Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Stop the presses. This is a shocking press release from Z Street (an actual "pro-Israel" organization):
AGAINST ORGANIZATIONS
THAT DON'T SHARE ADMINISTRATION'S POSITIONS ON ISRAEL
Z STREET, a pro-Israel non-profit corporation, filed a lawsuit in federal court today charging that the IRS violated the organization's First Amendment rights. The suit was filed after Z STREET was told by an IRS official that its application for tax-exempt status has been delayed because an IRS policy requires consideration of whether a group's views on Israel differ from those of the current Administration.
"Not only is it patently un-American but it is also a clear violation of the First Amendment for a government agency to penalize an organization because of its political position on Israel or anything else," said Z STREET president Lori Lowenthal Marcus, a former First Amendment lawyer. "This situation is the same as if the government denied a driver's license to people because they were Republicans or Democrats. It goes against everything for which our country stands."
Z STREET filed for tax-exempt status in January of this year and, despite having met all of the requirements for grant of this status, the application has been stalled. An IRS agent told Z STREET's lawyers that the application was delayed because of a Special Israel Policy that requires greater scrutiny of organizations which have to do with Israel, in part to determine whether they espouse positions on Israel contrary to those of the current Administration.
Z STREET is a Zionist organization that proudly supports Israel's right to refuse to negotiate with, make concessions to, or appease terrorists. Z STREET's positions on Israel and, in particular, on the Middle East "peace process" differ significantly from those espoused by the Obama administration.
If Z STREET had tax-exempt status, its donors would be able to deduct contributions from their taxable income. The IRS's refusal to grant tax-exempt status to Z STREET has inhibited the organization's fundraising efforts, and therefore impeded its ability to speak and to educate the public regarding the issues that are the focus and purpose of Z STREET.
The lawsuit, Z STREET v. Shulman, Commissioner of Internal Revenue, was filed today in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
If you're not a little disturbed by this, you should be. Z Street is having its status held up to see if they're in line with Obama Administration policy? And the government admits this? It sounds outrageous.
Even more interesting is that this seems to be directly in line with what J Street and other leftists were calling for, just a short time ago, in what appeared to be a coordinated attack against administration critics and those whose ideas of supporting the Jewish State differed from their own.
Though I shouldn't be, I am actually surprised that this leftist fringe desire to silence their critics through the power of the government has apparently made it into official policy. And do any non-Jewish groups whose opinions may differ from the Administration's have to go through the same scrutiny? Apparently not, as according to the press release, this is part of a "Special Israel Policy". Isn't that interesting?
tax-exempt status has been delayed because an IRS policy requires consideration of whether a group's views on Israel differ from those of the current Administration.
Seriously? Somebody actually said this? It sounds a bit dodgy. I'd like to see some confirmation before getting alarmed.
I am also very anxious to hear the follow up on this as it develops.
FF - I had the same initial reaction, but the allegations in the complaint are pretty specific (linked above):
Not a lot of wiggle room there.
Maybe Z Street should try to build a Synagouge near," Ground Zero" and see if the Obama administration has an opinion on that. If this is true; which is difficult to believe, Obama and Carter will have a whole lot more in common in the comming years. Too bad. And I voted for him the first time.
Government enforcement of political correctness is very dangerous. Hate speech laws are an abomination.
Thought crimes will be severely punished.... excepting if you are a recognized historically disenfranchised minority or a Leftwinger. Then you are free to preach hate and villify the other (whiteEuro/Christian/American/male*) to your hearts content.
Jews and Israelis have been added to the free fire villification list, recently.