Friday, February 14, 2014
From: Gary L. Bauer
IRS Abuse Continues
Here’s the latest example of the left’s growing intolerance. According to several press reports, vulnerable senators up for reelection this year are pressuring the IRS to go after non-profit charities and social welfare organizations.
At issue are draconian rules proposed by the IRS that would severely restrict, if not completely shut down, voter educational activities by these organizations. The United States of America has a long tradition of respect for free speech, especially political speech. The tax agency is attempting to repeal decades of established law and tradition by regulation.
Keep in mind, friends, that this is taking place in the aftermath of the IRS/Tea Party scandal.
The president insists there isn’t a “smidgen of corruption” involved. But let’s not forget that the initial explanation — rogue agents in Cincinnati — turned out to be a lie. If there was no corruption involved, why on earth would a top IRS official in Washington, D.C., plead the fifth and refuse to testify before Congress about her role and whatever she knew about the government’s targeting of conservative groups and Christian ministries like the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association?
Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee passed legislation on a party-line vote to prevent the IRS from imposing these new anti-free speech regulations. Unfortunately, the legislation is unlikely to get a vote in the Senate.
I don’t care what side of the aisle you are on, using the brute force of big government to squelch political speech is unacceptable. Abuse of the IRS was one of the major offenses that turned the public against Richard Nixon.
Conservatives Fight For Normal Marriage
Yesterday another liberal federal judge decided she knew better than the people and overturned Virginia’s popularly enacted marriage protection amendment. The judge was clearly confused about the meaning of marriage. Not surprisingly, she was confused about the Constitution too.
On the first page of her opinion redefining marriage, the judge wrote, “Our Constitution declares that ‘all men’ are created equal. Surely this means all of us.” Actually, it’s the Declaration of Independence that states “…all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
For the second time this week a state constitutional amendment to preserve the normal definition of marriage, overwhelmingly approved by the voters, has been struck down by an unelected judge. This is judicial tyranny plain and simple.
This is not what our Founding Fathers intended when they risked their “lives, fortunes and sacred honor” to establish a constitutional republic. America was not meant to be an oligarchy, ruled by a few black-robed liberal activists masquerading as impartial judges.
In addition, the Justice Department has decided to simply ignore state marriage laws it doesn’t like. Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced that the federal government would recognize a new set of rights for same-sex couples irrespective of state laws.
Last month, Holder vowed that the Obama Administration would also recognize the homosexual marriages performed in Utah after a federal judge struck down its marriage amendment, even though the Supreme Court stayed the decision and allowed the marriage amendment to remain in effect.
Conservatives in Congress are stepping up and introducing legislation to rein in this executive overreach. Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), who is sponsoring the State Marriage Defense Act, said, “I drafted the State Marriage Defense Act of 2014 to help restore the 10th Amendment, affirm the authority of states to define and regulate marriage…” His bill has 57 co-sponsors in the House. Only one co-sponsor is a Democrat, and he’s retiring.
Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT) are sponsoring a companion bill in the Senate, which they say will “protect states from an out of control administration that is seeking to force same-sex marriage upon states that define marriage as the union between one man and one woman.”
Kudos To Gretchen Wilson
SeaWorld recently kicked off its “2014 Bands, Brews and BBQ” concert series. The event has generated some controversy due to protests by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and a documentary about Tilikum, a killer whale that killed one of its trainers in 2010. After several singers backed out fearing negative publicity, Gretchen Wilson was invited to fill in as a replacement for the February 8th show and she accepted.
Of course, Wilson was attacked by radical animal rights groups. But she fired back, tweeting, “Wouldn’t it be nice if this much effort could go into saving unborn babies?” Good for her!
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