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Good news from Houston last week: The Tea Party chapter there received its tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. Never mind that it applied for that status in 2014 thank you Lois Lerner and the rest of the crowd in the IRS which stifled the Tea Partys free speech. But I am sure the tax problems associated with the Tea Party have been ironed out and the newest political activist group, the Indivisibles, will find the road much smoother now.

On July 15, the local Indivisibles group held a rally in Smithville, which by all accounts was very successful. There was good attendance, notable Democrat speakers and lots of red meat thrown around. You know, things like gun control, health care, and making the rich pay for it. They were pumped and looking forward to taking on Republicans in future Texas elections.

But there are several important differences between the previous success of the Tea Party and what the Indivisibles are now doing.

The Tea Party bucked the establishment. It did not just need to help beat Democrats, it also had to fight establishment Republicans, many of whom were challenged during Primary elections by Tea Party-supported candidates. Republican establishment people absolutely hate conservatives pushing the party to the right and away from the soft, slushy left-center where living is easy.

Another problem for the Tea Party is the negative press that President Donald Trump is receiving. With some news outlets aggressive negative coverage toward the president, there just isnt any room for Tea Party voices to be heard. At the same time the press coverage of anarchist-like riots has not been condemnation like it should be. Really, burning cars and destroying shops are supposed to be legitimate statements? Do you ever wonder why that sort of civil disorder seldom happens in Second Amendment-supporting states like Texas? Draw a logical conclusion.

Finally, the third obstacle is what we are now calling the Deep State. The bureaucrats in federal government are indeed deeply entrenched and are becoming more brazen in their own fight to maintain control. The most obvious manifestation of this are the almost-daily leaks of sometimes classified information to the press. The information is always meant to put the Trump administration in a bad light. Remember the IRS tax-exempt issue in the first paragraph? Its that, too.

We do not see the Tea Party receiving establishment money. Certainly, there are big name conservative donors who have contributed to the Tea Party, but the funding pales in comparison to the shadow groups helping the Indivisibles run their machine. George Soros, noted financier and convicted felon is known to do his part to cause left-wing mischief.

Locally, look at the difference in party activities. The Democrats are making things happen while the Republican Party Executive Committee is making endless changes to its bylaws and wasting precious time. There will be much more on that in future columns.

The push is to make Texas blue within three election cycles at a minimum. Demographically, the inertia is with the Democrats, but it is not a sure thing. If Republicans dont get their act together and see the big picture, things will not go well for them, even here in Bastrop County. Time to wake up.

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Commentary: The betrayal of the Tea Party and rise of the Indivisibles - Austin American-Statesman

Staff

As summer winds down and families prepare for the new school year, Historic Johnson Farm celebrates the last of summer fun with two long-standing events.

The LEGO Blast Competition will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 3 and is open to rising second- through sixth-grade students.

Student entries are $5; spectators get in free and are encouraged.

The Teddy Bear Tea Party is recommended for a younger audience, 3- to 9-year-olds, and will be held from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Aug. 10.

The LEGO Blast competition has been running for a number of years with varying themes for each event. This year the theme is Habitats. Students are invited to create an original design (no kits please) of a habitat fit for LEGO men and creatures. The habitat can be indoors, outdoors or even out in space.

Student creations will be judged on creativity and originality, use of color and interpretation of the theme.

Each student should bring their own LEGOs to build with. No LEGOs will be provided by Johnson Farm.

Students will have about 45 minutes to an hour to construct their creation on the day of the event. No pre-constructed pieces should be brought from home.

During the judging period kids are invited to play games, enjoy refreshments and have their photo taken as their favorite LEGO character. A first-place prize will be awarded for each age group and certificates will be presented to all students.

The annual Teddy Bear Tea Party will feature tea time, snacks, games, stories and a photo booth for both kids and their favorite teddy bear friend. Tea will begin promptly at 10:30 a.m. and participants are asked to arrive no later than 10:20 a.m. so no part of the program is missed.

RSVP to either event by calling Johnson Farm at 828-891-6585 or visiting historicjohnsonfarm.org.

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LEGO Blast Competition, Teddy Bear Tea Party return - BlueRidgeNow.com

COOS BAY, Ore. -- Southwestern Oregon Community College is hosting a Boston Tea Party this weekend in support of the Upward Bound program.

The program is designed to help students overcome economic, social, and educational barriers to get them to college.

The fundraiser will be in the Empire Hall lobby at SWOCC and will offer tea, games and prizes.

One Upward Bound student we talked to from North Bend High has spent three years in the program.

"A lot of kids don't have the opportunity to go to college these days so it's very important that kids who don't have that opportunity can get involved in programs and have the ability to go and pursue this higher education because a lot of kids don't know what it takes to get into college, and it helps set them up for better success in their future," said Upward Bound student Carlie Paquette.

