, and have to testify, or face a contempt of congress charge.  (3) The question we must ask now is whether Ms. Lerner is indeed innocent of any wrongdoing.  In my research into Ms. Lerner I have discovered that this is not the first time she has used her authority as a government official to target Conservative and religious organizations.

I discovered that in the late 1990’s, while working as head of the Enforcement Office of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Ms. Lerner was also involved in the political harassment of the Christian Coalition and Colonel Oliver North.  (4) According to James Bopp Jr. the lead counsel for the Christian Coalition at the time said, "We felt we were being singled out, because when you handle a case with 81 depositions you have a pretty good argument you're getting special treatment. Eighty-one depositions! Eighty-one! From Ralph Reed's former part-time secretary to George H.W. Bush. It was mind blowing," (4)

In Mr. Bopp Jr.’s testimony to the congressional Committee on House Administration in 2003 he said, “The FEC conducted a large amount of paper discovery during the administrative investigation and then served four massive discovery requests during the litigation stage that included 127 document requests, 32 interrogatories, and 1,813 requests for admission. Three of the interrogatories required the Coalition to explain each request for admission that it did not admit in full, for a total of 481 additional written answers that had to be provided. The Coalition was required to produce tens of thousands of pages of documents, many of them containing sensitive and proprietary information about finances and donor information. Each of the 49 state affiliates were asked to provide documents and many states were individually subpoenaed. In all, the Coalition searched both its offices and warehouse, where millions of pages of documents are stored, in order to produce over 100,000 pages of documents.

Furthermore, nearly every aspect of the Coalition’s activities has been examined by FEC attorneys from seeking information regarding its donors to information about its legislative lobbying. The Commission, in its never-ending quest to find the non-existent “smoking gun,” even served subpoenas upon the Coalition’s accountants, its fundraising and direct mail vendors, and The Christian Broadcasting Network.” (4)

In their investigation of the FEC it was discovered that they made inquiries about what occurred at Christian Coalition prayer meetings, not much different than allegations being made today by one organization that they were asked to provide the IRS with the content of their prayers. (5)  We now see that these types of investigations are typical of organizations headed by Lois Lerner. 

In my opinion, it would be wise for Ms. Lerner to come clean about the methods used to target out Tea Party organizations singled out during her tenure at the IRS.  In her testimony before the committee, she should blow the whistle any of her superiors that ordered or encouraged her to conduct these investigations.  Failure to do this will allow the administration to assert that she was acting on her own.  They will then throw her under the bus and the investigation will stop. 

These investigations by the IRS were totally out of line and are a violation the rights of these organizations to free speech and the free practice of their religions granted by the First Amendment.  It is no business of the IRS to inquire into the content of prayers by any religious organization.  Therefore, I urge you Ms. Lerner to come back before the committee and reveal the truth behind what was going on at the IRS.

1. Alan Fram, Stephen Ohlemacher. Star witness to stay mum for House hearing on IRS. apnews.myway.com. [Online] Associated Press, May 22, 2013. [Cited: May 25, 2013.] http://apnews.myway.com/article/20130522/DA6E7MA81.html.

2. Parkinson, John. Did Lois Lerner Botch Fifth Amendment Rights? abcnews.go.com. [Online] ABC News, May 22, 2013. [Cited: May 25, 2013.] http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/did-lois-lerner-botch-fifth-amendment-rights/.

3. Hoffman, Bill. Alan Dershowitz: IRS Chief Lerner 'Can Be Held in Contempt'. www.newsmax.com. [Online] Newsmax, May 22, 2013. [Cited: May 25, 2013.] http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/lerner-irs-held-contempt/2013/05/22/id/505922.

4. Hemingway, Mark. IRS's Lerner Had History of Harassment, Inappropriate Religious Inquiries at FEC. www.weeklystandard.com. [Online] The Weekly Standard, May 20, 2013. [Cited: May 25, 2013.] http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/irss-lerner-had-history-harassment-inappropriate-religious-inquiries-fec_725004.html.

5. Spiering, Charlie. Congressman: IRS asked pro-life group about 'the content of their prayers'. washingtonexaminer.com. [Online] The Washington Examiner, May 17, 2013. [Cited: May 17, 2013.] http://washingtonexaminer.com/congressman-irs-asked-pro-life-group-about-the-content-of-their-prayers/article/2529924.

