Sen. Kay Hagan (D-odge, NC)

Posted on May 20, 2013 by

Sometimes a few tweets can bring serious matters into focus:

Hey, remember BluePrint NC and America Votes? Hey, look at all the crazy demonstrations going on downtown with all these groups that are buddies with BluePrint and America Votes. It’s all coincidence, I’m sure. It seems Twitter user @LiberalHack hasn’t forgotten and sent out this tweet this morning.

By the way, the link in the tweet goes here: AJ Fletcher Foundation. It’s the little details like that which matter.  To explain a bit, the AJ Fletcher Foundation is founded and run by Jim Goodmon, the owner of Capital Broadcasting group who in turn runs local news outlet WRAL. The AJ Fletcher foundation gave a wad of cash to BluePrint NC (more below).  This is the same WRAL who decided to start a ‘Promise Tracker’ on McCrory, but didn’t have the ‘technology’ do set one up for Bev Perdue:

Note: WRAL responded to my public tweet with a private Direct Message.

The AJ Fletcher Foundation is the same outfit who claimed they had nothing do to with BluePrint NC’s attack memo citing the ‘evisceration’  and ‘crippling’ of the opposition. Even BluePrint NC tried to dodge ownership. Also recall that the AJ Fletcher Foundation gave over $35,000 to BluePrint NC.  Via Civitas:

The WRAL reporter left out the very deep connections WRAL has with BlueprintNC through its owner Jim Goodmon, donations and former employees. The AJ Fletcher Foundation has given $35,000 to BlueprintNC and $380,000 to the NC Justice Center which initially housed BlueprintNC when it was formed (the foundations 990 IRS reports are not current so there may be more) . The Goodmon family which owns WRAL has 4 family members on the board of the Fletcher Foundation including Barbara the President and Jim the chairman of the board. The Executive Director was formerly the head of the NC center for Voter Education, one of the original members of BlueprintNC. In addition Chris Fitzsimon, former WRAL reporter,  is head of the liberal NC Policy Watch, the original lead attack group in the Blueprint coalition. Fitzsimon is also provided free airtime on Goodmon owned WRAL-FM from which he launches daily attacks on political opponents. The Fletcher Foundation has been a long time funder of Policy Watch is now housed in the Justice Center.

Well, America Votes finally owned up to the memo to take the heat off of BluePrint NC, but the damage was already done and there was zero apologies made:

The leader of a political nonprofit group came forward Wednesday as the author of a leaked strategy memo on how to attack Gov. Pat McCrory and Republican leaders.

Jessica Laurenz, the North Carolina director for America Votes, said she wrote and distributed the draft memo – not Blueprint North Carolina, a Raleigh group being blamed for crafting the plan to “eviscerate the (Republican) leadership and weaken their ability to govern.”

In an interview, Laurenz defended the memo saying “America Votes has not done anything wrong or out of the ordinary” and didn’t regret “strongly urging my colleagues to fight for what we believe in.”

The memo, leaked to reporters last week as a document originating from Blueprint, was first reported by The Charlotte Observer – an article which ran in this newspaper. The story was quickly pounced upon by Republicans. McCrory called the memo shameful.” House Speaker Thom Tillis used it as a fundraising appeal. The N.C. Republican Party registered complaints with the Internal Revenue Service and the state elections board, asking both to investigate Blueprint for political activity outside its charitable status.

Who authored the memo is central to any potential inquiry. America Votes is allowed to participate in political efforts as a 501(c)4 nonprofit under federal tax law. But Blueprint North Carolina is limited to issue-advocacy and barred from political campaign activities as a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Both are tax exempt organizations but only donations to 501(c)3 groups are tax-deductible.

Back to Twitter

It looks like BluePrint NC’s talking points memo pal, America Votes, is taking fire and whoops, Senator Kay Hagan is in the mix:

Note: The tweets reference #Memogate, that’s what the BluePrint NC/America Votes memo scandal is being called. Removing the name of the group responsible for the memo make it harder to track down online and confuses people with the ongoing scandal in Pakistan.

