Smith: TYRANNY'S TOOL: Government being used

photo Robin Smith

Last week, average citizens offered their accounts of harassment by the government based solely on their beliefs.

A Tennessee man who mentors middle school and high school students teaching the Constitution, Cicero, Montesquieu and Alexis de Tocqueville related that his educational group still awaits tax-exempt status after a 29-month delay by the IRS.

A woman explained the terms given by the IRS to the Iowa pro-life group to acquire tax-exempt status included supplying the "content of our prayers" and to sign a document guaranteeing that no protests would occur at a local Planned Parenthood.

The most shocking account of IRS corruption was of the National Organization for Marriage that supports and promotes the traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman. The group had its tax filings and its donor list "leaked" to its arch rivals. The Human Rights Campaign had the National Organization for Marriage's confidential files delivered into its hands for use and intimidation ... a felony.

President Obama's U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, identified a reporter as a possible "co-conspirator to commit espionage" in a leak of classified information. Further, the claim was made that the conservative news reporter was a "flight risk."

Holder's office went "judge shopping" and, after three attempts, received a court order seizing phone records of not just the reporter, but his parents and several lines of his employer.

Yet a new Pentagon report documents that confidential information was leaked as the Obama administration accommodated Hollywood friends with extravagant access and special treatment to create a movie based on the killing of Osama bin Laden by our brave military.

A screenwriter for "Zero Dark-Thirty" was allowed to attend a dinner in June 2011 at the CIA complex where then-CIA Director Leon Panetta "let slip" the name of the specific unit who was involved in the raid killing bin Laden and spoke of the specific ground scene commander who led the operation.

Last Wednesday it was revealed that 121 million Verizon wireless customers had records of their communications collected by the Obama administration, regardless of whether one was suspected of any criminal wrongdoing or terrorist activity. Beginning April 25, the National Security Agency issued the blanket order for records of "all telephone calls in its systems, both within the US and between the US and other countries" to continue through July 19, 2013.

Then, there's the punishment of a master sergeant in the Army who hosted a party to celebrate his promotion that coincided with last year's support of traditional marriage by Chick-Fil-A. The soldier served Chick-Fil-A sandwiches to his guests to express his appreciation to the restaurant chain.

The soldier was threatened with judicial action and given a "bad efficiency report" because of his actions.

Contrast that to the business cards and repeated official presentations within the Army that identified Major Nidal Hasan's support of Islamic extremism. The Major proudly proclaimed he was a "Soldier of Allah" by including "SoA" under his name used in his practice of psychiatry.

What's become of the murderer of 13 soldiers who injured an additional 32 at Fort Hood in Texas in the terrorist massacre? Well, the attack is still labeled "workplace violence" by the Obama administration, and the shooter has now publicly claimed his acts of terror were due to troops on the verge of deploying to Afghanistan where "they would pose an immediate danger to the Taliban." He still receives his annual $278,000 salary.

A tyrant's arbitrary use of power destroys the rule of law and cultivates injustice - Obama's America 2013.

Robin Smith served as chairwoman of the Tennessee Republican Party from 2007 to 2009. She is a partner in the SmithWaterhouse Strategies business development and strategic planning firm.

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