Posted on 08/28/2013 7:06:36 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
This is disturbing.
If the president wants to get angry about something, how about getting mad about the IRS leaping on the American Legion, requiring individual Legion posts to provide proof of their members’ eligibility, virtually accusing the veterans organization of being a cover for and sanctioning tax fraud?
As the Daily Caller has learned, this targeting of the American Legion is happening under a 13-part section of Part 4, Chapter 76 of the Internal Revenue Manual pertaining to “veterans’ organizations.” The section falls under “Exempt Organizations Examination Guidelines,” which was the jurisdiction of Exempt Organizations head Lerner.
“The American Legion has recently learned of the so-called IRS ‘audit manual’ and is concerned that portions of it attempt to amend statutes passed by Congress and approved by the president,” American Legion legal counsel Philip Onderdonk Jr. told The Daily Caller.
“The IRS now requires American Legion posts to maintain dates of service and character of service records for all members. …The penalty for not having the required proof of eligibility is, apparently, $1,000 per day,&88221; the American Legion stated.
The American Legion, of which I’ve been a member on and off since leaving the Air Force, is a non-partisan organization chartered by Congress in 1919 that provides benefits and discounts to veterans while representing us as a group on veterans issues. It has existed for nearly a century, has never been partisan, and has never been required to furnish the information that the Obama administration is now demanding. The Obama IRS is treating this organization of veterans as if it has engaged in some wrongdoing, when it has not.
In isolation this might not be so profoundly unsettling, but it’s not happening in isolation. The Obama administration in 2009 identified veterans as potential terrorist threats in a Homeland Security report. This year, a Pentagon training guide identifies the American Founding Fathers and conservatives as “extremists.” The IRS has become a weapon against the president’s opponents, as the agency itself admitted, on May 10. Additionally, the Obama government has developed a consistent pattern of tilting toward those it perceives as its friends, while punishing those it perceives as its enemies. It could be using the Internal Revenue Service to obtain comprehensive lists of veterans around the country. If that’s the case, then a question must follow: For what purpose?
You must be thinking of the VFW, ‘Veterans of Foreign Wars’, I don’t know if you are eligible to join them or not, but you can join the American Legion.
Call your local post.
been there, done that, cannot join....
i think the country and the other vets are ashamed of us who served under carter..
Looks like you’re correct joe, but I don’t attribute it to shame...although I firmly believe the “current” requirement about “...currently on active duty...” should be expanded to all who have served honorably.
Thank you for your service.
Eligibility Requirements for American Legion Membership
If you are currently on active duty, serving the United States honorably, anywhere in the world, or have served honorably during any of the following eligible war eras, we invite you to become a member of The American Legion.
Aug. 2, 1990 to today (Gulf War / War On Terrorism)
Dec. 20, 1989 to Jan. 31, 1990 (Panama)
Aug. 24, 1982 to July 31, 1984 (Lebanon / Grenada)
Feb. 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975 (Vietnam War)
June 25, 1950 to Jan. 31, 1955 (Korean War)
Dec. 7, 1941 to Dec. 31, 1946 (World War II)
April 6, 1917 to Nov. 11, 1918 (World War I)
I apologize, you are correct.
I have been a member in the past, off and on depending on finances, but had never looked carefully at the requirements, I thought that it was for all vets, but it isn’t. It had to be service during a war period.
**Eligibility Requirements for American Legion Membership**
If you are currently on active duty, serving the United States honorably, anywhere in the world, or have served honorably during any of the following eligible war eras, we invite you to become a member of The American Legion.
Aug. 2, 1990 to today (Gulf War / War On Terrorism)
Dec. 20, 1989 to Jan. 31, 1990 (Panama)
Aug. 24, 1982 to July 31, 1984 (Lebanon / Grenada)
Feb. 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975 (Vietnam War)
June 25, 1950 to Jan. 31, 1955 (Korean War)
Dec. 7, 1941 to Dec. 31, 1946 (World War II)
April 6, 1917 to Nov. 11, 1918 (World War I)
Come to Post 8 in Klamath Falls, Oregon, I’ll sign you up.
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