Attempting to Silence Opposition Voices

Before we begin let me offer my prayers for the victims of the tornados in Oklahoma.  I urge anyone reading this post that lives close to the area and can to volunteer to offer their help in the cleanup.  I also urge those that can to contribute money towards the cleanup but be careful to give your money to reputable charities that will get the money to the victims.  I recommend the Red Cross or Samaritans purse.  Glen Beck also has people on the ground helping.  If you cannot volunteer or contribute money, do as I am doing, pray for all things are possible with God, even recovering from a tragic tornado.

Let me begin by stating how important I believe the first amendment is.  The first amendment prohibits the government from establishing a religion and preventing us from practice our religions.  The first amendment also gives citizens the right to free speech, which includes the right to speak out against our government when we feel it is violating the Constitution.  The first amendment also guarantees a free press that can inform citizens about what the government is doing.   

The recent admission by the IRS that it targeted conservative groups has expanded to groups outside the Tea Party.  We now also know that they targeted religious groups and contributors to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.  Here are a few examples. 

James Dobson’s Focus on the Family does great work promoting family values.  As a Christian organization, they have taken a pro-life stance and a stance against gay marriage.  When they applied for 501 c 4 tax exempt status with the IRS they were stonewalled and told by the IRS rep that their application would not be approved because, “ you’re a right wing organization, and you’re political, and you’ve been critical of the President and we don’t think you give other people an opportunity to express their views, and besides that – you’re not educational.”  (1)

The first amendment protects Mr. Dobson’s organization through both its freedom of religion and free speech clauses.  However, this is unimportant to the administration that now appears to have used the IRS to target organizations such as Focus on the Family in an attempt to silence opposition voices.  Focus on the Family threatens The Obama Administration’s pro-choice and pro-gay marriage policies and therefore, in their opinion, must be silenced.

The IRS also abused its audit powers by targeting Anne Hendershott.  Mrs. Hendershott is a sociology professor at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio and a columnist for the Wall St. Journal.  During her 39 years of marriage, the IRS has never audited her and her husband but after writing columns opposing the policies of the Obama Administration, the IRS audited them.  After the IRS admitted to targeting conservative organizations, Mrs. Hendershott and her husband believe they too were victims of the IRS.  (2)  Mrs. Hendershott was only exercising her first amendment right to free speech and the addressing of grievances she had with the policies of the Obama Administration. 

 When testifying before the House, outgoing IRS director Stephen Miller stated that the targeting of conservatives was “Absolutely not illegal.” (3) Once again, we see a pattern in this administration of a total disregard for the Constitution and the Rule of Law.  However, applications for 501 c 4 tax exemptions for non-conservative organizations received swift approval.

One example is the expedited approval of the application for Obama’s half-brothers organization the Barack H. Obama Foundation during a 27-month period when no tea party applications were approved.  In fact, the IRS backdated the application so contributions received prior to approval would be tax-free.  (4)

It has also been discovered that the now-chief counsel of the IRS, William Wilkins helped Obama’s former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright get out of an IRS probe in 2008.  The investigation revolved around allegations that Rev Wright used his church to engage in political speech and promote a candidate when candidate Obama referred to his presidential candidacy in a talk during a 50^th anniversary celebration at Rev. Wright’s church.  Nonprofits engaging in such activities can lose their tax-free status but Rev. Wright’s church was found not guilty of any wrongdoing.  (5) It would appear that agreeing with this administration does have its benefits. 

This scandal is not the problem but a symptom of an out of control government and administration.  In fact, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, in a speech given to the Virginia Republican Party convention said, “This president has grown the size, the scope, the debt, and the power of the federal government to such irresponsible proportions… that this is the inevitable result.” (6) 

Governor Jindal went on to say,  “Anyone who participated in this targeting of Americans for their political beliefs, anyone who knew about it, anyone who simply looked the other way, and anyone under whose watch this occurred needs to be fired,” (7) Governor Jindal went on to say, “But in this instance, it is the IRS, people in a position of public trust, who have violated the Constitution of the United States of America,… You cannot take the freedom of law-abiding Americans, whether you disagree with them or not, and keep your own freedom. When you do that, you go to jail." (7)

The attacks on our constitution, rights, and liberties need to stop.  We need to appoint a special counsel to keep this investigation independent of the White House. (8)  We must not let liberal, progressive, statists shred our Constitution for it is the only thing protecting the citizens of the United States from tyrannical government. 

