“In a time of universal
deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act” -- George Orwell
George Orwell, like Jonathan Swift before him, is one of those large
writers who simply straddle ideological categories. He was fortunate enough –
or unfortunate enough, depending on one’s point of view – to have been born in
what the ancient Chinese call “interesting times,” the bloody and totalitarian
20th century.
The revolutionist speaking truth to power often appears among us with a
rope braided by the reigning powers draped about his neck. He steps towards gallows
with a wan smile on his face.
Such was the case with Gregory Hicks, the friend and compatriot of slain
Ambassador Christopher Stevens who, testifying before Congress, said he was
stunned and embarrassed when he first heard U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice attribute
the attack on the American Consulate in Benghazi to a crowd of protestors
agitated by a video that defamed Mohammed. One expects that Mr. Hick’s many
years of honorable service will soon crash on the rocks of modern politics.
The Obama administration had hoped to put the Benghazi affair to bed
early, and then direct witnesses to the murder of the Libyan ambassador showed
up at the Congressional doorstep. The unwelcomed visitations were followed by
an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scandal involving unaccountable delays of Tea
Party applications for tax exempt status, which in turn was followed by yet
another scandal involving phone taps placed by Eric Holder’s Department of
Justice (DOJ) on Associated Press reporters. The IRS has since apologized for having
politicized what should have been a routine review of applications.
Of the three scandals, only the IRS’s targeting of conservative groups
for punitive treatment and the overbroad tapping of AP phone lines have been
unreservedly condemned by Connecticut’s all Democratic U.S. Congressional
delegation. The condemnations by Connecticut Congresspersons of the IRS conform
to a script adopted by the Obama administration, which unreservedly denounced
what appeared to be an IRS enemies' list drawn up by as yet unknown persons who
perhaps had been overstimulated by Mr. Obama’s frequently expressed
condemnations of Tea Party Patriots.
U.S. Senator Dick Blumenthal, for more than 20 years Connecticut’s
crusading attorney general, was outraged
at the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups for federal
tax scrutiny and “deeply troubled” concerning reports that the DOJ had
collected phone records from the Associated Press. U.S. Senator Chis Murphy’s
reliance on the DOJ received a blow and he hopes “the leadership there is
working steadfastly” to accomplish its mission. U.S. Representative Elizabeth
Esty ventured further out than either of the state’s senators; the IRS
allegations, she thought, “should concern all Americans. It’s completely
unacceptable for the IRS to target groups or individuals based on their
political views. A full Congressional investigation is warranted, and anyone
who acted inappropriately or abused power must be held fully accountable.” U.S.
Representative John Larson, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee that
oversees the IRS, thought the IRS action were “absolutely inexcusable." U.S. Rep
Rosa DeLauro entertained the hope “that those who participated in inappropriate
activities are held fully accountable,” and U.S. Representative Joe Courtney
was moved to tweet, “The actions taken by the IRS should alarm all Americans. A
full investigation is warranted.”
The person in charge
of the IRS unit that so disappointed Connecticut’s U.S. Congressional
delegation, it should be mentioned, was given a promotion of sorts; she has
been put in charge of the many hundreds of workers in the IRS who, as part of
the implementation of Obamacare, will be rifling through health care records in
an attempt to weed out frauds. Provided the frauds are not conservative, few insuperable
obstacles may be put in their way – if the IRS processes are unreformed.
ABC News was among the first mainstream news outlets to report that “the Internal Revenue Service official
in charge of overseeing tax-exempt organizations — an operation now under fire
for targeting Tea Party groups and other right-wing entities — is now in charge
of IRS accounting for President Obama’s health-care overhaul initiative, or
Obamacare. Sarah Hall Ingram oversaw tax-exempt organizations for the IRS from
2009 to 2012. The misdeeds allegedly occurred at the IRS from 2010 to 2012.”
It is not known at
this point how many of the distressed members of Connecticut’s congressional
delegation oppose Mr. Obama’s stunningly inept appointment or what form their
opposition to the appointment of Ms. Ingrahm might take. While Peter Weber of The Week has speculated that Ms. Ingram’s head may roll, it is a safe bet that it will not land in
Mr. Blumenthal’s lap. Both Mr. Blumenthal and Mr. Murphy, since their fairly
recent elevations to the U.S. Senate, have been stout supporters of all things
Obama, and the entire Connecticut Congressional delegation is part of the vast
Beltway Praetorian Guard charged with protecting the president’s idiocies.
Comments
The damage inflicted by the current occupant of the White House and his supporters will be very difficult to repair. God have mercy on us all.