The Time to Stop It is Now

“Stalin is a genius! Stalin is a god! Long live Comrade Stalin!” This is what the Russian populace cried out during the time of the dictator. It was necessary for them to do so in order to live in safety; anyone not crying out such slogans was suspected of subversion and “anti-Soviet behavior”. Anti-Soviet behavior was punishable, sometimes by death. The punishment was usually being consigned to slave labor in a gulag. We may soon have to dust off these old chants and modernize them to avoid America’s version of the gulag. The new secret police in our country is now the Internal Revenue Service and the gulag is the time-consuming, agonizing, punitive audit, called by some “the audit from Hell”. You better not disagree with Washington’s agenda or the IRS will getcha! And you will be punished; no, you won’t be put to death, you will just wish you had been. An IRS audit is unwelcome and intimidating. It is a form of harassment to groups that have done nothing wrong, intended to silence them. USA Today, in a September 18, 2013 story by Gregory Korte, reports that “Newly uncovered IRS documents show the agency flagged political groups based on the content of their literature, raising concerns specifically about ‘anti-Obama rhetoric’, inflammatory language and ‘emotional’ statements made by non-profits seeking tax-exempt status.” The italics are mine. And yes, I am concerned about those “emotional” statements as characterized by Internal Revenue documents. “Emotional”? What does that mean? I think I know and will give you the translation later. It isn’t just groups seeking tax-exempt status. It is also outstanding Christian groups with impeccable accounting standards that have had tax-exempt status for years. The IRS is terrorizing groups with audits or threats of audit for the simple reason of promoting Christian morality in the public discourse. That is too “emotional”. Franklin Graham, President of two large Christian organizations, writes in Decision (July 1, 2013) that the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse had received identical letters on the same day notifying them that the IRS was coming after them. Never before had they been threatened with an audit. Never had either been audited. As expected, the results were that both organizations were “affirmed” as charitable organizations. The audit was announced on September 6 and was concluded “shortly after the election.” Franklin Graham tells us, “This (audit) was not so much about taxes…as it was about Christian morals and biblical standards. A few months earlier, the BGEA purchased ads in North Carolina newspapers, where my father spoke out in favor of the state’s proposed Marriage Amendment. That offended some powerful people.” Gosh, I wonder who? The Internal Revenue document targeting groups that have used “anti-Obama rhetoric” serves as a strong hint as to who these powerful people are. The Internal Revenue Service is a legitimate government agency that has as its purpose the collecting of revenue. It is not supposed to be the secret police for any President or administration. It is time for this harassment to stop. Today it is groups that oppose this administration’s public policy that are being persecuted by IRS. In reality, the freedoms of speech and press are being attacked, not just political opposition. Tomorrow it will be individuals. You may think, “It is okay because I agree with this President’s public policy.” But you may not agree with the next one. If this President gets away with using the IRS for political enforcement, you think another won’t try? Then what? Will you simply begin thinking and reciting slogans like, “Stalin is a god!” and go along to avoid being harassed by the IRS? Martin Niemoller (1892-1984) was a noted German Protestant pastor who survived the Second World War. He initially supported Nazism, but emerged by 1938 as a publicly outspoken foe of Hitler. He spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in a concentration camp. He chose not to say “Heil Hitler”. Persecution followed. He is also the one who wrote, “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I did not speak out, because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.” Now is the time for you to speak. This persecution of groups like Samaritan’s Purse and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association needs to stop. Otherwise, it will get worse. These groups are doing exactly what they are supposed to do: representing their values in a free society. Contact your representative and senators in Washington. Tell them to make sure the Internal Revenue Service does its job in collecting revenue, and does not serve as any politician’s secret police. Audit where there is suspicion of fraud, but not on the basis of “anti-Obama rhetoric” and “emotional” (translation: moral) statements”. Help keep the freedoms of speech and the press. The time to stop it is now. Otherwise, America will not remain free.

Let’s Help These Refugees Today As this is written, President Obama has decided to seek Congressional approval for a military strike on Syria. The presumption is that the ruling Assad regime has used WMD (weapons of mass destruction) on the civilian population. Our Secretary of State, John Kerry, has accused the regime of using chemical weapons to asphyxiate citizens. In a recent poll done on line by a newspaper, 78% of respondents oppose the President using the military to “send a message” to Syria, while 21% support it. Speaker of the House Boehner supports action as does Minority Leader Pelosi. By the time you read this column, the decision may have already been decided. There is a side to this cruel episode that needs to be revealed. It concerns the Syrian refugees. Those people who have lost everything as a result of this civil war. In Jordan sits the second largest refugee camp, Za’atari. David Remnick writes in New Yorker, “In Za’atari, the dispossession is absolute. Everyone has lost his country, his home, his equilibrium.” He then proceeds to describe how this camp of 120,000 residents has become a city, with entrepreneurs establishing pizza shops, small appliance stores and more. It is now the fourth largest population center in Jordan, but run by several gangs. Since July 2012, when the camp opened, about 2000 babies have been born with 70 being born weekly. On the other side of Syria is Iraq, where 50,000 Syrian refugees have fled since the middle of August – just three weeks ago. They have fled into the Kurdish area of Iraq where a Christian presence is found. This was the area, in case you forget, where Saddam Hussein had gassed the residents because they resisted his dictatorship. There are thousands more Syrians at the border, waiting to cross into Iraq. It is here that an American Christian organization called Samaritan’s Purse is working with local Christians to help these refugees. This non-profit organization has delivered rice, sugar, lentils, chickpeas, bottles of cooking oil, thousands of baby diapers, baby food and thousands of shoes to the dispossessed Syrians. The local Christians, called “ministry partners” are doing what they can to provide humanitarian assistance in the name of Christ. The point is: Christ is being glorified and proclaimed to these refugees. One testimony is that of a refugee who shared that he left Syria when militants threatened to kill him, his wife and their six children. They are hoping to return to Syria eventually, but not until the situation stabilizes. They are grateful for the assistance received. Perhaps you would like to assist this organization in helping these refugees. Not only are they being helped with immediate needs, like food and shelter. They are told that the love of God is at work through these provisions. Unlike the deity they have learned through Islam, the LORD cares about people and has showed it in history through Jesus Christ and His followers. Franklin Graham, director of Samaritan’s Purse, has written “Please pray that God will be glorified as we help meet the needs of the refugees, for peace in Syria, and for those suffering the horror of being caught in the middle of brutal conflict.” To learn more about this topic or Samaritan’s Purse, or to make a much appreciated donation, please go to the web site http://samaritanspurse.org Let’s help these refugees today!