1. heine, Debra. James Dobson: IRS Stonewalled Christian Family Org for Being 'Critical of the President. breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart.com, May 18, 2013. [Cited: May 20, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/InstaBlog/2013/05/18/IRS-Rep-Told-Dr-James-Dobson-His-Application-Was-Rejected-Because-He-Had-Been-Critical-Of-President.

2. Berry, Susan. CATHOLIC SCHOLAR: IRS ASKED WHO PAID ME TO WRITE ANTI-OBAMA ARTICLES. breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart.com, May 18, 2013. [Cited: May 20, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/17/Noted-Catholic-Scholar-Who-Opposes-Obama-Administration-Policies-Among-Those-Audited-By-IRS.

3. Halper, Daniel. IRS Commissioner: Activity 'Absolutely Not Illegal'. m.weeklstandard.com. [Online] The Weekly Standard, May 17, 2013. [Cited: May 20, 2013.] http://m.weeklystandard.com/blogs/irs-commissioner-activity-absolutely-not-illegal_724747.html.

4. Fitzgerald, Sandy. IRS Stalled Conservatives While Giving Liberals a Pass on Tax Exemptions. www.newsmax.com. [Online] Newsmax, May 15, 2013. [Cited: May 21, 2013.] http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/irs-tea-party-liberal/2013/05/15/id/504614?s=al&promo_code=13804-1.

5. Boyle, Matthew. CHIEF IRS COUNSEL GOT JEREMIAH WRIGHT'S CHURCH OUT OF IRS PROBE BEFORE JOINING AGENCY. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart, May 20, 2013. [Cited: May 21, 2013.] https://www.evernote.com/Home.action#st=p&x=irs&n=90b1cc89-baac-4b1e-8a5a-196c4008d3a9.

6. Lee, Tony. JINDAL: OBAMA SCANDALS CAUSED BY BIG GOVERNMENT. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart, May 18, 2013. [Cited: May 21, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/18/Jindal-Obama-Scandals-a-Result-of-Big-Government.

7. —. JINDAL: SEND IRS OFFICIALS WHO TARGETED CONSERVATIVES TO JAIL. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart, May 18, 2013. [Cited: May 21, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/18/Jindal-Send-IRS-Officials-Involved-in-Targeting-Conservatives-to-Jail.

8. Mali, Meghashyam. Sen. Portman: IRS will need special counsel. thehill.com. [Online] The Hill, May 19, 2013. [Cited: May 21, 2013.] http://thehill.com/video/senate/300613-sen-portman-irs-will-need-special-counsel.

What’s the Big Deal

I, along with many people reading this post, was appalled when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “What difference does it make?” when asked about the importance of knowing why those that attacked the consulate in Benghazi were out on the evening of 9/11/2012.  (1)  Mrs. Clinton, it does matter when four Americans, including our ambassador, are murdered.

Now with a trifecta of scandals facing this administration, we need to take a moment to discuss why I believe a thorough investigation of these scandals is necessary.  This is not a witch-hunt but a search for truth and potential incompetency and corruption within our government.  In our democratic republic where we elect people to represent our interests, honesty and transparency is important for these leaders in government are there to serve us not the other way around. 

Article 2 section 2 of our constitution makes the President of the United States Commander in Chief of the military.  (2)  As part of that duty, the Office of the President is responsible for the safety of those sent to other countries conducting business for the United States.  When President Obama sent our ambassador to Benghazi, he became responsible for him and his staff's, safety.  As we have now been able to determine, Benghazi was known to be a dangerous place.  The ousting of Khadafy from power had left a leadership void.  Our State department should have either provided additional security for the consulate or closed it completely until tensions eased. 

