Yes, Bush and his spokespeople. Like Clinton, Kerry, Pelosi and the wife Clinton and a host of other Dems on tape calling for us to do something about WMD before it's too late. You don't need us to link the wealth of footage...do you?
"This is not about the usual partisan slugfest. This is about the integrity of our system of government and our ability to trust, which is to say our ability to function." Peggy Noonan; WSJ 5/18/13
This scandal is tailor-made for our founders' greatest fear.
"All of these IRS actions took place in the years leading up to the 2012 election. They constitute the use of governmental power to intrude on the privacy and shackle the political freedom of American citizens. The purpose, obviously, was to overwhelm and intimidate—to kill the opposition, question by question and audit by audit.
It is not even remotely possible that all this was an accident, a mistake. Again, only conservative groups were targeted, not liberal. It is not even remotely possible that only one IRS office was involved." Peggy Noonan; WSJ 5/18/13
"In order to suppress conservative groups—at first those with words like "Tea Party" and "Patriot" in their names, then including those that opposed ObamaCare or advanced the Second Amendment—the IRS demanded donor rolls, membership lists, data on all contributions, names of volunteers, the contents of all speeches made by members, Facebook FB +0.46% posts, minutes of all meetings, and copies of all materials handed out at gatherings. Among its questions: What are you thinking about? Did you ever think of running for office? Do you ever contact political figures? What are you reading? One group sent what it was reading: the U.S. Constitution.
The second part of the scandal is the auditing of political activists who have opposed the administration. The Journal's Kim Strassel reported an Idaho businessman named Frank VanderSloot, who'd donated more than a million dollars to groups supporting Mitt Romney. He found himself last June, for the first time in 30 years, the target of IRS auditors. His wife and his business were also soon audited. Hal Scherz, a Georgia physician, also came to the government's attention. He told ABC News: "It is odd that nothing changed on my tax return and I was never audited until I publicly criticized ObamaCare." Peggy Noonan; WSJ 5/18/13
Been looking for a nice summation of this IRS scandal.
Syndicated columnist, Charles Krauthammer, wrote today that Republicans need to focus on the White House, State Department, DOJ lies, and not so much the politics of these scandals. Maybe so, for politicians.
But we the people better wake the hell up and fight those who use politics and arms of the government to destroy the Constitutional fabric of this nation. These people work for us, period. We should demand that everyone of these departments from the EPA to the IRS, DOJ and State Department be gone through with a fine tooth comb and be rid of American civil servants with a political agenda, targeting and sometimes destroying the lives of other Americans.
And please...don't think Jim Heim and the rest of the leftists wouldn't be saying, (and getting way more media attention,) the exact same thing if this were a Republican administration going after them.
When Americans will defend Obama and his handling of Benghazi because nothing matters more than Obama's reelection, or will support and defend the political targeting on other Americans by the IRS because it too clears the field for...Obama's re-election...tyranny has a stronger toehold in America than anyone might have first imagined.
Many saw this tyranny coming as early as the Spring of 2009 and Tea Parties sprang up across the land to speak out against it. What was the immediate response to these grassroots organizations by people like Jim Heim and others on this website and in the hard copy of this local paper? They were called racists, tea-baggers, extremists, religious zealots, gun toters, America's Taliban, bigots, the list goes on. The goal? To shut people up.
When tyranny is willingly defended by segments of a society, Half the tyrant's job is done.
Off topic, perhaps, but this thread seems to be wandering about some. Theodore Olsen, Solicitor General, man who won Bush v. Gore, lately has argued in front of Supreme Court, (where he has a 75% success rate) in defense of Gay Marriage, and one of the most respected attorneys in the world has essentially just said on television that tyranny now exists in reference to IRS targeting Tea Party and other Conservative groups. He wrote an editorial 16 months ago which in part said the White House was at that time compiling an "enemies list" based on in part the IRS going after the Koch Brothers, who he represents.
The thing about Olsen is, he isn't the most hyper-partisan in the whole world. The other thing is, when Olsen speaks, people listen. The Supreme Court does. He sounded extremely (for him) upset and worried about what has happened, and it wouldn't surprise if Mr. Olsen doesn't soon take a front seat in this scandal in one form or another.
I noticed that the younger ones, thanks to modern modes of technology and western fashion, perhaps not the historical perspective of Mao that their parents might have had, are indeed becoming more desirous of...western freedoms? Pretty cool to see, and it's a power that must in the end be succumbed to by the government? Interesting stuff.