Senator Hagan did go on Morning Joe, but talked about sexual assault in the Military. I think she’s a bit smarter than to use the BluePrint/America Votes talking points on national television. Senator stayed out of the conversations having to do with the multiple scandals in Washington right now while on the segment – in fact, she’s stayed out of most of it all together in the last month. Hagan’s concentration for the last four or more months has been on the military in North Carolina and now is speaking about the sexual assaults in the military.

Good for her in bringing attention to that issue, however Hagan has remained nearly silent on the recent IRS scandal where conservative groups were targeted and harassed.  Senator Hagan has called it unacceptable and according to Politico, Hagan had this to say:

“First of all, when you look at this, it’s like when it rains it pours,” said Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), who’s up for reelection next year, about the IRS and Department of Justice stories. “It’s very, very troubling.”

It’s more than troubling, Senator, it’s criminal. Senator Hagan has seemingly shrugged her shoulders and steered clear of the topic likely because the abuse seen in the IRS case also has implications on Obamacare; the IRS has thousands of new agents hired expressly for the implementation of it. Hagan has been a vocal and steadfast proponent of Obamacare and this IRS scandal would put a spotlight on that support heading into her reelection campaign in 2014.

Duck and Dodge? Is that the slogan for 2014? Hagan is good at dodging the big hits:

Perhaps Hagan has been mostly silent because she is too busy pointing fingers at the Koch brothers and “extremist politics” to fund raise. This is from a recent email drive:

We’ve seen what extremist politics looks like lately in North Carolina and it doesn’t bear the name Koch.  Given that the IRS just intimidated and abused over 300 conservative and religious based groups, who is the extremist exactly Senator Hagan?

UPDATE: Whoops.

Related Reading:

LL1885′s past articles on Kay Hagan

LL1885′s past articles on BluePrint NC

Posted in ladyliberty, NC Politics, Scandals, Senate, Senate 2014, The Articles | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Ricin Letters Update: Dutschke Evaded the FBI

Posted on May 19, 2013 by

More information became public on May 17th regarding the case against Ricin letter suspect James Everett Dutschke.  According to documents filed in District Court, the records of three cell phones that belong to Dutschke and his wife are being looked into.  It appears this is in response to the evasive actions taken by Dutschke between April 24 and April 25 to elude the FBI  prior to his arrest on April 27.

In the early hours of the 24th while under surveillance, the FBI observed Dutschke and his wife visiting two separate banks withdrawing cash from both at 3:30 am.  Upon returning to their residence, Dutschke got out of his van and waved to the agents.  However, while the agents moved their vehicles to reposition them, Dutschke had jumped back into his van and left the scene.  His movements and actions were unaccounted for the next 12 hours. The van was later found at Dutschke’s martial arts studio later the next afternoon.

Approximately at 8:00pm on the 24th, Dutschke was observed getting into the truck owned by Kirk Kitchens  – a friend of Dutschke’s. Dutschke crouched in the back seat and, according to WTVA and the Djournal, he then covered himself with blankets.  Kitchens then drove around for two hours taking “evasive routes”, according to court records. The pair drove only 22 miles outside of Tupelo to Kitchens parent’s home near Mantachie.  Agents state that they never saw Dutschke leave that home.  However, according to the Djournal,  “Kitchens helped him slip out the back door, through the woods and to a rendezvous point where someone else picked him up.” His movements until later in the afternoon have yet to be accounted for.

Records indicate that James Dutschke was located in Ashland, Mississippi at 1:45 pm on April 25, some 70 miles away.  It is not known at the present time who drove him to this location.  When Kirk Kitchens was asked about the incident he said, “I just helped him get out of the spotlight,” – Source DJournal.

Where was Dutschke  during this unaccounted for time? Who was the mystery person that he met in the woods?  Could this be the connection to the two sets of DNA that were found on the dust mask?  Updates will be posted as they come in.