The first amendment to the constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” (2)

The Tea Party formed in February 2009 as a grassroots effort because many in the country had grievances over the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare along with other policies proposed by the Obama Administration.  (3)  These individuals participated in rallies at the Capital as well as flooding the phone lines and emails of Senators and Representatives in an effort to stop passage of Obamacare.  When Congress passed and the President signed the bill into law anyway, they began a campaign to vote out those that voted for the legislation.  Their efforts resulted in a change of power in the House of Representatives from Democrat control to Republican control.  They also did away with the super majority in the Senate.  (4)

Many believed this momentum would carry forward to the 2012 Presidential election but it seemed that the Tea Party was ineffective and Obama won reelection.  However, when the IRS admitted to targeting groups filing for tax-exempt status that contained the words tea party of patriot, we began to understand why tea party organizations may have been ineffective in 2012.  (5)

These groups were only exercising their first amendment right to petition a redress of grievances, in this case the unconstitutionality of Obamacare.  For their efforts, the people in these organizations faced IRS audits and having to answer many probing questions (6) including the content of their prayers. (7)  This scandal alone shows the total disregard this administration has for the Constitution and the rights of the citizens of this country, especially those that disagree with President Obama. 

Similarly, the AP scandal is a violation of the first amendment.  I may not agree with much of what the AP writes but they are part of the press in our country and as such, have the right to write and express their opinions.  By taping their phones and securing their phone records without any court order, the Administration was violating the AP’s first amendment right to free press.  

The current trifecta of scandals is not the problem; it is a symptom of a problem that has been going on in our nation for some time.  Career politicians now believe the people are there to serve their needs instead of serving the people that elected them.  Our founders drafted the constitution with its division of power, checks and balances, and Bill of Rights to protect citizens against tyrannical government like the one they fought with for their independence. 

Our current crop of career politicians have managed to set up a soft tyranny but it is not too late to change course.  We must keep the pressure on law enforcement, our senators, and representatives to investigate these scandals until they uncover the whole truth and those involved in them, even if it turns out to be the President.  We then, as a nation, will have the opportunity to rid our nation of this cancer of soft tyranny and restore responsible constitutional government that serves the people instead of demanding that the people serve it. 

 

1. Knox, Oliver. Clinton faces continued criticism in afternoon Benghazi hearing. news.yahoo.com. [Online] Yahoo News, January 23, 2013. [Cited: May 17, 2013.] http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/clinton-face-lawmakers-benghazi-attack-090039480--politics.html.

2. Hillsdale College. The Constitution of the United States of America. [book auth.] Hillsdale College. The U.S. Constitution: A Reader. Hillsdale MI : Hillsdale College Press, 2012.

3. Rowen, Beth. History of the Tea Party Movement. www.infoplease.com. [Online] Infoplease. [Cited: 17 2013, May .] http://www.infoplease.com/us/government/tea-party-history.html.

4. New York Times. Election 2010. elections.nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times. [Cited: May 17, 2013.] http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/house.

5. Goldfarb, Juliet Eilperin and Zachary A. IRS officials in Washington were involved in targeting of conservative groups. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, May 13, 2013. [Cited: May 14, 2013.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-denounces-reported-irs-targeting-of-conservative-groups/2013/05/13/a0185644-bbdf-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_print.html.

6. David Nather, Tarini Parti, and Byron Tau. The IRS wants YOU — to share everything. www.politico.com. [Online] Politico. [Cited: May 17, 2013.] http://www.politico.com/story/2013/05/the-irs-wants-you-to-share-everything-91378_Page2.html.

7. Spiering, Charlie. Congressman: IRS asked pro-life group about 'the content of their prayers'. washingtonexaminer.com. [Online] The Washington Examiner, May 17, 2013. [Cited: May 17, 2013.] http://washingtonexaminer.com/congressman-irs-asked-pro-life-group-about-the-content-of-their-prayers/article/2529924.

