The 2nd Amendment, the 4th Amendment, the 1st Amendment

redrumloa

redrumloa

Active Member
Moderator
Joined
Apr 2, 2005
Messages
14,970
Reaction score
2,154
Is any part of our Bill of Rights safe from this administration?

The Justice Department secretly obtained two months of telephone records of reporters and editors for The Associated Press in what the news cooperative's top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into how news organizations gather the news.

The records obtained by the Justice Department listed outgoing calls for the work and personal phone numbers of individual reporters, for general AP office numbers in New York, Washington and Hartford, Conn., and for the main number for the AP in the House of Representatives press gallery, according to attorneys for the AP. It was not clear if the records also included incoming calls or the duration of the calls.

In all, the government seized the records for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP and its journalists in April and May of 2012. The exact number of journalists who used the phone lines during that period is unknown, but more than 100 journalists work in the offices where phone records were targeted, on a wide array of stories about government and other matters.

In a letter of protest sent to Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday, AP President and Chief Executive Officer Gary Pruitt said the government sought and obtained information far beyond anything that could be justified by any specific investigation. He demanded the return of the phone records and destruction of all copies.

"There can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters. These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the newsgathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's newsgathering operations and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know," Pruitt said.
Click to expand...
 
It'll be interesting to see who signed off on this. They should be sacked.
 
http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/auditreports/2013reports/201310053fr.html
Out of the 96 'Tea Party' groups investigated. 17 of them were found to have no political intervention. Tax Exempt status is for groups that do 'social welfare' not politicking. We wouldn't know this unless there was an investigation, of course. By the IRS, as they are one's challenged to ensure the tax code.

Did the IRS do wrong? Perhaps. It seems some of their inquiries may have overstepped the bounds of the IRS. But, there actually is another wrong here. 82% of 'Tea Party' groups investigated didn't pay taxes appropriately.
 
Amazing that you are taking this angle. Truly amazing.
 
Then what do you purpose we do with what appears to be two issues against rules and regulations.

The purpose of the IRS is to ensure and collect taxes. Focusing on conservative groups is just as wrong as the past liberal group focus in the Bush years. For fairness we should order the IRS to audit an equal number of 'liberal' 501cs in the same manner. So that 'takes care of' the first problem.

The next one is to look at the audits and realize that 82% of the audited 501cs were not operating as a 501c. Instead they were, in a sense, acting to launder political contributions. They were skirting election laws and tax laws. They should pay up accordingly. That takes care of the a 2nd problem.

Now there's still an 'ongoing' problem of the IRS being used for political favoring. What should be put in place are tighter regulations to ensure they audit a close proximity of agencies that fall on both liberal and conservative political sides of the spectrum. For example, if they pick the Florida Tea Party they also audit the Florida NAACP. Then EXPAND the IRS audits of 501Cs. If the 82% non-compliance Tea Party is 'the norm' there's LOTS of cleaning to be had.

(And you don't even want to get me started of the severe lack of oversight of churches who play politics and the IRS failing to take action. That's probably a whole other thread.)
 
I thought it was the Benghazi Watergate? Or was it the guns to Mexico Watergate? Or the Soylndra Watergate? Or the being a Muslim from Kenya Watergate?

Here's what will happen. A few people at the IRS will be fired. But, since Koch and other Billionaires were hiding political spending behind 401Cs they won't want to make too many waves. They'll want to continue to laundry money to politicians. Republican politicians will want to keep their pockets lubed, so will do whatever the 401C contributors request. A few firings for political theatre and we'll move on.
 
faethor said:
82% of the audited 501cs were not operating as a 501c. Instead they were, in a sense, acting to launder political contributions. They were skirting election laws and tax laws. They should pay up accordingly. That takes care of the a 2nd problem.
Click to expand...

like Media Matters and Organizing for America??
 
It amazes me how many "gates" this guy has survived.
 
you mean like Media Matters and Organizing for America??
Click to expand...
As there is no audit of them, we can neither confirm nor deny your charge. However, I think we're both adult enough to agree that 2 wrongs does not make a right. I think it's fair they are audited and we see if they have the same problem as the 82% of conservative 501Cs. I go back to seeing 82% of the right-wing audited 501Cs having this problem the answer is to greatly expanding auditing of 501Cs, and ensure no political favoritism in the process.

You only have to look at the active scandals going on, right now.
Click to expand...
The only reason these are scandals are because Republicans do little else. Charging Obama with a scandal is one of the 3 things Republicans do in the last 6 years. Republicans charge the President with corruption, it might be true, but I think the failures there have fallen us into the 'Little Boy who cried wolf' approach. The other thing Republicans do is simply block Obama because he's Obama. So we see crazy things like the right-wing backing North Korea over Obama. Along with 37 votes to repeal Obamacare. Dudes after about 6 votes a year you should know the Senate won't agree. Move on and accomplish something. On the Federal level they really have become the party of ourRepubliCan'ts.
 
82% of Tea Party groups are Tax Cheats and the problem is Obama? Dammit, crooks hate getting caught but this is some serious chutzpah.

"Your honour, the only reason I stand before the court today is because that policeman insisted on arresting me when I was nicking stuff from cars. It's HIS fault and he should be investigated!!"
 
FluffyMcDeath said:
82% of Tea Party groups are Tax Cheats and the problem is Obama? Dammit, crooks hate getting caught but this is some serious chutzpah.

"Your honour, the only reason I stand before the court today is because that policeman insisted on arresting me when I was nicking stuff from cars. It's HIS fault and he should be investigated!!"
Click to expand...

Bullshit. You should know better than that Fluffy.
 
Wayne said:
It amazes me how many "gates" this guy has survived.
Click to expand...

Really? I seem to recall the last guy surviving a number of situations. And the guy before him. And the guy before him. And...
 
Robert said:
Really? I seem to recall the last guy surviving a number of situations. And the guy before him. And the guy before him. And...
Click to expand...

You seem to be missing the point. Each guy is getting away with a lot worse than the last guy. Then again it could be argued that GWB was a step back from Clinton. All of Clinton's enemies seems to die under suspect circumstances.
 
redrumloa said:
You seem to be missing the point. Each guy is getting away with a lot worse than the last guy.

yep... truest thing you've said this year


Then again it could be argued that GWB was a step back from Clinton.

err... no... and yes... all rolled into one... just depends on which criminal bullshit you're referring to...


All of Clinton's enemies seems to die under suspect circumstances.

heh heh... that again... good luck selling it to glaucus... he believes in both coincidence, and accident

:D
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top