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.