Additional links:

Benghazi

LibyanOfficials Claim US Was Warned 3 DAYS BEFORE Deadly Benghazi Consulate Attack

Emails show the Obama administration was told (while it washappening) that Ansar al Sharia was claiming they were behind the attack inBenghazi

Libya: We gave US three-day warning of Benghazi attack

FIVE KEY POINTS FROM MAY 8 BENGHAZI HEARING

State Department Pushed to Cut Mention of Prior Attacks fromBenghazi Talking Points

WHITE HOUSE RELEASES 100 PAGES OF BENGHAZI DOCUMENTS

IRS

IG Report

Flashback:Schumer, Franken urged IRS to target tea party in 2012

IRSStalled Conservatives While Giving Liberals a Pass on Tax Exemptions

Carney: I.R.S. Run By Bush Political Appointee

IRS BLAMES 'LOW-LEVEL' EMPLOYEES FOR TARGETING CONSERVATIVEGROUPS

IRS officials in Washington were involved in targeting ofconservative groups

The IRS was wrong to target the tea party. They should’vegone after all 501(c)4s.

New Obamacare Tax Form Mandates Americans Report PersonalHealth ID Info to IRS

IRS INTIMIDATION FORCED FOUNDER TO SHUT DOWN TEA PARTY GROUP

The55 questions the IRS asked one tea party group after more than two years ofwaiting – including demands for names of all its donors and volunteers

PROGRESSIVE GROUP: IRS GAVE US CONSERVATIVE GROUPS'CONFIDENTIAL DOCS

IRS Commissioner: Activity 'Absolutely Not Illegal'

How to Tell If the IRS Is Eyeing You

AP

HOLDER: 'I KNOW NOTHING'

CONGRESSMAN: HOLDER MAY HAVE BROKEN LAW IN AP SCANDAL

The Revelation of a Web of Corruption

On the May 14, 2013 Drudge Report, the headline was "When it Rains."  It seems that the recent revelations of incompetence and corruption in the Obama administration are causing a torrential downpour for this administration.

First, we had the testimonies of the whistle blowers who were eyewitnesses on the ground during the attacks on our consulate in Benghazi on September 11.  The testimonies may have come as a surprise to low information voters, but to those of us that work hard staying informed there were no surprises.  We understood that these attacks were not some spontaneous attack caused by some video for people participating in some spontaneous attack would not have shown up with missile launchers and mortars.  No this was a well-planned attack that resulted in four deaths including our ambassador who requested help, but was ignored.

Second, we have the admission by the IRS that they targeted tax-exempt organizations since 2010 that contained the words tea party or patriot.  Obama has promised to "get to the bottom of this" claiming he knew little about it.  However, we have now discovered that this administration actually condoned investigations of these organizations.  It appears the real goal here was to render conservative groups powerless that helped Republicans gain control of the House and take away the Senates super majority.  They probably feared an active tea party would lead to the defeat of Obama in the 2012 Presidential election.  Similar abuses led to the drawing up of articles of impeachment against President Nixon over Watergate.  

Thirdly, we have the AP scandal.  The government tapped twenty phones affecting around 100 reporters.  The administration believed they were within their rights to tap these phones believing these reporters may have received some top-secret information and posed a national security threat.  Well, if they did, it would only mean that someone in the administration leaked it to them in which case the administration needs to investigate itself and fire those involved instead of listening in on conversations of the constitutionally protected free press.  

These scandals are serious and need to be investigated but we cannot depend on the mainstream media to report on these scandals, which is where we come in.  I do not intend to keep quiet about the corruption and incompetence of this administration and will be sharing through this blog what I am able to find.  I also encourage every informed voter to do what the mainstream media refuses to do by blogging, using social media, and good old-fashioned word of mouth.

 We may not be able to depend upon the mainstream media to keep this going but we do have Fox News, the blogosphere, and talk radio to keep us informed.  I also recommend writing, emailing, and calling your representatives to let them know you are aware of these scandals and demand that they form a special committee with subpoena power and the power to place witnesses under oath.  We also need to hire a special prosecutor to insure the administration does now stonewall the congress in its investigations.  Unfortunately, the Attorney General would have to hire a special prosecutor which is highly unlikely.

In our democratic republic, where we the people elect our leaders, transparency in our government is important.  This is why the first amendment is in our constitution insures that the people and the media are free to report any corruption or incompetency they see in their government.  Unfortunately, political correctness has prevented many from speaking up out of fear of being called racist.  We also have a mainstream media that believes its job is to shield this administration by not reporting its failures, incompetence, and corruption, creating a formula for disaster.  We need those of us who take the time to keep informed to fearlessly speak up. 

