Pastor: IRS Probes Huckabee Endorsement

BUENA PARK, Calif. (AP) - Southern Baptist pastor Wiley Drake said Wednesday that he is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service for his endorsement of GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee in a press release written on church stationery.

Under federal tax law, church officials may legally discuss politics, but they cannot endorse candidates or parties without putting their tax-exempt status at risk. Most who do so receive only a warning.

Drake, a prominent pastor in the Southern Baptist Convention, said he received a 14-page letter from the IRS on Feb. 7.

IRS spokesman Rafael Tulino said Wednesday that he could not comment.

On Aug. 11, Drake wrote a press release on letterhead from the First Southern Baptist Church in Buena Park that announced his personal endorsement of Huckabee, who also is an ordained Baptist minister.

"After very serious prayer and consideration, I announce today that I am going to personally endorse Mike Huckabee," the release said. "I ask all of my Southern Baptist brothers and sister to consider getting behind Mike and helping him all you can."

He added: "I believe God has chosen Mike for such an hour, and I believe of all those running Mike Huckabee will listen to God."

Two days later, Wiley repeated his endorsement on his church-based Internet show, "The Wiley Drake Show."

A complaint was filed with the IRS by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

"I commend the IRS for investigating Pastor Drake's flagrant abuse of church resources," Barry Lynn, executive director for Americans United, said in a statement.

Drake defended his news release and comments on the talk show, saying that he was only offering his personal endorsement of Huckabee—not the church's.

"I think I'm perfectly within my rights and I am upset," he said in an interview.

His attorney, Eric Stanley, said Drake and other pastors have a right to free speech, even in politics.

"They can feel free to personally endorse candidates. It was not a church endorsement and he made that very clear," said Stanley, who is representing Drake on behalf of the Alliance Defense Fund.

Dear Governor Dean:

I write this letter as a former Democratic candidate for President of the United States and a civil rights leader who has fought his entire life for fairness and justice for all people regardless of the color of their skin. I firmly believe that changing the rules now, and seating delegates from Florida and Michigan at this point would not only violate the Democratic party's rules of fairness, but also would be a grave injustice.

As former Presidential candidates we both know that, whether we liked them or not, we adhered to the rules set forth by the Democratic party to select its nominee for president. For example, I would have much preferred starting the nominating process with caucuses and primaries in South Carolina and Washington D.C. than Iowa and New Hampshire. Nonetheless, I knew the rules, abided by them, and ultimately accepted the consequences. Changing the rules in the middle of a presidential contest is patently unfair both to the candidates (including Senator Edwards) and to Democratic voters everywhere.

Some have said that not seating delegations from Florida and Michigan disenfranchises Democratic voters -- especially African American voters -- from those two states. That claim, if true, should have been made many months ago before the decision was made to strip these states of their delegates, and, once the decision was made, it should have been vigorously objected to and contested by those who felt it disenfranchised voters. To raise that claim now smacks of politics in its form most raw and undercuts the moral authority behind such an argument.

As a civil rights leader who is neutral in this presidential primary season and who highly respects both remaining Democratic candidates, I think we have a responsibility to protect both candidates from charges that the process was tainted so that our eventual nominee does not start the general election campaign under a cloud. Clearly, the justifiably proud and intense passions of each candidate's supporters will be on full display in the months leading up to the convention. However, the Democratic Party and independent voices within must temper over enthusiasm by either side and the party must be resolute in ensuring that there is one set of rules by which we select our nominee.

In Progress,

Reverend Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network

ziggy wrote:

Keli wrote:How many jihadists have died since Bush's invasion? Not enough! How many died under Saddam Barrack Hussein? Why didn't you condemn his mass murders; and, why weren't you willing to stop his mass murders?

Saddam's mass murders were done while he was an American ally. By 2003 America had allowed him to kill off all of his threatening political enemies- and the U.S. had even furnished him the armaments to do it.

In 1984 Donald Rumsfeld was even sent to Baghdad to assure Saddam that, as bad as he had been, that the U.S. was still an ally and a dependable supporter of his regime.