Prior Articles on the Ricin Letters:

Posted in Err What?, FBI, Liberty Speaks | Tagged , | 1 Comment

NCGA House Passes Bill Banning Foreign Law

Posted on May 19, 2013 by

In the North Carolina General Assembly this week, HB 695 was passed by a vote of 69-42. The bill is entitled ‘Foreign Laws/Protect Constitutional Rights’.  The long title is ‘An act to protect rights and privileges granted under the United States and North Carolina Constitutions in the application of foreign law’. In short, the bill states that the laws of the United States and North Carolina supersede that of foreign law introduced into the court system. For deeper detail, read the full text of HB 695. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

There was a bit of mocking done regarding this bill by local media and on Twitter. Sharia, Islamic law, was automatically assigned to the bill in coverage of it, even though the term does not appear in the text. It was a reasonable assumption though, since multiple states have passed similar legislation and the target was to block Sharia law. I don’t know that I would have run with that as the title, for example, like Laura Leslie of WRAL did:

Sharia Law ban in House Thursday – By Laura Leslie

Raleigh, N.C. — A bill banning the recognition of Islamic Sharia law in North Carolina is scheduled for a final state House vote Thursday after it won tentative approval late Wednesday night.

The measure is modeled on legislation authored by an outspoken and controversial critic of Islam.

Sponsor Rep. Chris Whitmire, R-Transylvania, said House Bill 695 would protect North Carolinians’ constitutional rights in cases involving “foreign law.”

That’s the wording typically used in anti-Sharia bills after an Oklahoma judge struck down as unconstitutional a similar measure that singled out Sharia by name.

The proposal would apply only in family law and custody cases.

“The most egregious cases have been those concerning custody and divorce. We don’t want it here,” Whitmire said, noting that six other states have passed similar legislation, including Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Tennessee.

“Has this been a problem in North Carolina anywhere?” asked Rep. Paul Luebke, D-Durham.

“Not yet,” Whitmire answered, adding, “we have at least 27 cases in multiple states where it has.”

“You’re acknowledging we don’t have a problem here,” Luebke responded. “I cannot see for the life of me why we need a bill like this.”

Rep. Luebke seemingly would rather wait until we do have a problem? That’s not particularly proactive. One would think that a bill in defense of our Federal and State laws should appeal to everyone. Apparently not. Note that the vote was right down party lines again. Democrats all voted against it. Republicans all voted for it, with few abstaining due to absence.

Leslie then goes on to trash anyone promoting this legislation near the end of the article, which brings me to the biases seen regarding the bill. There were accusations this bill was a waste of time and cast as a Conservative cause with no merit. This bill is far from a waste of time and those casting it as a Conservative cause might need to re-think that a bit after reading this article. The religious landscape of the country has changed in the last decade, with an increase in the number and concentration of people practicing Islam. With the practice of Islam eventually comes the demand for Sharia. (Related: Islamic Infiltration in America. This is a NC related anecdote from 2009.)

First, what is Sharia?

Sharia is an Arabic word meaning “path” or “way.” Sharia is Islamic law – both moral and legal.  Strictly speaking, it is divine law. Yes, it has some innocuous portions to it like hygiene and attire, but as a whole it is not a warm-fuzzy set of life guidelines — especially for women.  It is overall quite oppressive and has a core tenet to it that flies in the face of one of the most important rights we have in the US: Free speech. (Read: Homeland Security guidelines advise deference to pro-Shariah Muslim supremacists)

People mocking those who voice concern over sharia often really have no idea what Sharia truly entails. They believe what is fed to them by the media – it’s harmless religious based law that could never affect our courts. Well it has and it still is in our courts, not just at the state level but the federal level.  (Read: Acts 17 v. City of Dearborn)

Sharia is not yet prevalent in North Carolina courts, but it has been tried. Sharia itself is here in North Carolina and where sharia strengthens, lawsuits, abuse of non-believers and Jihad in some typically follows. (Read: N. Carolina Man Appears to Be Top Editor of Al Qaeda Magazine, U.S. Officials Say  More on Samir Khan.)  Related news stories:

 

A few key points about Sharia:

  • If you are not Muslim, you have no inalienable rights. Non-believer lives are worth less and they must pay a tax in order to live in an Islamic state.
  • No drinking of alcohol. That applies to non-Muslims too in a nation where Sharia is in place, like Egypt.
  • Free speech is not on the menu unless it is favorable to Islam – the hypocrisy is mind-boggling.  In fact, there are strict blasphemy laws.
  • Sharia is not subject to democratic oversight. Religious leaders interpret and decide; their decisions often change.
  • Men are superior to women in all things; money or inheritance, testimony. Read more.
  • Apostasy comes with a death sentence. So does proselytizing.
  • Slavery and sexual slavery are permitted.
  • Child brides are more common than you think. Read more.
  • Homosexuality is punishable by death.

These are just a few highlights and doesn’t even get into Honor Killings. For a comprehensive look at sharia and listing, read Islamic Sharia Law In Brief and/or James M. Arlandson: Thirty Shariah Laws That Are Bad For All Societies

This isn’t Islamophobia driving the legislation to ban foreign law. It is recognizing the disturbing patterns in other countries that have been going on for decades and that have now begun manifesting here in the United States. Heck, it’s not even being hidden that Sharia is the ultimate goal of Muslim immigrants and refugees flocking to countries all over Europe. Take a closer look at Great Britain, which has displayed some very stark examples lately:

But this is in the UK. It can’t possibly happen in the United States. Wrong. Go wander around Dearborn, Michigan with a crucifix and Bible. See what happens.

 

Related Reading and Viewing:

American Family Law and Sharia-Compliant Marriages

The Case for Banning Sharia Law in America

Video: How women are treated under sharia law – The Alicia Gali Story

Video: Videos on Islamic Violence against women (graphic content warning)

Imam Faisal Rauf tells us that the United States Constitution and Sharia are the same; The US is a Sharia compliant state (video) By the way, he spoke right here in Chapel Hill two years ago.

More videos on LL1885′s YouTube Channel

 

Posted in Islam/Sharia Law, Legal Related, NC Politics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

#IRS Scandal: Obama Admin Knew In 2012; Possible Catalyst Letter In 2010

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

BREAKING NEWS: The Obama Administration knew a full five months before the 2012 election that the IRS was targeting Tea Party Groups.  This revelation comes from the New York Times via Breitbart 

June 2012: The Treasury Department’s inspector general told senior Treasury officials in June 2012 he was investigating the Internal Revenue Service’s screening of politically active organizations seeking tax exemptions, disclosing for the first time on Friday that Obama administration officials were aware of the matter during the presidential campaign year.

Incredible. It would seem this administration sat on it during an election year. What would the election have looked like had this information come out? Likely very different.

Could it be possible that the catalyst for the targeting began with the Tea Party organizations in Senator Max Baucus’ Montana?

Montana Shrugged, one such organization, was starting to be quite the “nuisance” to Senator Baucus as early as March of 2010. Mind you, the Citizens United case had just been heard and decided  on two weeks prior to Montana Shrugged holding demonstrations in Montana. Citizens United drew the ire of President Obama, who during the State of the Union, called out the Justices displaying his disapproval with the decision.  Another organization getting under Max Baucus’ skin at this time was American Tradition Partnership, who was working directly with a few Montana Tea Party Organizations.

Bear in mind that Senator Baucus is the Senate Finance Committee Chairman and has taken up the charge to get to the bottom of this scandal. Baucus also sits on the Joint Committee on Taxation. Baucus himself has warned there will be more revelations:

“I have a hunch that a lot more is going to come out, frankly. It’s broader than the current focus. And I think it’s important that we have the hearings, and I think that will encourage other information to come out that has not yet come out. I suspect that we will learn more in the next several days, maybe the next couple three weeks which adds more context to all of this.”