Join me as we do our part in bringing out the truth of this corrupt and incompetent administration.  Our goal must be to inform the uninformed so in the next election people make an intelligent choice based on truth and not political hype.     

And Now for IRSgate.

For those of us that are high information voters, as opposed to low information voters, it seems that its one scandal after another with the Obama Administration.  This week’s hearings on Benghazi did not reveal anything new to those of us that have been paying attention other than the fact we finally got to hear it from actual eyewitnesses.  Now we have another scandal IRSgate. 

Late on Friday, the story broke that the IRS targeted organizations applying for 519 (c) 4s tax-exempt statuses.  (1) Since 2010, they have been giving applications containing the words “tea party” or “patriot” additional scrutiny.  Writing for the Washington Post Wonkblog, Ezra Klein stressed the seriousness of this situation when he said “Let’s be very clear: because the Internal Revenue Service holds so much private data, and because it can make people’s lives absolutely miserable, it is of paramount importance in our political system that it both is, and is perceived as, an apolitical entity.” (2)

To add fuel to the fire, there is also the fact that the IRS is the enforcement arm for Obamacare.  In fact, the IRS has drafted “1300 pages and counting” of new regulations to deal with enforcement of the Obamacare Mandate Tax slated to take effect in 2014. (3)

Of course the spin doctors have now taken over and are trying to spin this away from the President.  This began with the blaming of low level employees at the IRS’ Cincinnati Office. (4) Whitehouse spokesman Jay Carney, in responding to a question about the issue, blamed the scandal on the IRS being run by a Bush Political Appointee. (5)  It is a fact that there are usually holdovers from previous administrations in any administration but we are in the fifth year of this administration and if this holdover is such a problem, why didn't they replace them.  After all, this same Bush holdover did oversee the drafting of the 1300 pages and counting of additional regulations to enforce Obamacare so it does not appear they have some anti-Obama agenda.

I believe this is just another case of a tyrannical administration using its power to eliminate enemies to its agenda.  High information voters reading this post need to speak out and not let this or the Benghazi case die.  The media broke this story on Friday in the hopes that people would not be paying attention since it was the weekend.  The mainstream media will probably give this story minimal attention just as they have the Benghazi hearings and the Gosnell trial. 

However, the mainstream media no longer has a monopoly.  We need to flood the blogosphere and social media with information about these issues.  This administration is guilty of tyrannical abuses of power and must be held accountable. 

We must begin by voting any person out of office that supports these tyrannical abuses of power in the 2014 elections.  We then must take back the Whitehouse in 2016 and elect a president that will obey the constitutional limits of his or her office.  Failure to do this means we risk losing the very liberties and freedoms our Founding Fathers fought and died for. 

1. James, Frank. IRS's Tea Party Scrutiny Adds To Conservatives' Case Against Obama. www.npr.org. [Online] NPR, May 10, 2013. [Cited: May 11, 2013.] http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/05/10/182940489/irss-tea-party-scrutiny-adds-to-conservatives-case-against-obama.

2. Klein, Ezra. The IRS was wrong to target the tea party. They should’ve gone after all 501(c)4s. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, May 10, 2013. [Cited: May 11, 2013.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/10/the-irs-was-wrong-to-target-the-tea-party-they-shouldve-gone-after-all-501c4s/.

3. Weasel Zippers. weaselzippers.us. [Online] Weasel Zippers, July 5, 2012. [Cited: May 11, 2013.] http://weaselzippers.us/2012/07/05/irs-drafts-1300-pages-and-counting-of-new-regulations-to-deal-with-obamacare-mandate-tax/.

4. Lee, Tony. IRS BLAMES 'LOW-LEVEL' EMPLOYEES FOR TARGETING CONSERVATIVE GROUPS. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart Big Government, May 10, 2013. [Cited: May 11, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/10/Cincinnati-IRS-Office-Primarily-Responsible-for-Handling-Tax-Exempt-Determinations.

5. Halper, Daniel. Carney: I.R.S. Run By Bush Political Appointee. www.weeklystandard.com. [Online] The Weekly Standard, May 10, 2013. [Cited: May 11, 2013.] http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/carney-irs-run-bush-political-appointee_722149.html.