So why weren't YOU willing to condemn and stop his mass murders- back when he was actually doing them? Because it would have been un-American and un-patriotic to criticize an unabashedly murderous American ally, right.

ziggy wrote:Keli, you left Tuesday without payin' your dinner tab. You shouldn't eat here today until you've paid that one first.

ziggy wrote:

Keli wrote:How many jihadists have died since Bush's invasion? Not enough! How many died under Saddam Barrack Hussein? Why didn't you condemn his mass murders; and, why weren't you willing to stop his mass murders?

Saddam's mass murders were done while he was an American ally. By 2003 America had allowed him to kill off all of his threatening political enemies- and the U.S. had even furnished him the armaments to do it.

In 1984 Donald Rumsfeld was even sent to Baghdad to assure Saddam that, as bad as he had been, that the U.S. was still an ally and a dependable supporter of his regime.

So why weren't YOU willing to condemn and stop his mass murders- back when he was actually doing them? Because it would have been un-American and un-patriotic to criticize an unabashedly murderous American ally, right.

Hey Keli,

Cricket .........................

Cricket ............................

Armon Ayers wrote:I condemn all of Saddam's murders and think that he deserved to die. Don't you?

ziggy wrote:

Armon Ayers wrote:I condemn all of Saddam's murders and think that he deserved to die. Don't you?

Yes, I do.

But how does what Saddam did make Bush doing even worse OK?

And again, So why weren't YOU willing to condemn and stop Saddam's mass murders- back when he was actually doing them- with armamanets furnished by America? Because it would have been un-American and un-patriotic to criticize an unabashedly murderous American ally, right.

Why did Bush have to kill another million Iraqi's, and several thousand Americans, and maim tens of thousands more Americans just to get at one guy? Arguably Bush caused more deaths in Iraq than Saddam was even accused of. How does what Saddam did make Bush doing even worse OK?

ziggy wrote:Keli, you left Tuesday without payin' your dinner tab. You shouldn't eat here today until you've paid that one first.

ziggy wrote:

Keli wrote:How many jihadists have died since Bush's invasion? Not enough! How many died under Saddam Barrack Hussein? Why didn't you condemn his mass murders; and, why weren't you willing to stop his mass murders?

Saddam's mass murders were done while he was an American ally. By 2003 America had allowed him to kill off all of his threatening political enemies- and the U.S. had even furnished him the armaments to do it.

In 1984 Donald Rumsfeld was even sent to Baghdad to assure Saddam that, as bad as he had been, that the U.S. was still an ally and a dependable supporter of his regime.

So why weren't YOU willing to condemn and stop his mass murders- back when he was actually doing them? Because it would have been un-American and un-patriotic to criticize an unabashedly murderous American ally, right.

Hey Keli,

Cricket .........................

Cricket ............................

exerted from Page 3: Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988

http://www.iranchamber.com/history/iran_iraq_war/iran_iraq_war1.php

The war appeared to be entering a new phase in which the superpowers were becoming more involved. For instance, the Soviet Union, which had ended military supplies to both Iran and Iraq in 1980, resumed large-scale arms shipments to Iraq in 1982 after Iran banned the Tudeh and tried and executed most of its leaders.

Subsequently, despite its professed neutrality, the Soviet Union became the major supplier of sophisticated arms to Iraq. In 1985 the United States began clandestine direct and indirect negotiations with Iranian officials that resulted in several arms shipments to Iran.

By late spring of 1987, the superpowers became more directly involved because they feared that the fall of Basra might lead to a pro-Iranian Islamic republic in largely Shia-populated southern Iraq. They were also concerned about the intensified tanker war.

A chronology of Saddam's deeds

July 17-30 1968 - The 2nd Ba'th regime takes over. A bloodless coup by senior Arab Nationalist officers and retired Ba'thist officers overthrows the regime of President Abd al-Rahman Aref. Saddam is the Deputy Secretary-General of the Ba'th party at the time, but plays a minor role in the coup. Ahmed Hassan Al-Bakr, a relative of Saddam, becomes president and chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC).

