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Congratulations to The Roanoke Times for it's May 11 edirorial entitled "Shameful," the coverage of the recent Moneta town-hall meeting of Rep. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham Co. I gather the meeting was best described in the partial sentence, "many members of the audience who repeatedly interrupted Garrett to boo, jeer, heckle and generally try to disrupt the proceedings."

The thought immediately came to me, "we reap what we sow." To this observer of the passing scene, I believe such behavior at these meetings can be laid at the feet of Tea Partiers from about four or five years ago. From memory, such persons had a legitimate fear concerning the national debt. They became very forceful and vocal at town hall meetings. But their rudeness and impoliteness was soon brushed aside by the radicals of their persuasion. (In political circles, it's near impossible for moderates not to be pushed aside by radicals -- of whatever party.) And repeating the newspaper's rhetorical question "This is good for democracy how?" We used to say, "I went to a brawl, and a hockey match broke out." Now we just substitute the words "town hall meeting" for "hockey match." Disgusting!

Allied to this behavior we now have the Bully-in-Chief in the White House (occasionally). Excuse my pessimism, but I'm not convinced we will still have a democracy by year 2020, How many years did it take for Adolf Hitler to rise from legitimately chosen Chancellor of Germany to Der Fuehrer?

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Williamson: Blame the Tea Party for rudeness - Roanoke Times

Lois G. Lerner and Holly Paz, two key figures in the IRS tea party-targeting, can keep testimony about their role in the targeting secret, at least for now, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

The two women had said they feared death threats and other harassment if their depositions in a class action lawsuit against the IRS became public.

U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett had originally ordered their depositions be sealed, but on Thursday he removed that prohibition and instead said the testimony should be deemed confidential, keeping it secret until he can see what the women had to say and what effect releasing it to the public would have.

He said the parties in the case can eventually ask to make the information public, and at that point the burden will be on Ms. Lerner and Ms. Paz to explain why it should be kept secret.

Good cause exists to maintain the confidentiality of the depositions during the discovery phase, Judge Barrett ruled.

For now, only the lengthy list of lawyers involved in the case will be allowed to see the deposition testimony.

In a case already fraught with tension, the womens request for secrecy added a new dimension.

Im outraged, said Mark Meckler, president of Citizens for Self-Governance and co-founder of Tea Party Patriots.

Mr. Mecklers group is funding a class action lawsuit against the IRS for its targeting, and hundreds of organizations snared in the targeting are part of the case. They want to talk to Ms. Lerner and Ms. Paz as part of their effort to get to the bottom of what went on.

What shes claiming is the public should have no right to know, if theyre made at a public official, what that official says under oath, Mr. Meckler said.

He also said Judge Barrett got Thursdays ruling wrong. He said the judge should have said his plan is for transparency, leaving open the chance for limited parts to be kept secret if need be.

I think he got it backwards, Mr. Meckler said.

More than 400 groups were on the list of nonprofit organizations the IRS said it subjected to intrusive scrutiny up through 2013. It singled groups out because of worries about perceived political activities.

The targeting came to light in May 2013 after Ms. Lerner, knowing a scathing inspector generals report was coming, staged a question at a conference to get her version of events out to the public first.

The Obama Justice Department conducted a criminal investigation but cleared Ms. Lerner and other employees, saying while the IRS showed incompetent management, it did not show an intent to deny applicants their rights. The Justice Department singled Ms. Lerner out for praise, saying she was one of the first to conclude the behavior was inappropriate and took steps to clean up the mess.

Lawyers for Ms. Lerner and Ms. Paz didnt respond to requests for comment. Neither did the lawyer representing the class of targeted groups.

Judge Barrett had originally scheduled a closed-door hearing for Friday to let lawyers for Ms. Lerner and Ms. Paz argue the need for secrecy.

The Cincinnati Enquirer this week filed a motion to force open the proceedings, saying the press has a right to observe the arguments unless theres a clear and present danger, or a serious or imminent threat to a fair trial.

The papers lawyers said Ms. Lerner and Ms. Paz havent proved either of those conditions.

On Thursday Judge Barrett canceled the secrecy hearing, saying it was moot now.