Heroism Doing the Right Thing in Spite of the Risks

I woke up Tuesday, checked the news, and saw a story about the next video sensation.  Prior to Tuesday morning most of us had no idea who Mr. Ramsey was but by the time the day was over, most of us knew who he was and agree that Mr. Ramsey is a true hero.  This led me to think as I often do when I read the news and ask the question, what makes someone a true hero.  I concluded that true heroes are usually ordinary people who do the right thing no matter what risks are involved and end up saving lives in the process. 

This reminded me of the brave firefighters in New York who on 9/11 went into the burning World Trade Center towers while everyone else was leaving.  These men knew the risks involved but also knew there were people in the buildings that needed to get out.  Many of these brave heroes sacrificed their own lives to save others.  We may never know how many lives their heroism saved but they definitely fit with my definition of a hero being someone doing the right thing in spite of the risks. 

We also witnessed the fearless courage of those who quickly responded to those injured in the Boston Marathon bombing.  These brave heroes quick response, knowing there could be additional explosions, most likely saved the lives of many of the injured. 

Yes, Mr. Ramsey is a true hero.  He responded to screams coming from inside the home and according to what he said in his video, he believed there was some sort of domestic violence issue going on.  Law enforcement officers that I know have told me that domestic violence calls are the most unpredictable situations they encounter.  Mr. Ramsey did the right thing in responding to the screams and not once did he consider what he might have encountered on the other side of that door. 

So, Mr. Ramsey, you are a true hero in my opinion during these challenging times in our country, we need more heroes like you.  

A Deeper Look at the April Unemployment Numbers.

The April job numbers are out and everyone is extremely excited that unemployment is down to 7.5%; nonfarm payrolls rose 165,000, and the addition of 293,000 jobs.  (1)  However, numbers can be deceiving and we must dig deeper to find the true story. 

According to Binyamin Appelbaum writing for The New York Times Business Day, the growth in jobs is “in proportion to population growth.  Nothing less, nothing more.”  (2)  In other words, we are not creating jobs for those that lost their jobs due to the economic downturn and are only keeping up with the growth in the population.  The truth is that these jobs are going to more experienced unemployed workers and not recent college graduates who continue to suffer unacceptably high unemployment. (3)

However, the most alarming trend is that our workforce is becoming a part-time workforce.  Of the 293,000 jobs added in April, 278,000 were part-time jobs.  This means that only 15,000 full-time jobs were added in April or 300 jobs per state. (1)  People who were working full-time prior to the economic downturn now have exhausted their unemployment benefits and are settling for part-time employment  I’m sure those who now have had to settle for part-time employment hardly feel like the economy is booming. 

As additional proof that our economy is not booming we must look at the U6 unemployment number.  As a bit of review, I discussed in one of my previous posts that there are six ways that the government counts unemployment.  The number that is widely published is the U3 number, which only counts those on unemployment who are actively looking for work.  It does not consider the 9.5 million people that have left the workforce during the Obama administration. (4)  The U3 number also does not consider those who have settled for part-time employment or jobs paying less than the jobs they lost. (5)

A more accurate number is the U6 number, which also considers those that have dropped out of the workforce and those underemployed or who have settled for part-time employment. (5)  The U6 number for April actually rose from 13.8% to 13.9 percent. (1)  Once again, this is hardly a sign of a booming economic recovery. 

It appears that the Obama administration and the mainstream media are looking for any signs of life in an administration having difficulty getting its agenda passed through Congress.  The administration is also facing a Congressional probe of its handling of the Benghazi attacks and must confront increased tensions in the Middle East. 

Our nation needs economic policies that will stimulate the free market.  This includes a full repeal of Obamacare for that is the main policy that is promoting part-time employment.  We also need to cut taxes on business to encourage innovation and expansion that will create good paying full-time jobs for individuals.  We also need to begin drilling our own domestic oil and lessen our dependence on foreign oil especially oil coming from the Middle East. 

America has always been a nation of hard working people but, unfortunately, many of our hard working people are currently on the sidelines instead of being participants in the game.  We owe these hard working, innovative, and intelligent people an economy in which they can thrive by unleashing the powerful free market. 