Nezumi, Do they still bring Mao up from his underground frozen crypt everyday so adoring Chinese can catch a glimpse of the great leader? Never forget seeing the thousands of Chinese tourists who daily thronged Tiananmen Square to see him. Amazing what propaganda and a willing media can do to a populace.
geoffcutler 3 hours, 44 minutes ago
Scandals Come Thick and Fast
Yes, Bush and his spokespeople. Like Clinton, Kerry, Pelosi and the wife Clinton and a host of other Dems on tape calling for us to do something about WMD before it's too late. You don't need us to link the wealth of footage...do you?
geoffcutler 10 hours, 23 minutes ago
History Lesson
As usual, attack the messenger. Dusty chooses to side with the IRS in this scandal instead of the Americans targeted. A new low.
geoffcutler 13 hours, 53 minutes ago
History Lesson
"This is not about the usual partisan slugfest. This is about the integrity of our system of government and our ability to trust, which is to say our ability to function." Peggy Noonan; WSJ 5/18/13
This scandal is tailor-made for our founders' greatest fear.
geoffcutler 14 hours, 1 minute ago
History Lesson
"All of these IRS actions took place in the years leading up to the 2012 election. They constitute the use of governmental power to intrude on the privacy and shackle the political freedom of American citizens. The purpose, obviously, was to overwhelm and intimidate—to kill the opposition, question by question and audit by audit.
It is not even remotely possible that all this was an accident, a mistake. Again, only conservative groups were targeted, not liberal. It is not even remotely possible that only one IRS office was involved." Peggy Noonan; WSJ 5/18/13
geoffcutler 14 hours, 3 minutes ago
History Lesson
"In order to suppress conservative groups—at first those with words like "Tea Party" and "Patriot" in their names, then including those that opposed ObamaCare or advanced the Second Amendment—the IRS demanded donor rolls, membership lists, data on all contributions, names of volunteers, the contents of all speeches made by members, Facebook FB +0.46% posts, minutes of all meetings, and copies of all materials handed out at gatherings. Among its questions: What are you thinking about? Did you ever think of running for office? Do you ever contact political figures? What are you reading? One group sent what it was reading: the U.S. Constitution.
The second part of the scandal is the auditing of political activists who have opposed the administration. The Journal's Kim Strassel reported an Idaho businessman named Frank VanderSloot, who'd donated more than a million dollars to groups supporting Mitt Romney. He found himself last June, for the first time in 30 years, the target of IRS auditors. His wife and his business were also soon audited. Hal Scherz, a Georgia physician, also came to the government's attention. He told ABC News: "It is odd that nothing changed on my tax return and I was never audited until I publicly criticized ObamaCare." Peggy Noonan; WSJ 5/18/13
Been looking for a nice summation of this IRS scandal.
geoffcutler 1 day, 10 hours ago
History Lesson
Syndicated columnist, Charles Krauthammer, wrote today that Republicans need to focus on the White House, State Department, DOJ lies, and not so much the politics of these scandals. Maybe so, for politicians.
But we the people better wake the hell up and fight those who use politics and arms of the government to destroy the Constitutional fabric of this nation. These people work for us, period. We should demand that everyone of these departments from the EPA to the IRS, DOJ and State Department be gone through with a fine tooth comb and be rid of American civil servants with a political agenda, targeting and sometimes destroying the lives of other Americans.
And please...don't think Jim Heim and the rest of the leftists wouldn't be saying, (and getting way more media attention,) the exact same thing if this were a Republican administration going after them.
geoffcutler 1 day, 14 hours ago
History Lesson
When Americans will defend Obama and his handling of Benghazi because nothing matters more than Obama's reelection, or will support and defend the political targeting on other Americans by the IRS because it too clears the field for...Obama's re-election...tyranny has a stronger toehold in America than anyone might have first imagined.
Many saw this tyranny coming as early as the Spring of 2009 and Tea Parties sprang up across the land to speak out against it. What was the immediate response to these grassroots organizations by people like Jim Heim and others on this website and in the hard copy of this local paper? They were called racists, tea-baggers, extremists, religious zealots, gun toters, America's Taliban, bigots, the list goes on. The goal? To shut people up.
When tyranny is willingly defended by segments of a society, Half the tyrant's job is done.
geoffcutler 2 days, 7 hours ago
History Lesson
Off topic, perhaps, but this thread seems to be wandering about some. Theodore Olsen, Solicitor General, man who won Bush v. Gore, lately has argued in front of Supreme Court, (where he has a 75% success rate) in defense of Gay Marriage, and one of the most respected attorneys in the world has essentially just said on television that tyranny now exists in reference to IRS targeting Tea Party and other Conservative groups. He wrote an editorial 16 months ago which in part said the White House was at that time compiling an "enemies list" based on in part the IRS going after the Koch Brothers, who he represents.
The thing about Olsen is, he isn't the most hyper-partisan in the whole world. The other thing is, when Olsen speaks, people listen. The Supreme Court does. He sounded extremely (for him) upset and worried about what has happened, and it wouldn't surprise if Mr. Olsen doesn't soon take a front seat in this scandal in one form or another.
geoffcutler 2 days, 9 hours ago
History Lesson
I noticed that the younger ones, thanks to modern modes of technology and western fashion, perhaps not the historical perspective of Mao that their parents might have had, are indeed becoming more desirous of...western freedoms? Pretty cool to see, and it's a power that must in the end be succumbed to by the government? Interesting stuff.
geoffcutler 2 days, 13 hours ago
History Lesson
Nezumi, Do they still bring Mao up from his underground frozen crypt everyday so adoring Chinese can catch a glimpse of the great leader? Never forget seeing the thousands of Chinese tourists who daily thronged Tiananmen Square to see him. Amazing what propaganda and a willing media can do to a populace.