Thread: IRS asked to review Americans United for liberal agenda

LAW OF THE LAND

IRS asked to review Americans United

'Group has become façade for liberal agenda, Democratic Party'

Posted: June 01, 2009
10:13 pm Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

The Internal Revenue Service is being asked to investigate the tax-exempt status of Americans United for Separation of Church and State because of its political activities, the same charge AU has leveled against a large number of church ministries and Christian organizations over the years.

Today's letter from Liberty Council alleges the organization's actions "violate the same tax-exempt laws it pretends to uphold and the group has become merely a façade for a liberal agenda and the Democratic Party."

"This group has crossed the line one too many times," the letter from the public interest law firm said, "The IRS needs to put a stop to AU's partisan intimidation tactics."

Americans United is famous for filing demands with the IRS to investigate conservative organizations and ministries, including a recent letter seeking an investigation of Liberty University for allegedly banning the student Democrat club.

"AU cited inaccurate hearsay misstatements contained in some media reports," the law firm said. "Had AU read the statements from Liberty University and the subsequent corrected media reports, it would have known the statements AU made to the IRS and to the media were false," the complaint letter to the IRS said.

The Liberty Counsel letter to IRS Commissioner Sarah Ingram said, "AU is not concerned with the truth. It is only concerned with getting its name in the media. Its statements are designed to intimidate, silence, and harm those with whom it disagrees.

"AU's activity is both reckless and partisan. It is reckless because AU never investigates the accuracy of its alleged complaints. Its pattern of reckless disregard of the truth, coupled with its malicious intent to injure those with whom AU disagrees is patently obvious," the letter said.

Liberty Counsel said Americans United is violating "the same tax-exempt laws it pretends to uphold."

In a statement posted on the organizations website, Americans United said the complaint is "groundless."

"This is a desperate diversionary tactic, and it will fail," said Barry W. Lynn, Americans United's executive director.

He said his organization had complained about Liberty University for withdrawing "official recognition" for a student Democrat club while continuing official status for a Republican club.

But the Liberty Counsel letter said that wasn't so.

"Contrary to the AU allegation, Liberty University has not banned the student Democrat club and never said one cannot be a Christian and a Democrat," the law firm said. "The Democrat club has never been banned. It can still meet on campus.

"Liberty University will not officially recognize (through use of its name or its funds) any student group, political or otherwise, that supports abortion or same-sex marriage in contravention to the core values and mission of the university. Such a position has nothing to do with political groups," the law firm said.

While making allegedly unfounded complaints about Christian organizations, the complaint letter said, Americans United has remained silent about other cases, "despite its knowledge of partisan activity carried on by more left leaning nonprofit organizations."

"AU has essentially become an arm of the Democratic Party," the letter. "Churches or nonprofit organizations having anything to do with conservative causes or Republican policies or candidates are targeted by AU. But churches or nonprofit organizations having anything to do with liberal or Democratic policies or candidates go unnoticed.

"We respectfully request that you take immediate action to: (1) enjoin AU from continuing its intolerable waste of tax dollars through its barrage of unwarranted IRS complaints and subsequent investigations; (2) enjoin AU from continuing its abusive attacks and selective harassment of conservative churches, groups and related organizations; (3) enjoin AU from continuing its campaign of misrepresentation to the public of the political climate in relation to the conservative church and related groups; and (4) investigate the partisan pattern of filing complaints and the partisan activities of AU to determine whether such abuses represent illegal activities that jeopardize its current tax-exempt 501(c)(3) incorporation," Liberty Counsel said.

For example, Americans United complained when a California pastor – as an individual – endorsed a political candidate. But it did not raise the issue when Democratic operatives and candidates delivered multiple political speeches in churches, Liberty Counsel said. Sen. Hillary Clinton, for example, spoke at Greater Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis last year, and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, spoke at Brookins Community A.M.E. church in California.

Similarly, President Obama "unashamedly politicked" from a church pulpit and "AU took no action: no press releases and no requests for a formal investigation by the IRS," the letter said.

A similar complaint was filed some months earlier by the Houston Area Pastor Council against Americans United.

"By sending [a] complaint letter [about a Texas pastor] on March 6, 2008, we believe AU was intervening in a campaign by intentionally attempting to chill the speech of a supporter of a candidate in an effort to both chill the pastor and harm the candidate's campaign," said a letter to the IRS said. "That is in direct violation of the IRS's prohibition on non-profits intervening in political campaigns."

The Americans United organization is incorporated in the U.S. under the IRS's 501(c)(3) nonprofit tax status, the same as most churches and religious institutions.

WND also reported when Internet evangelist Bill Keller suggested Lynn report his own denomination, the United Church of Christ, to the IRS.

Keller, who operates LivePrayer.com, says the suggestion follows the decision by the tax-exempt UCC to open the podium of its general synod meetings to then-candidate Obama.

While in the podium, Obama lambasted the "religious right" for "hijacking" Christianity.

"Faith got hijacked partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian right, who've been all too eager to exploit what divides us," he said.

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php? ... geId=99837

So now the shoe is on the other foot!

The churches' leaders have been in the business of aiding and abetting illegal immigrants, too. If the churches break or promote breaking immigration laws they are committing a crime. And in my opinion the churches have decided to get into nation building for self-interest.