On the local protest front

Tuesday's protests at IRS offices included the Staunton location.
It took the Shenandoah Valley Tea Party Patriots two years and 892 pages of documents to get their tax-exempt status.
They want to make sure the IRS remembers their struggle.

From sea to shining sea

From California to South Carolina and many spots in between, taxpayers protested outside IRS offices.
Wonder if MSNBC noticed.

He's already full of bull

So President Obama wishes he could talk straight like the movie "Bulworth."
We know he's full of bull, for what that's worth.

An action with class

Tea Party groups can check out Sue the IRS.
Or just cheer them on.

Today's Tied with me

Technorati has this blog tied with Ticketmaster Presale Passwords.
Get your tickets - ahead of the crowd.

Cooking up help

Among the groups headed to Moore, Oklahoma is Operation BBQ Relief.
People there are going to need food.
These BBQ cookers know how to be mobile and cook plenty of good food.

Obama doesn't need to know

Politico lists all the people at the White House who heard of the IRS investigation but didn't think the president needed to be brought into the loop.
Who joins the list tomorrow?
Maybe Bo the dog?
Bo knows, but Obama doesn't.

Reporting from Tornado Alley

Dustbury tells of the tornado in his town, very close to a big tornado in 1999.

Protest time

Tea Party Patriots has plans for Tuesday at noon - protesting the IRS at their offices.
Won't do much good.
They will be in the middle of their two-hour lunches.

That's the ticket

The Republican ticket for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General are making the rounds of the state.
It's the Valley's turn for a stop Monday morning, and they will be in Charlottesville Tuesday morning after some stops in the western and southern parts of the state.
We'll be see so much more of them the next five-plus months.

Conventional wisdom

Bearing Drift writer survived Republican convention Saturday, and barely lived to tell about it.
And despite the miracles of modern communication, cell phones, Bearing Drift and our livestream, John Frederick’s live broadcast, email, Facebook and Twitter, the convention floor was still rife with rumors and nonsense, including the fake/rescinded endorsement controversy between Corey Stewart and Pete Snyder on the final ballot. Conventioneers were treated like fungi – kept in the dark and fed crap – and that inevitably had an impact on the final selection of E.W. Jackson as our Lt. Governor nominee.  Information trickled out of the counting area, and it was left to bloggers and social media to keep convention goers in the know.  And given the length of the convention, cell phones were dying or dead far before the convention was gaveled closed at 10:30 Saturday night.
True, there are many better ways to spend a spring Saturday than inside the convention.
You've got to be a true believer.
Now, can those true believers convince enough of the state on the wisdom of their choices.

That's irrelevant

The Marx Brothers aren't irrelevant.
The Obama administration spokesman needs to think up another word.

The battle continues

Republicans now have their three candidates for November.
E.W. Jackson jumped to the early lead and grabbed the nod for Lieutenant Governor.
We've had months of fussing about convention against primary.
That question won't matter to voters in November.
The Democratic team will be determined in June.
Here's the team we have ready to go against them.

We need Love in Congress

Utah's Mia Love has announced her campaign for Congress in 2014.
She lost a close race in 2012.
Looking forward to seeing her in Washington in 2015.

We're too fair

It's interesting to see the liberal explanations for the IRS scandal.
Andy Schmookler, Democratic candidate for Congress in 2012, goes back to the "we're too eager to please."
As it is, I do see something really dangerous having happened to the liberal half of America, and to the leadership of the Democratic Party in the past decade plus that is indeed dangerous-- the combination of blindness and spinelessness which accounts for the failure to do battle vigorously against the force that's arisen on the right.
Please.

Facebook quote of the week

Two very happy fishermen! And lots of happy rockfish eaters! YUM!

Saturday song

Hey y'all, prepare yourself for the Spinners from 1976.

Get your IRS news

TaxProf blog offers another day of roundup on the IRS scandal.
Plenty to chew on.

