The Esther Project, Be Prepared, Be Cautious of Nosey Social Media
HR 9495 sought to give the authority to the treasury secretary to determine if a nonprofit was funding terrorist organizations. The Esther Project almost guarantees it'll be resurrected. Be prepared.
If you haven't heard about HR 9495 yet, it's something that is almost sure to need your attention in the future. It would be a different number in the 119th Congress. You'll need to watch for the name or proposals. The bill starts off with the best of intentions, providing for the postponement of the income tax due date for a U. S. citizen wrongfully detained by a foreign adversary. Then the Republicans tacked on a poison pill:
"SEC. 4. TERMINATION OF TAX-EXEMPT STATUS OF TERRORIST SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL. - Section 501(p) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
"(8) APPLICATION TO TERRORIST SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS.-
"(A) IN GENERAL. For purposes of this subsection, in the case of any terrorist supporting organization-
"(i) such organization (and the designation of such organization under subparagraph (B)) shall be treated as de- scribed in paragraph (2), and
"(ii) the period of suspension de- scribed in paragraph (3) with respect to such organization shall be treated as begin- ning on the date that the Secretary designates such organization under subparagraph (B) and ending on the date that the Secretary rescinds such designation under subparagraph (D).
"(B) TERRORIST SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION. For purposes of this paragraph, the term 'terrorist supporting organization' means any organization which is designated by the Secretary as having provided, during the 3-year period ending on the date of such designation, material support or resources (within the meaning of section 2339B of title 18, United States Code) to an organization described in paragraph (2) (determined after the application of this paragraph to such organization) in excess of a de minimis amount."
So what's the problem? We need to look at the Heritage Foundation proposal named The Esther Project. It promotes stripping the tax exempt status from any organization that is involved in protesting Netanyahu's genocidal war on Gaza. And any organization providing funds. They include "National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP or SJP), alternatively known as the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC); American Muslims for Palestine (AMP); Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP); and Samidoun, along with such financial supporters as the Westchester People's Action Coalition Foundation (WESPAC); Alliance for Global Justice; Tides Foundation; and Rockefeller Brothers Fund."
(CNN headline from November 16: "Israel's war conduct in Gaza 'consistent with the characteristics of genocide,' UN Special Committee finds.'")
The danger lies in giving the treasury secretary the sole authority to determine if a non-profit is a terrorist organization. Currently the Esther Project is taking aim at organizations protesting the war on Gaza. The first amendment guarantees the right to peaceably protest. Several GOP senators sent a letter to the IRS earlier this year requesting an investigation into some of these organizations. However, that process is time consuming and not a sure thing. HR 9495 would be a short cut. And there's nothing stopping the treasury secretary from labeling environmental groups, civil rights organizations or abortion rights activists as terrorist organizations in the future. There are simply too many ways such a concentration of power can be abused. To change up Murphy's Law a little bit: What can be abused will be abused.
On a different subject, it's time to make sure your survival preparedness and emergency planning is in place. Be prepared.
Two or three weeks ago I mentioned stocking your pantry and preparing for emergencies or shortages. The Mormon Church has long advocated having a pantry full of food for hard times and emergencies. Here's the advice they give:
"Take the amount of food you would need to purchase to feed your family for a day and multiply that by 7. That is how much food you would need for a one-week supply. Once you have a week's supply, you can gradually expand it to a month, and eventually three months.
"For longer-term needs, and where permitted, gradually build a supply of food that will last a long time and that you can use to stay alive, such as wheat, white rice, and beans. A portion of these items may be rotated in your three-month supply."
Here's a more extensive list for emergency preparedness:
"As you build and maintain your emergency supply, include the following items:
Clothing and bedding
Drinking water
Financial reserves
Important documents
Longer-term supply of basic food items
Medication and first aid supplies
Three-month supply of food that is part of your normal diet
Ways to communicate with family following a disaster."
Links to both of these sets of recommendations are included in notes, as well as a couple of links to the University of Georgia College of Consumer Sciences on food storage. I recommend taking a few minutes to read them.
I would also recommend reading Carole Cadwalladr's Guardian article on dealing with increased surveillance during the next four years. It's a necessary part of a survival mission. I found the link in Malcolm Nance's latest Substack, Five Steps to Resist the Coming Tyranny. Links are in Notes.
Thank you for reading and sharing this. I consider it especially important to share information about stocking up for hard times. If Trump does everything he says, the hard times are inevitable. There's a remote possibility that he might get bored, go play golf and forget about all the things he plans to do. However, I wouldn't count on it. Remember to "be prepared."
Notes:
https://theintercept.com/2024/11/10/trump-nonprofit-tax-exempt-political-enemies/
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/9495/text
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/food-storage?lang=eng
https://www.fcs.uga.edu/extension/preparing-an-emergency-food-supply-short-term-food-storage
https://www.fcs.uga.edu/extension/preparing-an-emergency-food-supply-long-term-food-storage
It won't just be terrorism. KOSA is pretty clearly shooting for anyone & anything Christofascists hate e.g. LGBT esp. trans people getting banned off of the internet. There are a lot of these cuts around the edges waiting in the wings.