July 30, 1968 - Saddam carries out a plot to oust the rival faction (Arab Nationalist officers) in the coup. Among others, minister of Defense Ibrahim Dawood is "sent" to Jordan and Prime Minister Abd al-Razzah Nayif is "sent" to Morocco.

Fall of 1968 - beginning of purges to remove all non-Ba'thists from posts within state institutions. Saddam engages in purifying the government and society of potential dissidents. The higher echelons of the military and the government deemed disloyal are sent into retirement, imprisoned, tortured, or executed. Members of non-Ba'th political parties and non-Arabs are accused of crimes and executed or deported.

November 1969 - President al-Bakr, Saddam's kinsman, appoints Saddam Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) and Vice-President. He controls the internal security and intelligence organs and is the driving force behind the regime.

November 1968 - Nasir al-Hani, former Foreign Minister and co-plotter of the 17 July, 1968 coup is abducted from his home under the pretext that President Bakr wanted to consult with him. A few days later his body is discovered dumped in a ditch.

January 1969 - 17 alleged "spies" (including 13 Jews) are hanged in Liberation Square.

August 8, 1969 - Kurdish village of Dakan in Mosul governorate is site of a massacre performed by the army.

October 1969 - Abd al-Rahman al-Bazzaz, former prime minister, is imprisoned on charges of being a Zionist agent. Tortured and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.

March 1970 - Hundreds of Communists are arrested and tortured.

October 15, 1970 - Hardan al-Tikriti, Minister of defense, Deputy Premier, and former member of the RCC, is dismissed from all his functions. Assassinated in Kuwait on March 30, 1971.

March 11, 1970 - An "autonomy agreement" is concluded between the Kurds, under Mulla Mustafa Barzani, and the central government, but was never implemented.

September 1971 - Failed assassination attempt on Mulla Mustapha Barzani, the Kurdish leader. Several other people are killed in the attempt.

September 28, 1971 - Abd al-Karim al-Shaikhli, Foreign Minister and member of RCC is dismissed, appointed to a position at the UN. Later assassinated.

1972 - 1st wave of deportations of Iraqi Arabs, Turkoman and Kurdish families, stripped of their citizenship and sent to Iran.

July 8, 1973 - The Chief of Internal Security, Nadhim Kzar, is executed along with 35 other after reports a coup and conspiracy.

1974-1975 - War against the Kurds ignites again. Phosphorous shells are reportedly used against the Kurds.

March 1974 - The Kurdish towns of Zakho and Qala'at Diza are razed to the ground. 8,000 Kurds disappear from the village of Barzan.

December 1974 - 5 Shi'a 'ulama are executed.

6 March 1975 - Saddam signs Algiers Accord with the Shah of Iran. The Accord defines border with Iran and ends Iranian support for Kurds.

March-April 1975 - Major exodus of Kurds to Iran, including departure of leader, Mulla Mustapha Barzani.

February 1977 - Beginning of mass deportations to Iran of Iraqi Shi'a, confiscation of their property and "disappearance" of sons. Estimated that by early 80's, 200,000 Iraqis are deported to Iran and stripped of nationality and property.

1975-1979 - President Bakr remains the head of State, but his power is virtually reduced to a figurehead while Saddam controls in the president's shadow.

February/March 1977 - Eight Shi'a dignitaries, 5 clergy and 3 laymen are executed. Mass purges of Shi'a suspected of belonging to the Da'wa Party.

1978-79 - The regime eliminates an estimated 7,000 Iraqi Communists.

October 1978 - Ayatollah Khomeini, exiled by the Shah and living in Najaf, is expelled from Iraq.

May 1979 - All Communist party offices are closed down in all provinces.


Part II: Presidency to the Gulf War (1979-1991)

On July 16, 1979 - At the age of 42, Saddam forces Al-Bakr to retire and is sworn in as President of the Republic of Iraq. President Bakr officially steps down. Saddam now holds the posts of President of the Republic, Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, Secretary-General of the Ba'th Party Regional Command, Prime Minister, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Saddam grants himself a Staff Field Marshal army rank.

