Appreciated this article titled Nonconservative Groups Say IRS Scrutinized Them, Too from NPR today. Although it is troubling that either side of the political spectrum might be targeted, this story is much ado about nothing. Considering that it is the job of the IRS to make sure organizations allowed to avoid paying taxes really deserve to avoid paying those taxes, we should be hoping the IRS does a better job investigating tax dodging corporations and individuals.
(thanks/via: NPR)
Solar Impulse Solar Powered Record Flight
The photos are pretty grand and the flight of the Solar Impulse across the US inspirational. We may yet purge fossil fuels from the US although we’ll fight the fossil fuel industries every step of the way.
Solar Impulse, the Solar-Powered Plan, Begins U.S. Expedition from National Geographic.
Watch a video of the plane flying on CNet here.
There are a lot more images on the Solar Impulse site here.
(thanks/via: Coolist)
Oh REALLY?! Memory problems?
(thanks/via: liberalsarecool)
Bahrain: Detained Activists Allege Torture
Since late April, 2013, in separate cases, Bahraini security officials have allegedly tortured a prominent rights activist and a woman arrested for protesting the Formula 1 grand prix race in April, including with electric shocks, and forced them to sign confessions. The allegations emerged two weeks after the Bahraini authorities indefinitely postponed the visit of the United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on torture, Juan Mendez. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry report, issued in November 2011, concluded that five people detained in connection with protests earlier in 2011 had died as a result of torture in custody.
Accusations of bias have flown during both Republican and Democratic administrations. Four days before the 1992 election, for example, Branch Ministries of Binghamton, N.Y. took out full-page advertisements in major newspapers stating that “Bill Clinton is promoting policies that are in rebellion to God’s laws.” The ads were a brazen violation of tax law, which requires 501(c)(3) organizations such as churches to stay out of election politics. Nevertheless, when the IRS moved to revoke the group’s tax status, the church accused the agency of bowing to pressure from the Clinton administration.
During the 2004 presidential campaign, a minister unleashed a diatribe from the pulpit of All Saints Church in Pasadena, Calif., against George W. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq. After the election, the IRS opened an investigation of the 501(c)(3) church. Although All Saints Church ultimately kept its tax-exempt status, leaders claimed the legal defense cost more than $200,000 and openly wondered whether political influence triggered the investigation.
—IRS targeting the Tea Party: A history of tax agency scandals from Slate Magazine
Funny that conservatives didn’t complain about IRS targeting All Saints Church in Pasadena under Bush (note it was not a diatribe, read text here). In retrospect the church’s criticism of fabricated arguments for invading Iraq was insightful and a public service.
More reporting on this issue, The Real IRS Scandal from TIME:
…the IRS does need to crack down on political groups masquerading as social-welfare organizations. Many of the nonprofit groups who claim 501(c)(4) status either flout tax law or flirt with the murky line between electioneering and issue advocacy, all while using their tax-exempt status to conceal their donors…(source)
More on this issue an article titled The Real IRS Scandal from the Los Angeles Times .
Even al-Qaida gloats about what’s possible under U.S. gun laws. In June 2011, a senior al-Qaida operative, Adam Gadahn, released a video message rallying people to take advantage of opportunities those laws provide.
“America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms,” Gadahn says, explaining that “you can go down to a gun show at the local convention center” and buy a gun without a background check.
Then a faint smile crosses Gadahn’s face. “So what are you waiting for?” he asks. (more)
Who DOES the NRA represent? Clearly senior al-Qaida operative, Adam Gadahn thinks the NRA is doing a great job supporting the al-Qaida cause.
(thank/via: liberalsarecool)
More on the pathetic votes by those in Congress who are in the grips of the NRA
The Senate Fails Americans on Gun Bills
My opinion: American needs a different lobby to represent sportsmen and women. The NRA clearly protects the rights of those who kill children not those who use guns legally.
(thanks/via: NYTimes.com)
You MUST read this very powerful letter to the editor from Gabrielle Giffords: A Senate in the Gun Lobby’s Grip
Gabby Giffords is a hero for all of us!
(thanks/via: NYTimes.com)
(thanks/via: NerdWallet, missrep, The Nation)
(via thenationmagazine)
Wow they’ve got some really intelligent (dripping sarcasm here) lawmakers in Tennessee who have found yet another way to take away from the already poor. Considering recent reporting in NY Times:
American students from prosperous backgrounds scored on average 110 points higher on reading tests than disadvantaged students, about the same disparity that exists between the average scores in the United States and Tunisia. It is perhaps the main reason income inequality in the United States is passed down the generations at a much higher rate than in most advanced nations. (source NY Times)
If these lawmakers had read that NY Times article they would have learned that investing in very young children reaps incredible gains.
Research by Mr. Heckman and others confirms that investment in the early education of disadvantaged children pays extremely high returns down the road. It improves not only their cognitive abilities but also crucial behavioral traits like sociability, motivation and self-esteem.
Studies that have followed children through their adult lives confirm enormous payoffs for these investments, whether measured in improved success in college, higher income or even lower incarceration rates.
Which leads one to wonder if Tennessee’s lawmakers are really just shooting themselves in the foot with their efforts to take money away from poor students in their state. Supporting parent education and encouraging parental involvement in education is great but likely the stick won’t work as well as a more progressive approach.
Read more here
PopUpHood is a remarkable concept attempting to revitalize areas of cities by bringing pop-up stores into the area, creating foot traffic and interest to new neighborhoods. They are currently incubating an area in Oakland.
(thanks/via: PopUpHood
