‘Terrorism Special Policy’ Prevents Pro-Israel Group from Gaining IRS Tax Exempt Status
By DANIEL HALPER, WEEKLY STANDARD
Z Street, the pro-Israel group that alleges the IRS has prevented it from gaining tax exempt status because its policy toward Israel is antithetical to the administration’s, now says that the IRS is changing its tune. Instead, Z Street is being excluded because of a “a Terrorism Special Policy, and that Israel is included.” Lori Lowenthal Marcus, in a short press release, briefly explains what’s going on:
We now have the mind-numbing IRS defense for delaying (almost a year now!) Z STREET’s application for tax exempt status. In a signed affidavit, an IRS official explains that there is no “Israel Special Policy,” instead it is a Terrorism Special Policy, and that Israel is included. That’s right, Israel is a terrorist state because terrorism happens there. True, Israel is the victim, but why quibble with details? This brings moral equivalency to a whole new level. Every Zionist should be screaming from the rooftops. The brief is here and the most significant of the IRS affidavits is here. The affidavit of the agent in charge of Z STREET’s application is here. And you’ll be shocked, shocked to learn that the government completely ignores having asked another organization whether that organization “supports the existence of Israel”, and that organization’s “religious beliefs about the land of Israel.” That doesn’t quite fit into their new defense. Nor, of course, the Constitution.
Every Jew in this country should donate $ 10.00 to ZStreet and then take an appropriate deduction. Then the IRS will have a real auditing job in line with their refusal to grant tax exemption to Z Street.
GrandpaJax,
I caon’t make heads nor tails of the “brief” (which is anything but), but I agree with your “wide brush” theory. I know it to have been at work for several years now in the TSA at airports. Here in Oregon, lumber companies prefer clear-cutting to other logging methods, because it is the easiest way to manage poorly-trained crews and supervisors. That explains the TSA problem as well, and probably applies to the IRS and State Department. Thy’re simply dolts: That’s the most charitable explanation of it all.
I want to say that I am surprised at the IRS response, but I have seen people working with tar and when you spread tar you need a very wide brush or even a mop. Did you expect those idiots to be discerning, discriminating, or in any other way able to sort out the good guys from the bad guys.
In the U.S. Government run schools if two students are caught fighting, usually both are suspended in a “Zero Tolerance” policy. Those are the schools where we train our bureaucrats.
Nothing suprises me about the Obama Administration… My question…. Will the ACLU have the courage to take on this case due to its civil liberties implications?????