July 15-August 8, 1979 - In order to consolidate his power, Saddam embarks on a purge, reminiscent of Stalin, in which party members are accused of being involved in a Syrian plot to place Iraq under Syrian hegemony and remove Iraq's leadership. By the end of the purge, hundreds of top ranking Ba'thists and army officers are executed, including five members of the RCC.

April 1980 - Revolutionary Command Council bans the Da'wa Party and membership in its ranks becomes a capital crime punishable by death.

April 1980 - Leading Shi'a cleric Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Al-Sadr and his sister Bint al-Huda are executed.

On September 22, 1980 - five days after Saddam Saddam publicly tears up the 1975 Algiers Accord with Iran and denounces "the frequent and blatant Iranian violation of Iraqi sovereignty", the Iraqi Air Force bombs Iranian airfields and Iraqi forces invade Iran.

In 1982 - former President Bakr dies mysteriously. It is widely suspected that Saddam is involved.

June 1982 - Riyadh Ibrahim, Minister of Health and Shafiq 'Abd al-Jabbar Kamali, ex-RCC member, are executed.

1987-1988 - Saddam launches the Anfal campaign against the Kurds, in which some 180,000 "disappear." 4,000 villages are razed. Depopulation of large areas of eastern Kurdistan.

March 1988 - The Kurdish town of Halabja is gassed. 5,000 people perish, 10,000 suffer injuries.

August 1988 - A number of Kurdish villages on Turkish borders are gassed. Thousands of casualties.

August 1988 - Ceasefire declared between Iraq and Iran, ending the 8-year war. The war is estimated to have caused one million casualties including 250,000 Iraqi dead.

May 1989 - Adnan Khayrallah, Saddam's cousin, brother-in-law, popular army officer and Defense Minister, dies in a helicopter crash widely believed to be engineered by Saddam.

March 1990 - British journalist Farzad Bazoft is executed on charges of espionage. International indignation brings attention to the brutality of Saddam regime.

August 2, 1990 - Iraqi troops cross into Kuwait and occupy the country, ejecting the Kuwaiti government.

August 28, 1990 - Kuwait officially becomes the 19th province of Iraq.

January 17, 1991 - Allied planes begin bombing Iraq.

http://www.iraqfoundation.org/research/bio.html

Keli wrote:Sam,
Do you think that the Rev. Al Sharpton will endorse a candidate for president? And, do you think that the IRS will investigate him and penalize him for doing it?

SamCogar wrote:
http://www.iraqfoundation.org/research/bio.html

ziggy wrote:Very touching, Sam. It might even bring a few tears in somebody's eyes. Neither INC blowhard Achmed Chalaby nor that ole' wannabe CIA snitch Curveball hisself could have said it better.

But as interesting reading as all that makes, Sam, it is not what Bush cited as his excuse for the U.S. military invasion of Iraq in March, 2003 and the continued military occupation of Iraq today.

SamCogar wrote:Zigster, it matters little what Bush told the American public what "his excuse for the U.S. military invasion of Iraq" was, ........ but has everything to do with what he told Congress "what his reason was for the invasion of Iraq".

shermangeneral wrote:Well it has been a long time zig and maybe the rightwinger bush apologists cant remember back that far.

Do you not remember that Saddam Hussein had amassed all those weapons of mass destruction and they could launch against us with only 45 minutes warning?

And how Cheney knew right where these weapons were?

Him and Rumsfeld?

And how Hussein ran the inspectors out? (don't forget that)

ziggy wrote:

SamCogar wrote:Zigster, it matters little what Bush told the American public what "his excuse for the U.S. military invasion of Iraq" was, ........ but has everything to do with what he told Congress "what his reason was for the invasion of Iraq".

OK Sam. Since you are such an insider, what did Bush tell Congress was his real reason for invading Iraq?

(Sam) Or does Jay address you and Sherm as ........ "Mr. Shiitake" .......... whenever he sees either of you?

ziggy wrote:Sam, if you don't know the answer to your own obvious question, why don't you just say so?

SamCogar wrote:Your "girly-boy" mindset reply does not CYA, so try again.