The IRS Carpet Bombs Z Street ...

... regrettably one fatality - The U.S. Constitution, and no, it's not the old sailing ship.

So, let's start at the beginning - my liberal friends are quick to deny the fact of the weaponization of the Internal Revenue Service by claiming (wrongly) that progressive organizations were targeted by Lois Lerner's hit squad in roughly equivalent numbers to the Tea Partiers.   Great defense - persons of all political stripes had their constitutional rights trampled upon, so "move along, nothing to see here."

That canard put to bed, we can now turn to the ongoing federal lawsuit, Z Street vs. Koskinan. (See WSJ Editorial, May 7th).  Incredibly as this litigation demonstrates, despite cries of "Never Again", Jews are being targeted by the Government of a major western nation in the 21st Century.

Truth be told, Z Street, a pro-Israel educational organization, was selected for a "special review" in the processing of its 501(c)(4) tax exempt application years before the Tea Party was anything other than a humorous historical footnote to our War of Independence.  When asked in 2010 the reason for the long delay in deciding its exemption application, the IRS agent purportedly stated that management had directed the Charitable Organization Division to "slow walk" all Israel related applications based exclusively upon their national policy advocacy (otherwise known as exercise of free speech rights).

At oral argument before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals this week, the three Judge panel was absolutely incredulous that the DOJ could contend that the IRS can constitutionally harass any charitable entity because of that group's foreign (or domestic) policy advocacy, when these views are out of favor with the Chief Executive sitting in the White House.

Remember my liberal friends, that tyrant, Richard Nixon, was voted for impeachment by a House of Representative Committee based upon White House overtures to the IRS seeking adverse tax rulings against opponents of his Administration.  Those 1960's requests were advanced in subtle fashion, such that the IRS rebuffed them immediately and completely.  Nonetheless, this Tricky Dick attempt to use the IRS to harass his "enemies"  was deemed so egregious that it warranted his removal from office.

Accordingly, what say you now - you Champions of civil liberties - when the current White House has successfully and repeatedly misused the IRS to harass both Conservatives and Jews?  Who do they have to come after before you will care?  Know well: Z Street is not a fictional nightmare on Elm Street.  It embodies the tyranny of the weaponization of the IRS, all too capable of crushing freedom on every street in America.