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Lerner Can Be Forced To Testify

Lois Lerner shocked the nation when she appeared before Congress yesterday.  She opened her remarks with a denial of any wrongdoing and then promptly refused to answer any questions on advice of counsel, relying upon her right under the Fifth Amendment to not be compelled to become a witness against herself.

But it's not that simple.  First of all, though the Fifth Amendment applies only to criminal cases, it has been extended by the Supreme Court to include testimony in other proceedings such as testimony before a Congressional Committee.

However, the right is one which may be waived and when Lois Lerner appeared before Congress in other matters and then yesterday gave an opening statement in which she denied wrongdoing and violations of the law, she may have waived her right to be be free from questioning on those matters.

But forget all of that legal wrangling.  A good hard hitting lawyer knows how to force her to testify.  He goes out and grants immunity to every potential witness who can come in and thrown her under the guillotine and builds such a tough case against her that she has no choice but to spill the beans.

Or, the feds could grant HER immunity and force her to talk, but then, without the corroboration of other witnesses before hand, she could just lie and get by with it.

This isn't over and her decision to "take the fifth" opened up a huge can of worms. 

The bottom line is however, if they want to, Congress can force Lerner to testify.

Shocking: IRS Lois Lerner Has Track Record Of Harassment

The Weekly Standard quotes famed attorney James Bopp Jr. who tells the tale of Lois Lerner and her abuse of power at the Federal Elections Commission, before being moved to the IRS, where she harassed the Christian Coalition costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars in a failed lawsuit against them.

According to Jim Bopp Lerner's FEC lawsuit was so over-reaching that it even included questioning Oliver North over what prayers might have been said for him by Pat Robertson based upon a thank you note Ollie had written to the pastor.

The Weekly Standard article makes it pretty clear that Lerner's ability to use government power to crush people was well developed at the FEC and was cause for concern when she moved to the IRS.

Perhaps no other IRS official is more intimately associated with the tax agency's growing scandal than Lois Lerner, director of the IRS’s Exempt Organizations Division. Since admitting the IRS harassed hundreds of conservative and Tea Party groups for over two years, Lerner has been criticized for a number of untruths—including the revelation that she apparently lied about planting a question at an American Bar Association conference where she first publicly acknowledged IRS misconduct.

One of the most shocking things about the current IRS scandal is the revelation that the agency asked one religious pro-life group to detail the content of their prayers and asked clearly inappropriate questions about private religious activity. But under Lerner's watch, inappropriate religious inquiries were a hallmark of the FEC's interrogation of the Christian Coalition.

The Christian Coalition was ultimately absolved of any FEC wrongdoing in 1999, and Lerner was promoted to acting General Counsel at the FEC in 2001 before eventually moving on to the IRS.  Bopp, who's all too familiar with the aggressive and inappropriate tenor she set leading the FEC's Enforcement Division, says he became concerned about what would happen as soon as Lerner joined the IRS. "When she left the FEC, I thought, 'Wow, this means the not for profit division is gearing up politically,'" he said. "It didn't bode well, because of the way [the FEC] approached cases."

In fairness it was George W. Bush who appointed Lerner to the position at the IRS, but the unbridled efforts to thwart the growing influence of TEA party and other conservative groups occurred under Obama's watch.

There's plenty for her to hide and her botched attempt at taking the fifth before Congress isn't going to protect her.

Bi-Partisan Congressional Immigration Bills In Trouble

POLITICO is reporting that Republicans in the House bipartisan immigration group are threatening to leave negotiations if they don’t come to an agreement Thursday. But by all accounts there are a number of serious problems with the bills under consideration.

• The immigration bill brings about legalization and work permits first, and then leaves it to the administration to ensure border and workplace enforcement that stops future flows of illegal workers over the next 10 years.
• The Department of Homeland Security is only required to “establish a strategy”… “to identify where fencing”… “should be deployed” before temporary legal status is granted.  Enforcement is full of loopholes and deferrals … it doesn’t solve the problem in the future and will only lead to a new wave of illegal immigrants.
• The bill requires DHS to attempt to obtain a 90% apprehension rate in “high-risk” sectors of the U.S./Mexico border. “High-risk” sectors are defined as sectors that have at least 30,000 apprehensions in the previous fiscal year.  Only three of the nine sectors fall into the “high-risk” category.  Three other sectors have at least 20,000 apprehensions a year, but fall just short of the 30,0000 threshold.