Weekend watchdog

Orb has three letters in his name. Will he win three races?
Orb continues his quest for the Triple Crown Saturday in the Preakness Stakes on NBC. Coverage starts at 4:30 p.m.
After a full house at the Kentucky Derby, there's only nine horses scheduled to go Saturday. Orb drew the first post position Wednesday.
The fillies race in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Friday at 4 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
The NBA has three of its final four in place. The Knicks and Pacers battle in their Game 6 Saturday at 8 p.m. on ESPN, and the Western finals start Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on ABC with the Grizzlies taking on the Spurs.
The Heat await the winner of Knicks-Pacers next week.
The NHL's conference semifinals continue Friday as the Penguins host Ottawa at 7:30 p.m. Saturday features two contests - Detroit at Chicago at 12:30 p.m. on NBC and Sharks-Kings at 9 p.m. on NBC Sports network. It's Game 2 between the Rangers and Bruins Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC, then Pittsburgh heads to Ottawa at 7 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
The Orioles host Tampa Bay on MASN Friday and Sunday, with Saturday's game on FOX. Other parts of the country will see White Sox-Angels or the Reds at Phillies.
The Nationals continue their west coast trip in San Diego, with games on MASN2 Friday and Sunday, with Saturday's contest on MASN.
TBS shows the Dodgers at Braves Sunday at 1:30 p.m., with the Tigers facing the Rangers on ESPN Sunday night.
In the college ranks, Comcast shows Miami-Georgia Tech Friday at 7:30 p.m., with the regular season finale Saturday at 1 p.m.
Getting ready for Memorial Day weekend, NBC Sports network has qualifying for the Indy 500. The race for the pole starts Saturday at 11 a.m., and they fill out the 33-car field Sunday at noon.
NASCAR's all-star race will be on Speed Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The PGA tour returns to CBS this weekend, with the Byron Nelson Championship Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m.
ESPN2 features one of the college softball regionals this weekend. Arizona meets Baylor at 3:30 p.m. Friday before Texas A&M and Pennsylvania play at 6 p.m. ESPN has the winners and losers brackets Saturday at 3 p.m., and the regional concludes Sunday at 3:30 p.m., with a game at 6 p.m. if necessary.
D.C. United hosts Kansas City Sunday at 5 p.m. on Comcast. The Red Bulls face the Galaxy in MLS action Sunday at 1:10 p.m. on ESPN2.
It's another X Games weekend on ESPN - this time from Barcelona. Action continues Friday at noon and Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m.
In Major League Lacrosse, the Bayhawks head to Boston on Comcast Saturday at 7 p.m.

Six down, more to go

Big Bang Theory closes its sixth season Thursday.
Can we survive until the seventh season starts in September?
Enjoy your summer, Kaley.

IRS training video

Where did the IRS tax-exempt section get the idea to make the application process tougher for Tea Party groups than Progressive groups?
Maybe they watched Southwest Airlines commercials.

Passive-aggressive presidency

President Obama is passive.
His bureaucracy is aggressive.
Ought to be the other way around.

Incompetent and proud

Watching MSNBC is much more fun when Democrats are having trouble.
The guy at the end of the table tried to give cover for the scandals - it's just incompetence.
There's no evil intent there.
Just incompetence in the IRS.
And the phone records.
And Benghazi.
That's a winning slogan to get America on your side.

Not his party and he'll cry if he wants to

Bill Bolling announced a new PAC while Republicans are gathering in Richmond for their convention without him.
How much more will be hear of Bill Bolling the next few months?
The political world moves on.
New candidates will be chosen to battle for statewide office.
Thanks for your work in the past.
btw, after looking at the latest polls, are you sure a primary would have brought a different verdict than the convention?

And no cake at your goodbye party

Were you impressed by President Obama's IRS statement?
DaTech Guy wasn't.
The poor fall guy was leaving the IRS soon anyway.
Now there won't be a party on his last day.

There goes that conversation

Chris Graham asks a good question - why are these political groups tax-exempt?
It would have been a great conversation to have.
Too late.
Politicians set the rules.
These Tea Party groups were playing by the rules.
The rules were broken.
We're checking out why the rules were broken.
It's not time to question the rules when your opponents are trying to join in - and find a paperwork tsunami waiting for them.

Obamacare's enforcers

Byron York reminds us why the IRS scandal hits home - they become responsible for enforcing Obamacare in January.
Last August, IRS official Nina Olson testified before Congress on the changes Obamacare will bring to Americans' dealings with the nation's tax collector. "Do you believe that most Americans are going to update the IRS or state exchanges when they change jobs, get married, move states, whatever?" Michigan Republican Rep. Tim Walberg asked Olson.
"I think it's going to be a very great learning curve," Olson answered. If Americans don't keep the IRS up to date on their financial status, they might incur penalties, which the IRS will collect by withholding income tax refunds. "I think it will be a surprise to taxpayers if they don't update their information," Olson said.
That's what is in the bill they passed. Now you know.

Does Cooter have cooties?

It wasn't too many years ago that Ben Jones, Cooter from Dukes of Hazzard, ran for Congress in Virginia.
Now, Democrats from Massachusetts don't want him near their fundraiser.
They bar the Stars and Bars - forever.

IRS also has eyes for Graham

Sister Toldjah highlights news that the IRS also questioned the Billy Graham organization and his son's relief organization Samaritan's Purse during the 2010 campaign season.
Targeting political groups who oppose this administration’s agenda is bad enough, but targeting religious groups on similar grounds – which we learned earlier today happened a few years ago with some Jewish groups who are (shockingly!) pro-Israel, unlike this administration – just adds one more troubling layer to this already deeply disturbing and still-developing story.
Time for the IRS to repent of their sins.

Best and brightest bumblers

Mark Levin has a first look at the IRS Scandal Report.
His victory lap will be continuing for a while.
Our IRS specialists don't seem so special now.