Timeline of Key Events Surrounding IRS Targeting of Conservative Groups

No sooner had the mainstream media finally begun covering the Benghazi scandal for the first time since Sept 11, 2012  than a new scandal has broken which contends that the IRS has been targeting tea party and other patriotic groups who advocate limited government and adherence to the US Constitution.

What I find surprising about this is how quickly the mainstreeam media reported the story, which obviously doesn't reflect well on President Obama, who they have abandoned all principles of journalistic integrity for , to keep him in the White House.

Could it be the Nixonian elements of the scandal that drove them into coverage with such recklace abandon?

I mean I've noticed for some time that the mere mention of Richard Nixon, who was said to use or atleast threaten to use the IRS to control his enemies,  sends most media elites of that period into a cold sweat, even though:

He was one President who could  be trusted with national security and;

He didn't try to destroy the greatest economy the world has ever known and bring America down to it's knees for all it's alleged past transgressions and;

You could put him in a room alone with your daughter or wife, and she would be perfectly safe, but we'll get back to Bill Clinton some other time. But at the moment were referring to the media's propensity for going beserk when ever they think of Richard Nixon, but really there is no comparison because:

But moving along this is what we know so far about the present scandal: ______________________________________________________________________________
Timeline of Key Events Surrounding IRS Targeting of Conservative Groups

March 1, 2010: An IRS manager in Cincinnati, Ohio asks employees to begin searching for 501(c) tax exemption applications using the terms Tea Party, Patriots and 9/12 as their criteria.

April 1, 2010: Managers in Washington, DC and Cincinnati decide to send a “Sensitive Case Report” about the Tea Party cases up the chain in Washington.

April 19, 2010: The Sensitive Case Report is shared with two executives in Washington, DC, one of whom is Lois Lerner and the other her immediate subordinate.

August 12, 2010: The IRS creates a “BOLO” (Be on the Lookout) listing instructing agents to identify Tea Party case files.

December 13, 2010: A manager for the Exempt Organizations (EO) group at the IRS in Washington informs the manager in Cincinnati that the processing of Tea Party cases would soon be reviewed with the Senior Technical Advisor to Lois Lerner, the Director of EO.

June 1, 2011: The Acting Director of Rulings and Agreements in Washington, DC, Lois Lerner’s immediate subordinate, asks the manager in Cincinnati for the criteria used to identify Tea Party groups.

June 29, 2011: The Director of EO in Washington, DC, Lois Lerner, is briefed that the criteria being used by employees includes “Tea Party,” “Patriots,” “9/12 Project,” “Government Spending,” “Government Debt,” “Taxes,” “make America a better place to live,” and cases with statements that criticize how the country is being run.

July 5, 2011: The BOLO listing criteria is revised to search for “organizations involved in political, lobbying, or advocacy.”

January 25, 2012: The BOLO is updated to change the search criteria to “limiting/expanding Government,” “Constitution and the Bill of Rights,” and “social economic reform/movement.”

March 12, 2012: Senator Chuck Schumer sends a letter to IRS Commissioner Shulman along with six of his Democrat colleagues, calling for the agency to impose a strict cap on the amount of political spending by tax-exempt, nonprofit groups.

March 14, 2012: 12 Republican Senators urge the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to prevent politics from playing a role in any action taken on non-profit 501(c)(4) organizations.

March 22, 2012: IRS Commissioner Shulman testifies before the House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee saying, “I can give you assurances..[t]here is absolutely no targeting [of conservative groups].”

March 23 – 27, 2012: Steven Miller, Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement, asks his Senior Technical Advisor to look into what was going on in the Cincinnati office regarding Tea Party applications.

April 26, 2012: Steven Miller Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement sends response to March 14th GOP letter. The letter does not acknowledge that the IRS had inappropriately targeted tea party groups or asked improper questions about their contributors.

May 3, 2012: Steven Miller Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement is briefed that these conservative groups had been targeted by the IRS.

May 2012: TIGTA briefs Commissioner Shulman on the targeting by the IRS of tea party applications for 501(c)(4) status.

June 18, 2012: 11 Senators call on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for additional answers on the agency’s decision to request confidential donor information from organizations applying for tax exempt status. The Senators said such action circumvented current statutory privacy protections and questioned the targeting of groups specifically seeking the approval or renewal of a tax-exempt designation under section 501(c)(4).

