The IRS: Two news stories (one from today) which imply police-state-like tactics

[Poll_Blind]

Ok, first story is fresh from today. You know how the IRS has been targeting the Tea Party and they recently apologized for it? Turns out the Tea Party weren't the only ones. Check this shit out:

CNN: IRS targeted more than tea party groups, document shows

Washington (CNN) -- The Internal Revenue Service targeted other groups focused on government spending and the federal debt that were seeking tax-exempt status, in addition to tea party organizations, documents set to be released this week by the agency's watchdog show.

The IRS also applied extra scrutiny to applicants with statements that "criticize how the country is run" or that sought to educate the public on how to "make America a better place to live" -- designations that would have included conservative political groups looking to apply for 501(c)(4) status.

Those disclosures are included in the appendix of an inspector general's report obtained by CNN that is set to be released publicly this week, and that has caused widespread anger among Republican lawmakers and activists who have portrayed the federal government as unfairly targeting political rivals.

On Sunday, lawmakers blasted the IRS for its scheme, which was described by Sen. Susan Collins as a "truly outrageous" breach of public trust.

--snip--

Read that and consider it. Don't think for a moment Republicans/Conservatives are the only ones in the cross hairs on this one. If you turn a blind eye because you think they are, you're fooling yourself.

Now, take that article from today, above, and combine it with the information in this article I posted just last month:

Slashgear: IRS believes it can read your emails, chats, and more without a warrant

Looks like the IRS believes it can read your emails, Facebook Chats, Twitter Direct Messages, SMS messages, and more without needing to obtain a search warrant beforehand. However, a ruling in the 2010 case, U.S. v. Warshak, by the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals states that accessing someone’s email messages without obtaining a warrant first violates the Fourth Amendment. According to an IRS 2009 Search Warrant Handbook discovered by the American Civil Liberties Union, the IRS says,

“Emails and other transmissions generally lose their reasonable expectation of privacy and thus their Fourth Amendment protection once they have been sent from an individual’s computer.”

The ACLU says that under the currently outdated Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), if an email is in an email provider’s server for more than 180 days, or has been opened, it does not require a warrant to access. Authorities can access the emails with just an administrative subpoena. Luckily, the ruling in the U.S v. Warshak protects individuals from unreasonable searches by the government. However, the main fear is whether or not the IRS would be abiding by the Warshak ruling throughout the entire country, or if its only going to be abiding by it throughout the Sixth Circuit.

snip--

Just separately reading those articles is disturbing enough. Combining the information starts to paint a rather unnerving picture of what the IRS A) is up to and B) thinks it can get away with.

PB

[denverbill]

1. What the IRS is getting away with is nothing compared to corporations and 501c4's.

Maybe if Congress didn't keep cutting funding for the IRS it would be able to better supervise it's employees.

[Poll_Blind]

2. Warrantless blanket searches by the Federal government based on critical speech.

That should be high up on anyone's list of things to be concerned about. If you don't think it's a big deal now, wait until a Republican president is in office and tell me how you feel about it.

PB

[cali]

3. oh frickin' please. this had shit to do with funding.

and that others do worse is just an awful excuse.

[denverbill]

4. OMG. A few organizations got their 501c4 approval delayed! The horrors!

The Cincinnati staffers were trying to deal with a crush of applications for tax-exempt status by using key words to get through the paper work faster, she said.

About 300 applications initially were flagged for closer scrutiny. Of those, 75 were chosen for that treatment based on the presence of the key words in their names. Lerner said none of the applicants was denied tax-exempt status.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/12/us-usa-tax-irs-idUSBRE94B08I20130512

Maybe if there wasn't such a mad rush to skirt election laws by creating phony 501c4 organizations, the staffers wouldn't have felt compelled to spend extra time on the teabaggers.

[KittyWampus]

5. this is closer to the info I was looking for. It's sad one needs to read Reuters while the NYTimes

basically just gives the Republicans a platform

[KittyWampus]

6. Wish you'd do an OP highlighting your comment. It really explained a lot to me

[denverbill]

7. If you want to post one, feel free. I don't do many OP's except breaking news.

What gets me about these Republicans whiners is that these teabagger groups are PURELY political. IMO, every single one of them SHOULD have been denied 501c4 status, but instead they were all approved.

The entire purpose of the teabaggers is to elect far right conservatives and oppose RINOs and all Democrats. What 'social welfare' purpose do they have aside from attempting to influence elections?