Christian Zionist Non-Profit Calls Obama ‘Walking Security Time Bomb’

Comments

1. fiddler says

   October 25, 2008 at 4:39 AM

   From the horse’s mouth:

   http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=163395,00.html

   Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made on behalf of the organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity.

   and
   http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=154712,00.html
   under the pertinent heading “Issue Advocacy vs. Political Campaign Intervention”, see esp. example 16

   Key factors in determining whether a communication results in political campaign intervention include the following:
   • Whether the statement identifies one or more candidates for a given public office;
   • Whether the statement expresses approval or disapproval for one or more candidates’ positions and/or actions;
   • Whether the statement is delivered close in time to the election;
   • Whether the statement makes reference to voting or an election;
   • Whether the issue addressed in the communication has been raised as an issue distinguishing candidates for a given office;
   • Whether the communication is part of an ongoing series of communications by the organization on the same issue that are made independent of the timing of any election; and
   • Whether the timing of the communication and identification of the candidate are related to a non-electoral event such as a scheduled vote on specific legislation by an officeholder who also happens to be a candidate for public office.

   So no, they don’t have to explicitly say “Vote McCain” to violate the prohibition.

   Reply

2. fiddler says

   October 25, 2008 at 4:56 AM

   More on the thorny issue of “issue advocacy” in the IRS FAQ:

   http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=179462,00.html

   Can an organization state its position on public policy issues that candidates for public office are divided on?

   An organization may take positions on public policy issues, including issues that divide candidates in an election for public office as long as the message does not in any way favor or oppose a candidate.

   Which the Jerusalem Connection clearly does (“politically naive”, “walking security time-bomb”).
   Even more clear-cut, if that’s possible, is their approvingly reprinting (thereby adopting its POV) a Jeruslem Post article by Joel Pollak (http://support.tjci.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5445) which openly endorses McCain over Obama.

   Reply

3. Andy says

   October 25, 2008 at 9:36 AM

   …willing to sit down and talk to Iran “without preconditions”…

   A belated apology for putting the Shah in power in 1953 would also be appropriate.

   Reply

4. Zhu Bajie says

   October 25, 2008 at 6:30 PM

   From listening to radio evangelists, I get the impression that Xtn Zionists and Armegeddonites are in a frenzy of aniticipation (for the Rapture, the Second Coming, of course). Current Middle East turmoils seem to fit the future history detailed by Hal Lindsey, et al. If Obama were to spoil it all by negotiating a peace treaty with the King of the East, then they’d have to deal the life’s problems like the rest of us, instead of escaping. What a fate!

   Zhu Bajie

   Reply

5. Paul Malfara says

   October 25, 2008 at 7:10 PM

   Mr. Zhu,

   If only they were limited to the “anticipation” that you speak of; unfortunately, they do so much more. You see, these people believe that we humans can create the facts on the ground necessary to bring about the Second Coming. The prerequisites include the Jews in control of “Greater Israel” or “Judea and Samaria”, an ethnic cleansing of Palestinian Arabs if not the defeat of Islam in the Middle East as a whole, etc, etc. The Christian Zionists have been embraced by Israeli and American Jewish leaders at the highest level, evidence proving the fact that friendless bullies will accept anyone as a friend. They conveniently ignore the Christian Zionist eschatology that says when the Messiah makes his return tour, the Jews as a people will have to convert to Christianity or burn with the rest of the heathens.

   By the way, Mr. Zhu, your screen name “Zhu Bajie” bears a striking resemblance to a character, the pig demon, from “Xi Yo Ji”, known in English as “Journey to the West” or “The Legend of the Monkey King.” Is this just a coincidence?

   PM

   Reply