Read more from the original source:
Lois Lerner's tea party-targeting testimony can stay secret: Judge - Washington Times

Taxes among discussion topics planned for Beaufort TEA Party meeting Island Packet Local property tax increase proposals and national voting issues will be discussion topics at an upcoming meeting of the Beaufort TEA Party. The meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Monday at Fuji's Restaurant, 97 Sea Island Parkway, Lady's Island, according ...

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Taxes among discussion topics planned for Beaufort TEA Party meeting - Island Packet

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This is an all out assault on our Republic by the media, Joe Dugan, Founder and Executive Producer of the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention, tells Breitbart News. He added:

What started as pathetic partisan pouting when the totally biased press, pundits and prognosticators failed, so miserably, to forecast the election results and comprehend how absolutely fed up the American voters truly are with corruption in the swamp. Now that they have taken it to an even higher level, affecting foreign opinions and possible dangerous violations of our national security by the media, criminal prosecution may be warranted.

The whole liberal press and insider leaks thing with President Trump is absurd and disgusting. It is so obvious that the D.C. swamp rats are working overtime to tarnish this great man, long-time Montana Tea Party activist Eric Olsen tells Breitbart News.

The constant drumbeat of leaks and innuendo by the press, including the supposed memo from Comey reported on by the New York Times, suggests a far more sinister problem in our government, Mark Skoda, a long-time Tennessee Tea Party activist and Chairman and Founder of the America First Federation tells Breitbart News, adding:

First, had Comey indeed believed Trump was attempting to obstruct justice, he should have reported it and directly taken action through the Justice Department. Secondly, as he had not done so, as indicated by colleagues within the FBI who leaked the memo, Comey himself may have committed a crime. Third, the continued leaks out of the White House by existing and former staff reflect a real problem with the deep state. One that can only be dealt with by Trump terminating every political appointee and taking bold actions around his agenda.

On March 4, Skoda organized a rally in Nashville supporting President Trump, the largest among dozens of Spirit of America rallies held around the country that day.

Tom Zawistowski, Executive Director of Portage County TEA Party in Ohio tells Breitbart News:

The vast majority of working class Americans, on both sides of the political spectrum, thought Comey should have been fired long ago for not treating Hillary Clinton the way the FBI would have treated each of us. Were not stupid. We understand that it is Comey who committed a crime if he did not report immediately if Trump asked him not to investigate Flynn.

We understand that it is the media and the DC Insiders who committed a crime when they disclosed the name of the city where or ISIS informant is located when Trump didnt even have that information, Zawistoski said, adding:

This charade in Washington with demands for investigations, and even special prosecutors, with no evidence, while at the same time ignoring provable federal crimes like unmasking US citizens for political reasons and leaking classified information to the media only proves their lack of credibility. So why pay attention? No one believes a word of what the media says or what any Democrat says. It is simply all made up with one goal and that is to undermine our election process and bring down our federal government. Now that is the crime we would like to see Congress and the FBI investigating.

These same media minions didnt hyperventilate when Obama was caught promising flexibility on a hot mic. They ignored it, one long-time Tea Party activist tells Breitbart News. He went on:

Comey is simply a disgruntled former government employee trying to be a hero for his Democrat buddies, and most likely looking for a book deal. If he was so concerned about alleged POTUS pressure to stop the investigation he should have brought it to Congress after dinner. I guess he never shared this little tidbit with his Deputy, McCabe. He continues to prove to the American people he has no credibility.

Dan Schultz an attorney, Tea Party activist, and long-time Arizona Republican Party precinct committeeman tells Breitbart News:

I try not to waste my time on fake news peddled by fake American fake reporters. Conservative Republicans can better use their time and energy helping President Trump achieve his political goals by filling up, with their warm bodies, the approximately two hundred thousand vacant Republican Party precinct committeeman positions within the Partys governing apparatus.

The Tea Party activists had a great deal more to tell Breitbart News about how the media, the Democratic party, and the Deep State bureaucrats are trying to bring down the duly elected President of the United States through means that are clearly undemocratic.

The shock of President Trumps election victory by everyday Americans so blindsided the press that they threw any loyalty to truth and long lost standards of journalism out the window. They then resorted to publishing any and all uncorroborated allegations that they deemed could cast the President in an unfavorable light, South Carolinas Dugan says, adding:

The lack of respect and even civility, towards the President of the United States might be excused if it were from a sworn enemy bent on the destruction of our nation, but is totally inexcusable, contemptible and unforgivable from a free press that has some obligation to veracity along with that freedom.

