IRS Scandal

                The scandal involving the Internal Revenue Service targeting conservative individuals and groups seems to be picking up steam.  The House Ways and Means Committee heard testimony from six different conservatives who were targeted by IRS.  There were several interesting moments in the hearing.  Becket Adams of The Blaze highlighted four of them and ranked them.

                Number four:  Congressman Jim McDermott (D-Washington) proved he is an idiot when he blamed the conservatives for the targeting.  He plainly said that they would not have been targeted if they had not applied for tax exempt status.   Conservatives should be grateful that Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) was on the job.  He decided to forego asking his original question and obtained answers that clearly showed McDermott’s “blame the victim” strategy was not going to go unchallenged.

                Number three:  Becky Gerritso (Wetumpka, Iowa, Tea Party) spoke plainly and to the point:  “I’m not here as a serf or a vassal. I’m not begging my lords for mercy.  I’m a born-free American woman, wife, mother, and citizen.  And I’m telling my government that you’ve forgotten your place.

                “It’s not your responsibility to look out for my well-being and to monitor my speech.  It’s not your right to assert an agenda.  The post that you occupy exists to preserve American liberty.  You’ve sworn to perform that duty and you have faltered.

                Number two:  Testimony was given that the IRS was protecting Planned Parenthood. Sue Martinek (President of the Coalition for Life of Iowa) testified that she was told “verbally that we needed to send in a letter with the entire board’s signatures stating that under penalty of perjury we would not picket/protest or organize groups to picket/protest outside of Planned Parenthood.”  She was told that the application from her group would go through as soon as IRS received the letter.  She was also asked for details of the group’s prayer meetings.

                Number one:  John Eastman, chairman of the National Organization for Marriage, testified that NOM has proof that the IRS intentionally leaked the confidential information of his organization’s donors to groups opposed to his organization.

                How do we know that the IRS was targeting conservatives?  More than 500 hundred conservative groups had difficulty obtaining tax exempt status while no liberal group had problems.  J. Christian Adams of Breitbart.com wrote of liberal groups who enjoyed tax-exempt status while conservative groups were held in limbo.   “Campaign finance zealots and free speech regulators have sought to stifle the freedom of conservative organizations, such as the Tea Party, by falsely claiming they are `political’ while giving a pass to leftist groups that still enjoy unimpaired 501© IRS tax-exempt status.  As the IRS attacked Tea Party groups, it left hundreds of leftist activist groups alone.  A quick review of just eight of those leftist, tax-exempt activist groups demonstrates the IRS’s hypocrisy.” 

                The eight leftist groups reviewed by Adams are:  1) Americans United for Change (supports progressive ideas), 2) Ruckus Society (part of the Occupy Movement), 3) Women’s Action for New Directions (funded by George Soros), 4) New World Foundation (community activists), 5) Fierce (organizes gay activists using the Saul Alinsky organizing techniques), 6) Black Alliance for Just Immigration (advocates for immigration changes), 7) Brennan Center for Justice (works to derail public policies such as photo voter identification laws), and 8) Voto Latino (works to mobilize Latino voters).

                There is sure to be more exciting news about the IRS scandal.  The Obama Administration is surely hoping that this scandal will take our interest off the murders of Americans in Benghazi.