August 9, 2012: 10 GOP Senators write to IRS Commissioner Shulman, again, asking the agency to clarify its intentions for 501(c)(4) organizations. The Senators questioned the IRS’s response to a public rulemaking petition from outside groups pressuring the agency to take action on 501(c)(4)s and said it was essential that politics not play any role in its decision-making process.

September 11, 2012: Steven Miller Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement sends response to June 18th GOP letter. The letter does not acknowledge that the IRS had inappropriately targeted tea party groups or asked improper questions about their contributors.

November 9, 2012: IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman steps down at the end of his 5-year term and Steven Miller is named Acting Commissioner.
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Source: Unless otherwise noted, the timeline dates can be attributed to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) briefings given to key Committees of jurisdiction this week.

Raw Emotion on Display as Benghazi Witnesses Testify Before Congress

"Whistleblowers" are sworn in at Benghazi Hearing(left to right: Mark Thompson, Greg Hicks, and Eric Nordstrom)

I found the testimony of the three State Department career personnel, who testified before the House Oversight Committee today not only to be credible, but to be extremely gripping emotionally, despite efforts by Democrats to dismiss it with typical character assasination tactics and accusations of Republican political maneuvering, which appeared to go nowhere.

As these three men spoke, who have been referred to in the press as "whistleblowers", you could see and hear them overcome with emotion, choking up as they described the day in which former US Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and Sean Smith, Glen Doherty, and Tyrone Woods were murdered by a well organized group of terrorists affiliated with Al Quaida, which the administration shamefully tried to deceive the American public into thinking was a spontaneous demonstration by local citizens outraged over an anti-muslim video, available over the internet.

That allegation proved to be false and further testimony today by former deputy chief of mission in Libya, Greg Hicks reaffirmed that no one at the compound assumed that the armed rifle and mortar attack was anything but a premeditated assault by terrorists, which was also confirmed within hours by the President of Libya as well as in newly revealed emails.

It was obvious to anyone watching the riveting spectacle on Fox News, the only network to carry most of the event in it's entirety, to these men the incident surpassed politics and what effect it might have had on President Obama's presidential campaign or Hillary Clintons possible run for the Presidency in 2016.

Watching the hearing on TV, brought the event back to life, and sent the message that it was a real event and not just something that happened in a far away land, "a long time ago", as White House Spokesman Jay Carney attempted to portray it this week.

Eric Nordstom , former State Dept regional security officer in Libya 

As Eric Nordstrom, former regional security officer in Libya, began his opening remarks, all I could think of was Hillary Clinton's cold hearted blast at Republican senators during a previous hearing, in which she stated "What difference does it make".

Well, sitting on the edge of my seat, I could see that it apparently mattered to Mr Nordstrom, as you can see in the video below, who came forward, along with Mr Hicks, and acting deputy assistant Secretary of State for counter terrorism, Mark Thompson, after being forbidden by their superiors to talk with investigators for many months following the incident.

Today was an opportunity for them, to create further interest in what surely had to be one of the worst days in their lives, as Mr Hicks described it, and in a disastrous incident that apparently still doesn't matter to Hillary Clinton, newly appointed secretary of State John Kerry, former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, as well as all the major networks and even our own President, whose whereabouts during the crisis remains a mystery to this day.

Perhaps he was packing and preparing for his campaign jaunt to Las Vegas the next day. Who knows? His silence is curious, to say the least.

Can you imagine how Democrats would have reacted with their compadres in the main stream media, if George W Bush had acted so ineptly? I know ...I know...Relax Tom...This isn't Watergate, for crying out loud, and you're right, my liberal friends.
This isn't Watergate.
NOBODY DIED IN WATERGATE! Anyway back to Mr Nordstrom.
..  

Christians Under Attack in the Military For Sharing the Gospel

Photo courtesy of Armed Forces Tea Party Facebook Page

According to an article published at Breitbart.com., entitled Pentagon May Court Martial Soldiers Who Share Christian Faith, Christians in the military, including chaplains, could be court martialed and charged with treason for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I don't pretend to be an expert on constitutional law, but I would think that this would be unconstitutional for many reasons. Of course, I felt that way about ObamaCare until Chief Justice John Roberts weighed in, much to my utter surprise and disappointment. (I may never get over that)

But if I can be allowed to reason in my common sense old sailor way of doing things, what happened to constitutional protections for freedom of religion, speech, assembly and the free exercise clause of the first amendment?