Journalism, for the most part has died in this country and I fail to see why, going forward, the President has any obligation to even speak to the propaganda machine that has replaced it. I believe President Trump should speak directly to the American people, on a regular basis and let them choose whether to believe their own ears or the agenda of someone who happens to voice personal opinions of what the President said.

As for myself, I shall turn on the media only to hear our duly elected Commander-In-Chief and then turn it off, to form my own opinions, when he is finished. Those authors who have the character and honesty to report the truth will continue to hold an audience while those who try to sell opinion as fact, will not.

The American press and its Progressive allies, that have participated in this charade of distortion and deception, have lost the trust and credibility of the voting public.

As Founder of Montana Shrugged and Montana President of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles, I am worried for America and its Founding Principles given to us in our Constitution. Every day false news reports and leaks hound our duly elected President Trump. These distractions keep him from continuing his work on behalf to the citizens of the United States, Montanas Olsen tells Breitbart News.

This dangerous game by the media needs to end. The people of the United States deserve better, Olsen concludes.

President Trump needs to go to the people through Twitter and rallies as well as prime time addresses and ignore the press. The nation is split and the left has shown its propensity to use lies, violence and anarchy to negate the will of the people through the 2016 election, America First Federations Skoda says.

I believe President Trump recognizes this and he should know we have his back. Comeys firing was long overdue, the Russians didnt hack the election and the main stream media is indeed the enemy of the people, Skoda concludes.

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Tea Party Activists: Media Attacks on President Trump 'An All Out Assault on Our Republic' - Breitbart News

USA Today Network Dan Horn, The Cincinnati Enquirer Published 11:07 p.m. ET May 16, 2017 | Updated 11:07 p.m. ET May 16, 2017

A judge has ruled that there was a 'strong showing' the IRS had a bias against Tea Party groups. USA TODAY

Lois Lerner, former Exempt Organizations Director at the IRS(Photo: Enquirer file)

CINCINNATI The Cincinnati Enquirerasked a federal judge Tuesday to open a secret court hearing about Tea Party bias claims against the IRS, arguing the media and the public have a vested interest in the proceedings.

"The First Amendment protects the press's right to gather news," wrote Jack Greiner, The Enquirer'slawyer. "Given the nature of these proceedings, any decision by this court to prevent public access will add to the suspicion and mistrust already raised by the allegations."

Mistrust is at the heart of the Tea Party's case against the IRS, which is accused of singling out conservative-leaning public interest groups for extra attention while reviewing applications for tax-exempt status.

A civil lawsuit brought by several of those Tea Party-affiliated groups is now before Judge Michael Barrett in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati. The judge, however, has kept some court filings secret and has closed a hearing scheduled for Friday.

House blocks Freedom Caucus move to impeach IRS chief before adjourning

Judge to IRS: Strong showing on Tea Party bias claim

He's done so at the urging of Lois Lerner and Holly Paz, IRS officials who oversaw the applications in the IRS' nonprofit division, which is based in Cincinnati.

Lerner and Paz both say their lives are in danger if they testify publicly about the handling of the groups' applications. They say they have been harassed and received death threats when their roles at the IRS first were disclosed several years ago.

The two women recently provided the judge with documentation, which was not made public, containing "graphic, profane and disturbing language" from people they say have threatened them.

Lawyers for the Tea Party groups say the public's right to know outweighs any concerns raised by Lerner and Paz.

The Enquirerasked Barrett, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, for permission to intervene in the case to argue for an open hearing.

"Allowing (Lerner and Paz) to keep these judicial records secret would not only deprive The Enquirerof its ability to report on the conduct of the litigation, but also deny the public its ability to assess for itself the merits of judicial decisions," Greiner wrote.

The lawsuit against the IRS is one of several filed in 2013 after the agency acknowledged it had singled out some groups for special attention. A Senate subcommittee reached the same conclusion in 2014, but found no evidence of political bias.

Applications for some liberal-leaning groups also were delayed, but about 80% of groups affected were conservative.

Lerner, the agency's former exempt organization director, resigned over the scandal and Paz was reassigned. Paz has previously said the nonprofit division was overwhelmed by applications from conservative groups and employees struggled with how to respond.

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'Cincinnati Enquirer' sues to open secret Tea Party hearing - USA TODAY