• The bill would allow 33 million lifetime work permits to be given to foreign citizens in the first decade after the bill passes.  There are currently 20 million Americans who cannot find a full-time job.  Is the U.S. really facing a severe labor shortage crisis?

• Under S. 744, the 11 million illegal immigrants estimated to reside in the United States will be immediately legalized, and the legislation also allows for 22 million new work permits to be granted in the first decade.

• Illegal immigrants that have worked and never filed a tax return, including those that have worked illegally and were paid under the table, will not have to pay any taxes before receiving a work permit.

• Illegal employers escape penalties, too. "Employers who have illegal immigrants on their payroll can keep them there with no penalty; there is no assessment of back taxes for their employees who worked off the books; those who paid unfair wages will not be prosecuted; and those who aided fraud by accepting bogus Social Security numbers won't face a penalty."

• The bill also allows people who have previously been deported to apply for provisional legal status.
• Section 3701 of S. 744 states that illegal immigrants who are members of street gangs most of which are heavily involved in criminal activity and violent crimes simply have to claim that they renounce their gang affiliation in order to obtain a waiver that would make them admissible to the U.S., and potentially eligible for legalization and eventual citizenship. This poses a risk that many gang members will falsely claim to renounce their association with criminal street gangs to obtain legal status just to continue engaging in unlawful conduct in the United States.

A large group of law enforcement officers from around the nation have written a letter to Congress urging Congress to not enact the current legislation, arguing that "this legislation fails to meet the needs of the law enforcement community and would, in fact, be a significant barrier to the creation of a safe and lawful system of immigration".

Out of work Americans in the technology sector are worried that the proposed legislation will further their woes by carving out an eventual path to citizenship for residents here illegally and give priority to skilled immigrants over those entering through family ties.

Norman Matloff, professor of computer science at the University of California, Davis, goes even further. He contends employers sometimes just prefer foreigners over Americans.

“It really boils down to cheap, compliant labor,” Matloff said. “You, as the employer, have no leverage over American workers. But you do have huge leverage over foreign workers if they’re being sponsored for a green card.” [Seattle Times]

And for many republicans who will be called upon to support the current immigration proposals the whole mess could mean "risky business" in a political sense too.

"While the shift to a less hard-edged position on immigration might make good political sense for the GOP nationally, with the nation's Hispanic population growing steadily, it makes little sense locally for many of the Republican lawmakers who will be asked for vote for it. Their political fortunes depend on conservative white voters who have strong feelings about people slipping across the border to live in this country." [Capital Gazette]

The current plans for Immigration Reform, even with some republicans cheering it on, seems to be about as difficult a path as making your way through an inhospitable desert on foot.

Eric Holder Wire Tapped Congress?

Congressman Devin Nunes told Hugh Hewitt that the FBI ran its tapping operation by tapping phones in the Congressional Cloak Room, a place closed to everyone except for Senators and Representatives.  If this is true, this is an egregious violation of law and the separation of powers. 

HH: The idea that this might be a Geithner-Axelrod plan, and by that, the sort of intimation, Henry II style, will no one rid me of this turbulent priest, will no one rid me of these turbulent Tea Parties, that might have just been a hint, a shift of an eyebrow, a change in the tone of voice. That’s going to take a long time to get to. I don’t trust the Department of Justice on this. Do you, Congressman Nunes?

DN: No, I absolutely do not, especially after this wiretapping incident, essentially, of the House of Representative. I don’t think people are focusing on the right thing when they talk about going after the AP reporters. The big problem that I see is that they actually tapped right where I’m sitting right now, the Cloak Room.

HH: Wait a minute, this is news to me.

DN: The Cloak Room in the House of Representatives.

HH: I have no idea what you’re talking about.

DN: So when they went after the AP reporters, right? Went after all of their phone records, they went after the phone records, including right up here in the House Gallery, right up from where I’m sitting right now. So you have a real separation of powers issue that did this really rise to the level that you would have to get phone records that would, that would most likely include members of Congress, because as you know…

HH: Wow.

