Tea Party conservative groups protest IRS

BOSTON – Nearly two dozen Tea Party activists rallied outside the John F. Kennedy Federal Building in downtown Boston on Tuesday as part of a nationwide protest against the Internal Revenue Service over the targeting of conservative groups.

“The IRS is only one part of it. The present administration we have is reeking with corruption,” said protester George Kacek, a retiree from Chelmsford.

“I contribute to some conservative organizations and I see the way they are being harassed. We got to do something about it,” said Kacek, 80, a supporter of conservative groups such as The Heritage Foundation and the National Right to Work Foundation. “We want to educate people in terms of what’s happening in federal government so that in future elections people will be more aware of the real story. Not the story that our president tells as he goes around and talks to carefully selected audiences,” he said.

During the lunch hour, passing commuters cheered or honked their horns to show support as protestors raised signs which read “Intrude haRass represS,” and “It’s time to clean house and restore democracy.”

Organizers attributed the low turnout to members’ work schedules. The Boston protest was hastily pulled together in coordination with a nationwide call for action that saw Tea Party demonstrations in Washington D.C., Cincinnati, St. Louis, Denver and other cities across the nation. Members of Congress and the press have been pressing the Obama administration to find out who ordered extra scrutiny on Tea Party applications for tax-exempt status beginning in 2010, and when President Obama found out about it.

“The IRS is targeted citizens for basically their views. If people don’t start getting concerned about what our government is doing, it doesn’t matter your party or political view. You will be targeted if you don’t agree with what they are saying,” said Carlos Hernandez, 52, of Saugus, a Massachusetts Tea Party organizer.

“We’re here because our government has overstepped their bounds. The IRS is basically targeting individuals for their views and their religion and so forth,” said Hernandez, 52, who cited unfairness from the government for quickly approving more liberal organizations such as The Barack H. Obama Foundation with tax-exempt status and auditing groups that backed conservative groups and politicians like former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

“Three audits in less than four months? When our government is targeting citizens for basically supporting their views then we got a problem. And we’re letting them know we are not going to stand for it,” Hernandez said. “We’re Americans, and we have a right to our views!”

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