The IRS scandal has garnered an unusual amount attention, with certain groups complaining they have been subjected to intrusive and irrelevant questions in order to qualify for tax-exempt status.  The IRS has responded with inconsistent answers, so the facts of the matter have remained unclear.  Until now, however, no one has produced an actual “abusive” letter from the IRS.  Our indefatigable reporters have managed to uncover one, and we present it here for the first time.

In an article titled “Our American Pravda,” Ron Unz, a businessman, writer, and publisher of The American Conservative, argues that there is good reason to be alarmed by the failures of the American media.

Such a revolutionary sentiment is enough to make a mainstream media employee shudder. One of those most emphatically shuddering is Conor Friedersdorf, whose “Why Does the American Media Get Big Stories Wrong?” is a reply to Unz. It appears in The Atlantic’s on-line edition. Friedersdorf doesn’t think much of Unz’s article (while admitting the occasional minor faux pas on the part of the media. Can’t win ‘em all), but his piece is at least as off the mark as he makes Unz’s out to be. Continue Reading »

Poor Congressman McDermott — he is forced to sit, day after day, in mind-numbing committee meetings , exposed to malcontents who actually believe they should be permitted to express their ill-considered opinions without government permission … or notice.  The august Observer-Effect felt sorry for the put-upon public … well, “servant” isn’t exactly the right word, is it? … overseer, and allowed him to vent a little it its columns.  We all appreciate the Congressman’s willingness to explain to us why we’d better just shut the hell up if we know what’s good for us.

The bad news continues for the Administration as more and more stories of what appear to be politically motivated IRS audits reach a reluctant press.

As investigators comb through every aspect of the lives of the suspected Boston Bombers, interesting new details have begun to emerge. Even more interesting is what gets leaked …