For my liberal friends and believe it or not I do have a few, though the list is getting smaller by the day, I've linked  an article posted at the liberal web site, Salon.com, which actually portrays the viciousness of the on going attack against Christians in the military more vividly, showing where all this anti-christian bigotry and hatred is coming from, or more specificall who it is coming from. (Read further in the article)

A ir Force Chapel where many have made confessions of faith in Jesus Christ has become the target of the anti-christian left

Now a personal story of my own experience, as a Christian, during my 26 year Naval career.

I became an evangelical christian at the end of my first tour and had lots of contact with evangelicals during my career. It was one thing to meet with fellow Christians in bible study at the Christian Servicemen's center outside the base in Japan or even a bible study at sea on the US Blue Ridge, but I never forced my beliefs down anyone's throat and still don't.

As a Christian I believe I have a responsibility to grow in understanding of the Word of God and to be ready to answer questions when people ask them privately, but no....getting in someone's face constantly would have been considered a command problem that would affect the order and discipline, as well as morale, in any unit, and I wouldn't have approved of that behavior then, nor do I now..

It's not the proper way to present the gospel anyway because I personally believe that most anyone who ever became saved was led to that point by God, not by someone who intimidated him into believing, because he was of a higher rank.

When the time is right, God will open your mind to the gospel if it has been presented properly at sometime in the past (ICorinthians 15:1-4) , or in my case to a book or quite often to The Book, (the Bible) or a Church, or Christian literture, or perhaps even to a blog like this, where you can hear the Gospel in a video, or read it in print, which is that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried and  after three days lying in the grave was raised with great resurrection power. And all you need to do in order to become saved and to live with Christ for all eternity is to  tell God in your own words that you believe this gospel with all our heart and truly mean it..

Yet I believe the Bible indicates that very few actually ever do this, which is very sad, and tragically, they'll have all eternity to contemplate why they refused to do so i.e. believe the gospel. It's the sin of unbelief in not believing what God said was true and in rejecting the greatest gift of love the world has ever known, that will doom them for all eternity, not just their individual sins.

However, as long as they are still alive, there is still hope. It's not too late. For what? To attend church? To repent? To get baptized? To Speak in Tongues? No! No ! NO!

IT'S NOT TO LATE TO BELIEVE THE GOSPEL STARTING WITH BELIEVING YOU ARE A SINNER.

And after that it's FAITH PLUS NOTHING IN THE GOSPEL THAT WAS REVEALED TO THE APOSTLE PAUL BY THE RISEN LORD HIMSELF.

Remember ...I'm not talking about the Gospel of the Kingdom which Christ proclaimed  during his earthly ministry and is yet to be fulfilled for the Nation of Israel since it was rejected by the leaders of Israel when they murdered him on the cross. But it will be fulfilled in the future after the revealing of the Anti Christ and the coming tribulation period, followed by the second coming of Christ.

 I'm talking about the Gospel of Grace which can be found no where in the Bible in its completion, not even in John 3:16, which contains part of the gospel, except in the writings of the Apostle Paul , who received it from the resurrected Lord, who unfortunately is treated like an unwanted stepchild throughout much of Christendom today..

And if this is the gospel that Christians in the Military, who could be asked to give their lives for their country on any given day, could be court martialed and even charged with treason for, then I am as stunned now as I was when I first read this, which is why I felt moved to writing this article and posting it to my blog, which I haven't done for several months, while I've been dealing with family problems.

As I contemplated my reaction,  a scripture came to mind: " For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek' (Romans 1:16 Updated New American Standard Bible)

And yes, I'm sorry, if this strikes you as appearing fanatical, but despite what Mr Weinstein says in the Salon article, you are indeed heading for eternal damnation until that day arrives that you believe the Gospel in your heart and the Holy Spirit comes to reside within you, which is why those who believe they know the truth should never cower from shouting it from the rooftops if necessary, even if it results in the kind of persecution that most Christians, outside of the United States of America have experienced since the day Jesus Christ , the Son of God,voluntarily hung from that old Roman Cross, paying the price for everyone's sins in the world.