1. Pethokoukis, James. Part-time Nation: Was the April jobs report really the Obamacare jobs report? www.aei-ideas.org. [Online] AEIdeas Freedom, Opportunity, Enterprise, May 6, 2013. [Cited: May 6, 2013.] http://www.aei-ideas.org/2013/05/was-the-april-jobs-report-really-the-obamacare-jobs-report/.

2. Appelbaum, Binyamin. Keeping Up, Not Getting Ahead. economics.blogs.nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times, May 3, 2013. [Cited: May 6, 2013.] http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/keeping-up-not-getting-ahead/?hp.

3. Moobin, Akbar. Unemployment Among Recent Graduates Unacceptably High, But College Remains Good Investment. campusprogress.org. [Online] Campus Progress, May 3, 2013. [Cited: May 6, 2013.] http://campusprogress.org/articles/unemployment_among_recent_graduates_unacceptably_high_but_college_remains_g/.

4. Harrington, Elizabeth. 9.5 Million People Have Left the Workforce Under Obama. cnsnews.com. [Online] cnsnews, May 3, 2013. [Cited: May 6, 2013.] http://m.cnsnews.com/news/article/95-million-people-have-left-workforce-under-obama.

5. The Heathen Republican. heathenrepublican.blogspot.com. The Heathen Republican. [Online] April 6, 2012. [Cited: May 6, 2013.] http://heathenrepublican.blogspot.com/2012/04/q1-2012-unemployment-data-released-u1.html?m=1.

Things to Pray For on the National Day of Prayer

This Thursday is the National Day of Prayer.  The theme this year urges people to pray for our country so I wanted to take a few minutes here and share some things for which we should pray.

The recent bombings at the Boston Marathon demonstrate that terrorism is still a major threat to our national security.  We live in a free society where people have the freedom to move about and attend events like the Boston Marathon.  These bombings mean that we will have to endure additional security when attending these events.

We should pray that those in attendance at these events would be safe from vicious attacks like those that we saw in Boston.  We also need to pray that security at these events will be alert able to stop anyone with intentions of terrorism before they are able to commit their vicious acts. 

As a nation, we have strayed far from what our founders envisioned for this country.  Government no longer serves the people but wants the people to serve it.  The continual calls for higher taxes to fund programs politicians use to get votes are crippling our economy.  According to Wynton Hall writing for Breitbart.com, 41% of college graduates are underemployed (1).  I am sure these college graduates believed they would be on a track to success upon graduation but the truth is they now find themselves strapped with massive student loan debt and a job that fails to provide sufficient income to pay off the debt.  When we pray tomorrow, pray that our leaders will abandon their failed economic policies and adopt free market policies that have proven successful in the past.  I know I am asking for a miracle but I do believe in a God that can work miracles.

We must also pray for revival in our land.  Our nation has been in a serious moral decline for many years but it seems that recently this decline is accelerating at an alarming rate.  This week the mainstream media was all excited about a substandard NBA player averaging less than 2 points per game coming out and saying he was gay.  A basketball player averaging less than 2 points per game that is in his mid-thirties is normally on his way out but in our society today, it will be difficult for the team to cut him because they will be called racist homophobes.  However, while the media is excited about a gay NBA player, little coverage is given to a court case involving a barbarous abortion doctor committing infanticide. 

I recently ran across an article on ScottWoodward.org written by Spencer W. Kimball (President).  The article is part of a series of teachings on the decline of the Roman Empire.  As I read the article, I saw  many alarming parallels to the path on which our nation is going.  Here is a link to the article and encourage everyone to read it.  However, I also believe it is not too late for God to work a miracle but we must pray for that miracle.  You can find the link below.

http://scottwoodward.org/declineandfallofnations_romanempire.html

The Bible says that if two of us agree on anything it will be done so let us agree together as we pray tomorrow and watch God work a miracle for our nation.  

1. Hall, Wynton. POLL: 41% OF COLLEGE GRADUATES UNDEREMPLOYED. Breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart Big Government, May 1, 2013. [Cited: May 1, 2013.] http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/01/Poll-41-Of-College-Graduates-Underemployed.