Source: Washington Examiner

Ever hear of the man who was being run out of town? He raced to the front and pretended he was leading a parade. The same analogy might fit here, but time will tell.

Here is a timeline of possible events as they may have unfolded starting with the creation of the Tea Party and ending with the IRS IG report.

April 15, 2009: Tea Party protest

May 2009: Obama jokes about IRS audits in a commencement speech at ASU.

September 2009: Tea Party groups and 9/12 projects start filing for tax exempt status

January 21, 2010: Supreme Court rules on Citizens United case.

March 1 2010 American Tradition Partnership sets up shop in Montana with Baucus in its sites  and continued to do so.

March 2010: Ten Tea Party cases identified as targeted. (TIGTA appendix)

April 29 2010: Max Baucus gives a press release regarding new campaign finance reform titled the Disclose act which was drafted in direct response to the Citizens United decision.  The press release mirrors the wording the President used in the State of the Union Address on January 27.  ““I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities.”  Its co-sponsors were Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Al Franken (D-MN).

August 27 2010: Austen Goolsbee lets it slip that he has access to Koch Brothers Tax structure

September 23 2010: A letter is sent to  J. Russell George Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration regarding the possible  illegal accessing  and disclosure of  confidential taxpayer information specifically the tax structure of Koch Industries, Inc

September 28 2010:  J. Russell George Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration sends a letter acknowledging receipt of Senator Grassley’s letter  regarding the possible accessing of tax information of the Koch Brothers.  A review had been ordered however, the letter ended with

“As you are aware, there are certain constraints on my ability to share information from our review with you in the absence of a request from the Chairman of the Committee on Finance.”
(Max Baucus)

September 28th 2010: Sen. Max Baucus sends letter to Commissioner of the IRS, Doug Shulman. The letter asks for the IRS to look into 501(c)(4), (c)(5) and (c)(6) groups.

October 6, 2010: NY Times article, ‘Republicans see a political motive in IRS audits‘. The article describes Republican charges that a Senior Obama official inappropriately accessed the tax records of Koch Industries. It also mentions Republicans are upset over an audit proposed by Senator Max Baucus into the activities of tax exempt groups.

October 6th, 2010: Republicans respond to the Baucus letter.

March 12, 2012: 7 Democrat Senators – Schumer, Bennett, Whitehouse, Merkley, Udall, Shaheen, Franken – send letter to Commissioner of the IRS Doug Shulman. Letter stated they want the IRS to look specifically into Conservative ‘social welfare groups’ and 501(c)3′s.

June 2012: Obama administration has knowledge of IRS inappropriately targeting conservative groups. Remember: President Obama said he just heard this news last Friday.

June 18, 2012: Senator Max Baucus visits the White House. All details of the visit are missing from the White House Visitor Logs.

April 23, 2013: Senator Baucus announces retirement. Baucus claims personal and not political reasons.

May 14, 2013: IG report comes out. Note: On page 43, there is a letter from Joseph Grant thanking the Inspector General for giving him a copy of the IG’s draft report in advance of it being published. The received stamp on the letter is April, 30th. That is just one week after Senator Baucus announced his retirement. It is entirely possible as a member of the Ways and Means committee that the Senator was privy to this advanced report.

May 10, 2013: Unsolicted ‘apology‘ comes out of the IRS for targeting Conservatives.

May 15, 2013: Steve Miller resigns as Acting Director of IRS. Miller was set to depart in June anyway.

May 16, 2013: Joseph Grant announced retirement from Tax Exempt and Government Entities division of the IRS.

May 17, 2013: Steve Miller testifies in front of the Ways and Means committee.  Miller’s overall theme in answers in this testimony is ‘I don’t know who is responsible’.

* This post was co-written by LadyLiberty1885 and Liberty Speaks

UPDATE: Thank you to Conservatives 4 Palin for linking.

Posted in Campaign 2012, Elections, Government, IRS, ladyliberty, Legal Related, Liberty Speaks, Tea Party | Tagged , | 2 Comments