If you want to read about some of the sacrifices and persecution that Christians have endured throughout the ages, who dared to share this same gospel publicly or privately, read Foxe's Christian Martyrs of the World. Warning: some of the accounts in this book are quite graphic and difficult to read, and probably not something you will ever hear discussed at a Church picnic.

 Being spared persecution in this country the way most Christians have appears to be the exception rather than the norm, and Americans christians, particularly, have been quite blessed, but there are signs everywhere that things are about to change, and none of us should really be surprised, if he has been paying attention to the increased secularization of our culture that has been taking place since the 1950's little by little, step by step, and by recent incidents of anti-christian hostility in this country and throughout the world..
 . So my advice to any christian currently serving on active dute, like those who may have been recently converted at the Air Force Chapel above, If you are positive your beliefs are scriptural, and you feel in your heart what you have to say is not going to hurt your testimony, then you should not be afraid to live your faith and proclaim the truth of the Gospel of Grace which leads to salvation, whenever you have the opportunity,  provided you are not being obnoxious or uncivil about it during you're off duty time, and I am speaking about off duty time and private conversations with your shipmates or brothers in arms, unless you are participating in a command sponsored religious service.

Lt Gen (ret) William Boykin 

ABOVE ALL USE COMMON SENSE.

Anyway, my experience has been that very few people who call themselves Christians even know what the gospel is, never mind how to share it with others. In fact I was just reading tonight in a pamplet by a great living bible teacher named Les Feldick that he thinks most Christians go through life without ever leading one person to Christ, including their own family members, which is another  terrible tragedy.

But getting back to the Salon article, which features an interview with anti Christian activist Mikey Weinstein, above, where most of these attacks are coming from, it's hard for me to believe that 40 percent of the military are real Christians, which means they are saved and have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, but if that's true then praise the Lord, but I tend to view that assertion cynically as I do many other statements Mr Weinstein made, or that one would find in any article at Salon, which has a huge credibility problem with me.

However, he does seem to have the ear of the Obama Administration appointees at the Pentagon, but have no fear, real, true, born again, saved Christians, have the ear of God, wherever they may be serving their Lord, and that includes on US military installations, ships, aircraft, and foxholes  throughout the World

A US Army Presentation included Evangelical Christianity and Catholicism on the list of religious extremist groups. That's right! You're not seeing things!

Pasta and Politics Dinner

•"PASTA AND POLITICS" DINNER
◦Hosted by MARA 9th "Governor William Bradford" Chapter  
◦Sunday March 3, 2013
◦Plymouth Rock Bible Church 267 Carver Road, Plymouth
◦4:00 p.m. ◦$20.00 per person, $5.00 children under 12
◦Guest speakers: Brian Camenker of MassResistance State Representative Shaunna O'Connell, 3rd Bristol District
◦Event Contact information: ■Pat 508/385-6979 ■Julie 508/291-2497 or Tim Sullivan @ timyllus@aol.com
Plymouth Rock Bible Church 267 Carver Rd. Plymouth, MA
Scheduled guest speakers: Rep. Shaunna O'Connell of Taunton and Brian Camenker of Mass Resistance. $20/pp donation includes Pot Luck Pasta dinner, soda, etc. 

New Military Litmus Test: Will You Fire On Americans?

It feels great to post something today on this frigid but beautiful January morning in New England. It's great to be alive and still able to say I live in the greatest country in the world, but for how long.... Though I've been busy caring for elderly parents, I haven't been ignoring the early signs of despotism that have been emanating from our nations capital and the so called mainstream media. This video confirms my worst fears. 

Clueless Liberal Media Show Ignorance During Gun Ownership Debate

Everywhere we turn we see indications that liberals are coming after the Second Amendment, including statements regarding executive action made by Vice President Joe Biden; Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York Times, while also stating that no action against the Second Amendment could ever be contemplated .

Really? Did the Obama administration not attempt it against the First amendment by forcing the Catholic Church to issue abortion inducing medications and devices to employees of Catholic institutions?

Is there no end to liberal schemes that stifle our constitutional rights including free speech through such measures as hate crime legislation or the right to own private property through eminent domain or environmental terrorism through the EPA or NOAA or the LOS (Law of the Seas) or Sustainable Development and the Greening of American courtesy of the United Nations 1992 Initiative that the very liberal Republican President George (New World Order) H W Bush signed us onto called Agenda 21, without going through Congress.   Bill Clinton and Barack Obama further committed the US to Sustainable Devolpement and the results are showing up in towns and cities all over America with little notice being paid to it by the media., violating our consitutional rights at every turn, all under the guise of creating a socialist utopia and pretending to save the environment.  