The fundraiser is this Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the lobby of Empire Hall at SWOCC.

All money raised will be used for education experiences and opportunities through Upward Bound.

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Upward Bound program hosts 'Boston Tea Party' at SWOCC - KCBY.com 11

The IRS said Tuesday it has reached an agreement on guidelines for how to determine whether the Texas Patriots Tea Party should be granted nonprofit status, the Washington Times reported.

The agreement -- roughly eight years in the making -- does not guarantee the conservative groups nonprofit application will be approved or declined.

The group, known as TPTP, will have to answer questions about political candidates and educational speakers invited to events. But the IRS said the words tea party will not factor in its decision, nor will the political beliefs of the individuals in the organization.

In 2015, a bipartisan review from the U.S. Senates Finance Committee found management flaws at the IRS contributed to a dysfunctional culture that allowed agents to mistreat conservative groups when they applied for tax-exempt status.

The American Center for Law and Justice filed a lawsuit in 2012 against the IRS on behalf of the Albuquerque Tea Party in New Mexico and other conservative groups whose requests for tax-exempt status seemed to be put on hold during the Obama administration.

The Albuquerque group recently received tax-exempt status.

This does provide a path forward for TPTP, Edward Greim, a lawyer representing the group, as well as hundreds of other tea party organizations that have banded together in a class-action lawsuit against the IRS told the Times. We will be watching the IRS closely to ensure that TPTP does in fact receive fair processing.

Between 2009 and 2013, about 500 mostly conservative groups that filed for tax-exempt status found their applications under strict scrutiny by the IRS based on their assumed political affiliation, reported the Times. They were even singled out if the organizations used the words such as tea party or patriots, according to investigators.

Kevin Brady, the House Ways and Means Committee chairman, asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to re-open the investigation into Lois Lerner for her alleged role in targeting conservative groups who applied for tax-exempt status. Lerner headed the division that processes applications for tax-exempt status at the time and has since retired.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice cleared Lerner of any charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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IRS OKs parameters for Texas tea party case - Fox News

Deputy Constable Mark Diebolds new profile picture on Facebook is sure to melt your heart.

It shows the uniformed Texas police officer, looking like a big, friendly giant as he perches on a tiny white chair, enjoying a tiny tea party with a tiny toddler also dressed in blue.

The toddler is Evelyn Hall, a child whom the Tarrant County cop helped deliver at a Texas gas station a year ago, after her mom went into labor while en route to the hospital.

Evelyn celebrated her first birthday party earlier this month and the tea party photoshoot with Diebold was a special part of the celebration an adorable memorialization of the bond between the toddler and the stranger who brought her into the world.

She loved clinking her little tea cup with him, mom Destiny Hall told ABC News of the shoot, whichTexas photographer Cyndi Williamsphotographed. They had a bonding moment there for sure.

Mark Diebold, without a doubt, is one of the most genuine, loving, thoughtful and caring [people] we have ever met, the mom continued. He is quick to think of others and we are so blessed to call him friend and family.

Diebold had been on his way to work on July 18 last year when a car hurtled past him, driving over the speed limit. He told TODAY that he flashed his lights to alert the driver that he was going too fast.

At the next traffic light, the driver Destinys Halls husband, Caleb Hall rolled down his window and explained to Deibold the reason for the speed.

His wifes water just broke, Caleb Hall said. She was about to have a baby.

Minutes later, parked at a gas station, Deibold helped Destiny Hall deliver her baby.Caleb Hall caught the infant and Diebold helped clear the newborns airway.

Mark was like a little kid in a candy shop, high-fiving and celebrating with us! Destiny Hall recalled in an interview with HuffPost last year. He just couldnt stop smiling and was telling us that we just made his month. It was such a wild, weird and wonderful experience.

Local photographer Williams heard was so moved by Evelyns incredible birth story,she reached out to the Hall family to offer them a complimentary newborn session.

As a nod to Diebolds kindness, the family chose to pose the baby with the officers badge and uniform for the shoot.

It was amazing, Diebold told ABC News of the photos. It was heartfelt and it was a big deal. That photo shoot reminded me that [police work] is what I need to keep doing until its my time to stop.

Cyndi Williams Photography

After the recent birthday photo shoot, Williams expressed her amazement at the bond between Diebold and the Hall family.

The officer visited Destiny and Evelyn in the hospital after the birth. And hes stayed in touch with the family ever since.

Officer Diebold, and the Hall family have remained in close contact, the photographer wrote on Facebook. The Hall children even refer to Officer Diebold as Uncle Mark!

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Kind Cop Attends Tiny Tea Party To Celebrate 1st Birthday Of Baby ... - HuffPost