Monthly Archives: July 2014

Cleaning up the “smidgen”

I have frequently called the government out for doing the wrong thing, so it’s only fair for me to acknowledge when they do the right thing:

The Oak Initiative, a group that I am affiliated with, applied for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status four years ago in 2010.  As with many similar groups, their application was wrongfully delayed by the IRS, far longer than the official 15-month processing time [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

About a week ago, the Oak Initiative received notice from the IRS that their 501(c)(3) application had been approved.  So to whoever at the IRS had the courage and leadership to do the right thing, thank you!  I hope that others will follow your example.

Philippines trip after Yolanda

On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) caused catastrophic damage in the Philippines, particularly in Tacloban city.  Bodies were still being found as late as January 9, 2014.  The needs in many areas are still severe eight months after the fact.

Just one prominent and immediate need is a daily meal for 460 children in Tacloban city over the next six months.  This information comes from actual on-the-scene reports.

I will be joining a team of amazing people from August 21 through September 4, primarily working with local churches in Tacloban, and also with people caught in sex trafficking and drug addiction in Cebu.

If you would like to help contribute toward feeding the children in Tacloban, or if you just want to read more about the situation and our efforts, you can do so through our project page on Indiegogo.

The “Smidgen” grows

If the IRS has lost all of the potentially incriminating testimony that Congress has subpoenaed, are we to believe that this is all they have lost, or do they in fact lose volumes of data right and left? If their data retention problem is so very severe, how do they even continue to function as an agency?

The IRS has not only forgotten that it answers to the People of the United States, but is now feigning a criminal level of incompetence to cover up its wrongdoing, all the while seeking to permanently establish its corrupt practices.

In the words of Becky Gerritson in her testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee:

We are patriotic Americans.  We peacefully assemble.  We petition our government.  We exercise our right to free speech and we don’t understand why our government tried to stop us.  We aren’t here as serfs or vassals.  We’re not begging our lords for mercy.  We are born free American citizens and we’re telling our government that you’ve forgotten your place.  It’s not your responsibility to look out for our well being and monitor our speech.  It’s not your right to assert an agenda.  The post that you occupy exists to preserve American liberty.  You’ve sworn to perform that duty and you have faltered.

There is bipartisan agreement that what the IRS has done is wrong.  Having a corrupt and fraudulent IRS benefits nobody and has directly harmed at least one organization with which I am personally affiliated.

Thank God, this country is still free, and I intend to shine as much light as necessary on the corruption to protect that freedom.  If you think the IRS needs to be independently audited, you can sign this petition.

Mister President, please help us out with that transparency that you promised, and please take another look to see if per chance you do detect a little smidgen of corruption in your administration.  If you take the high road, your administration won’t have to resort to underhanded tactics.