But, of course, we're told that Liberals love the constitution, but there idea of the constitution is what ever they think it should contain not what the words actually say but their actions speak louder than their words on matters such as immigration in which amnesty was granted to the children of illegal immigrants.

Throughout this entire debate which has heated up in the wake of the terrible tragedy in Newtown, CT, the focus has not been on mental health, violent media culture, or a feminist agenda to drive young boys from intramural sport’s programs, replacing them with girls, and sending them to their mother’s basements to play violent video games under the influence of psychotic medications, while fantasizing about performing a mass murder in a school or movie theater..


But of course the clueless liberals in the mainstream media disregard the elephant in the room which are the cultural factors at the root of the problem, and go straight for our guns all the while screaming at conservative media outlets like Fox News or the Rush Limbaugh Show in arrogant condescension, voicing fears that the administration is taking advantage of a terrible tragedy to strip gun owners of their second amendment rights as well as the National Rifle Association of their immense influence and fund raising efforts for the Republican party candidates during the last two decades.

That’s right, the administration’s motives are purely political just as they will be in the up and coming debate over immigration, but first they must get our guns.

But according the the mainstream media on a variety of shows this past week on ….I don’t know…pick a channel, except Fox News or Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, or other conservative radio hot spots, they only want to restrict gun ownership through executive orders, not the Second Amendment. What? Duh….The last time I checked the Second Amendment granted us the Right to Bear Arms which is impervious to any executive orders, I would think.

It is a documented historical fact that the first shot of the American Revolutionary War occured after Paul Revere took his famous ride warning that the British  were coming to confiscate their guns, which few people are aware of.

I'll say it again. The Government that ruled the colonists in Massachusetts decided to confiscate their guns and during an ensuing encounter with patriots, whose hearts ached for freedom, an altercation occured that launched the American Revolution.

Who's to say it couldn't happen again.

I mean…all I’ve heard from my liberal friends during this debate is that assault weapons are not needed for hunting, but it was Rush Limbaugh who reminded his listeners this week that the wording in the Second Amendment indicated a militeristic function and added that unlike the polular interpretation by liberals, there is no reason to believe that the  Second Amendment had anything to do with hunting.

I f you think the Second Amendment is outdated you’ll have to rewrite the Constitution to change it, which is an enormous task that the founders did not want to be done easily, because the only way you’ll be able to take away guns from millions of gun owners nationwide as former Presidential candidate and Conservative Icon Pat Buchannon observed in the following video is through a revolution. .

Buchanan: There Would be a Revolution If the Government Confiscated Weapons
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For related articles go to: Obama Reverses His Position on Gun Control


Our Gun Control Laws Are Just Fine


Most Discussions About Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting Miss the Point

Obama Reverses His Position on Gun Control

The headlines for today’s Drudge Report is:

Obama Plans Broad Gun Control.

 

I agree…I think anybody with a gun should be controlled, not just women



http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-weighs-broad-gun-control-agenda-in-wake-of-newtown-shootings/2013/01/05/d281efe0-5682-11e2-bf3e-76c0a789346f_print.html



Of course I’m kidding but this is a serious reversal of his earlier “promises” that goes right in line with the one he made about being able to keep your own doctor under ObamaCare. That was a good one Barry.

Here is what President Obama said on the campaign trail in 2008. Compare the statements in this video with that proposals mentioned in the article above, and you tell me if I'm exaggerating.







Nothing “smooth talking Barry” says should ever be believed. If he said he had bacon and eggs for breakfast, I wouldn’t believe him. First of all Michelle would never allow him to eat something that violates all the tenetns of the food police squadron she runs from the White House and, secondly he lies all the time as most Democrat politicos do, because if they told the truth about what they really have planned for this country, they could never get elected.

Atleast that is what I use to believe before a new voting block propelled Obama into a second term, the Low Information Voter. These people will believe anything Obama says, because they believe within the depths of their very souls that any problem that occurs on Obama’s watch is George Bush’s fault anyway, as we learned by the exit polls taken on Nov 6, 2012. Duh....

Not to worry. There is a New World Coming. Cheers.