DN: …members of Congress talk to the press all the time.

HH: I did not know that, and that is a stunner.

DN: Now that is a separation of powers issue here, Hugh.

HH: Sure.

DN: And it’s a freedom of press issue. And now you’ve got the IRS going after people. So these things are starting to cascade one upon the other, and you have the White House pretending like they’re in the clouds like it’s not their issue somehow. [Hugh Hewitt]

If this is true, can you say "Impeachment"?

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Taxes Chip Away At Liberty

The enemy of God is evil.  Liberty is a gift from God.  Tyranny is the enemy of liberty.  Taxes are the tools of tyranny.  How much more simply can it be stated that taxes work against our God given liberty.  You are born, you make your way in the world God created for you and other men determine to take from you the fruits of your labor.

Oh some will surely say that taxes are required in order to provide a national defense, to build roads and bridges and to fund a government which was designed to protect us from tyranny, but is that true?  Are then taxes a 'necessary' evil?

Taxes under our system of government are supposed to be the consensual giving of the governed.  But over time they have become the forced funding of the tiny tyrants who band together and support each other's lust for more of the money we no longer wish to give them.

The opposition to 'taxation without representation' is more true today than in over 100 years.  Though men and women are elected, they as a group, no longer represent us.  They as a group behave as a multi-headed tyrannical monster with a huge appetite.

And why has it gotten this way?  In large part because we were not paying attention.

Some in our nation are maturing and as technology changes we have it within our power to enlighten more people to the truth than being dependent upon the Mainstream Media to do it for us.

So why is the new Internet Sales tax so insidious?  Not just because it will add a few pennies to online purchases, but because it is the camel's nose under the tent, it is the government seeking power over our ability to communicate with each other.  The power to tax is the power to control.

Do not, repeat, do not take this issue lightly.  It is not tax.  "How To Serve Man" is a cookbook.

James Carville: "Ted Cruz Will Eat Rand Paul's Lunch"

James Carville says that Texas Senator Ted Cruz is the most talented and fearless Republican he's seen in 30 years and that when it comes to a race for the GOP nomination against Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, Cruz will eat their lunch.  Of course Carville is a character and known for hyperbole, but Cruz has been on our radar from the beginning.

Cruz has a one really good quality for a politician, he's good in a debate.  He's also pretty quick on his feet, but some say he's not made of the right stuff.

Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson says that though Cruz might be a force in the GOP, the ex-gov isn't a fan. "He’s articulate. He seems to be charismatic, but I don’t like his politics. I think he introduces a measure of incivility in the political process. Insulting people is not the way to go."

Keep an eye on Cruz.  He's definitely an aggressor and with his former prosecutorial style, could be a force in the upcoming hearings in the Senate.

 

From Boston To Benghazi: Bad Week For Barry

Get ready this week for the MSM to focus most of its attention on the Benghazi kidnapping and murders.  CBS over the weekend took a much harder look at the Obama administration's handling of the attack on our consulate there and Congress is preparing to hear from some "whistle-blowers" about what really took place.

This comes on the heels of more revelations about how the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security blew the chance to prevent the Boston bombings.  Numerous tips and warnings went ignored about the two brothers accused of the terrorist act at the Boston Marathon.

In addition to all of that the administration is backpedaling on its earlier warnings to Syria about its potential use of chemical weapons on its own citizens as being a "red line" they dare not cross.  Now Obama is trying to re-define what he meant and isn't doing a very good job of it.

Several foreign news agencies are reporting that Israel has sent more than one bomb into Syria in order to destroy munitions and maybe chemical weapons there.  Syria has responded by calling the acts a "declaration of war".  But not much is being said about this in the American media though it does have the potential of becoming a huge military entanglement for the US.

It's early May but the heat is already on the Obama team and it looks like things are going to get a lot hotter.

Stay tuned.

Kentucky's Mike Duncan Chairs New RNC Data Company

Mike Duncan of Martin County Kentucky, former treasurer and chair of the RNC will be chairing Data Trust a company which will assist the RNC in managing the processes being developed by another company called Liberty Works which has been chosen to help the RNC compete in the digital arena.

Karl Rove had been working with Liberty Works in talking with potential donors for the $15 million project though Rove is not directly affiliated with Liberty Works, Data Trust or the RNC as POLITICO reports.

Competition for this arrangement has focused on organizing voter data in a more useable manner and developing interfaces between raw data from many sources and creating a platform for communicating with the RNC's known base.

It would be my hope that the project not get pigeon holed into such a structured and limited mindset, though substantial improvement in this area is sorely needed. The bigger opportunity for the GOP lies outside of this project and dovetails with it.

Mike Duncan brings perhaps the highest level of integrity and professionalism to the project of anyone in the nation and his determination to succeed should be a huge positive for the republican cause going forward.

This is another plus for Kentucky.

Posted from my I-Pad with Blogsy

How We Have Learned To Hate

A family in Burkesville Kentucky is devastated. They are overcome with grief. Their two year old daughter died accidentally. Their five year old son accidentally shot his sister. Clearly, that boy's life will be ruined by comparison to what it would have been. But things get worse.

Now some in the public are calling for the parents to be prosecuted. Can you imagine the pain they are going through? By all accounts they are an ordinary family, parents who loved their children. My God, what more punishment do people lust after?

But their are those who would delight in abusing this family for their own selfish purposes.

How many children are responsible for fires, falls, poisonings, electrocutions? Accidents happen, children are capable of accidents and the law makes it very clear that a five year old is incapable of being held legally responsible for his actions.

But people are calling for the parents heads. Why? Because a gun was involved. Not matches, cleaning solution, or a blow drier and bath water but a firearm.

And because some people will do and say anything to cause others to hate firearms as much as they do, those people will abandon their humanity, harden their hearts against compassion, refuse to reach out to that boy and his parents with love but instead use this tragedy as a chance to teach others to hate.

And that is how hatred is taught: one bite of the apple at a time.

Posted from my I-Pad with Blogsy

A Fresh Look At George Bush Coming

The opening of the George W. Bush library on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas Texas has focused a bit more of the spotlight on the former president of late.  By all indications he doesn't miss Washington, loves being in Texas and the return to being a very private citizen, which should endear him to more people in the next few weeks.

In an interview with POLITICO the former President made it very clear, his interests now are more focused on the aids and cervical cancer problems in Africa than the wrestling match between democrats and republicans inside the beltway.

A new grandfather and a private man since leaving the White House, GW told POLITICO that he thinks history will judge his administration as "deliberative" on important issues.  He says that he misses the people he worked with IN Washington, but not Washington itself.

And who can blame him for that?

Pegged as an evil "neo-con" by the TEA party types and pilloried as a war-monger and pawn of big business by the democrats its no wonder that the former president prefers to stay off of the political stage.  For those of us who've been on one, it is not a victory circle, but more like a bulls-eye.

History will sift through the facts of his presidency and filter out much of the spin and criticism, and when all is said and done, despite the attempts by the current occupant to blame all of his own failures on his predecessor, history will sort that out too and the Obama legacy will be reduced to one accomplishment.

I recall in 2000 when George W. Bush took the stage at the Republican National Convention.  We had just labored through eight years of moral misery under the administration of a man who debased the oval office, abused women, lied under oath and was impeached in office.

The lights in the arena were down low as a light from the back of the main stage came on, and then without warning, standing there back-lit by that bright light was the unmistakable outline of George W. Bush.  The place erupted in applause.

It wasn't just the chance to elect a republican.  It wasn't just a chance to fight off Al Gore.  It was a moment when we who were assembled there knew that the man who stood on that stage was a good man, a moral man, a devout Christian, a family man, and a humble man stepping up to do a job in an environment filled with hatred, and daggers and those who would do him harm.

And now, as we look back, and consider the circumstances that defined his term of office, we know that an incredible burden fell upon his shoulders within the first few months, and how he rallied the nation together, held us together and held us in his heart.

And now, in hindsight, comparing his presidency as sandwiched in between the philanderer in chief and the angry hurtful man who occupies the White House now, I can't help but think how that bright light that illuminate him from behind at first was joined by a bright light that illuminated him from the front next and how tall he seemed to stand compared to the disgrace he replaced and the horror which has followed.

Let's hope this week in the spotlight will inspire equal or better memories for him and his family.