Naacp

The Internal Revenue Service is auditing the NAACP, scrutinizing the nation's oldest civil rights group after its chairman gave a stinging criticism of the Bush administration in a speech this summer. Julian Bond's July 11 comments at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's convention in Philadelphia chastised President Bush for being the first sitting president since Herbert Hoover not to address the group. Bush declined the group's invitation to speak, while Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry accepted.

Rand Paul did just fine at Howard University, thank you very much. Or at least, that's how he remembers it. Mr. Paul, GOP senator from Kentucky, told the Christian Science Monitor on Wednesday that his recent visit to Howard didn't go so bad at all. He said any perception to the contrary was created by -- all together now -- the "left-wing media. " Knowing what we do about the political right's capacity for self-deception, we may trust that he's telling it like it is -- or at least, telling it like he believes it to be. But reality-based Americans know it wasn't left-wing media that insulted students at the historically black school by acting as if a visit to their campus was like a visit with headhunters.

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s chief fundraiser asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the NAACP's tax-exempt status shortly after the 2000 presidential campaign, questioning whether the civil rights organization had inappropriately sought to influence the election. Two months later, Ehrlich - then a Baltimore County congressman - wrote to the agency urging a response to Richard E. Hug's complaint and directing that the answer also be sent to his "special projects coordinator," Joseph F. Steffen Jr. Attorneys for the NAACP said the letters were among 523 pages of documents the IRS accumulated to begin its October 2004 inquiry into the Baltimore-based civil rights organization's tax-exempt status.

NAACP employees were going through the mail Thursday at national headquarters in Baltimore when they found a strange-looking envelope. It bore no return address and had a Memphis, Tenn., postmark - just like letters to President Barack Obama and a Republican senator this week that tested positive for the deadly poison ricin. Within minutes, the FBI ordered workers to evacuate, and emergency responders rushed to the scene. It turned out to be a false alarm; the letter was a request for assistance.

The Howard County NAACP Youth Council will host a reception celebrating the 100th anniversary of the NAACP from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at the Ridgelys Run Community Center, 8400 Mission Road in Jessup. Free event recognizes several Howard County individuals and organizations that have supported the youth council. Call 443-280-1935 for more information.

NAACP leadership continued to denounce an Internal Revenue Service audit of the Baltimore-based civil rights group yesterday, while three members of Congress challenged the IRS to drop the investigation. A letter sent yesterday to IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson by three House Democrats - Charles B. Rangel of New York, Pete Stark of California and John Conyers Jr. of Michigan - demanded that Everson "publicly, specifically and immediately repudiate the recent actions of the IRS taken against the NAACP."

Regarding the NAACP's recent rally for Trayvon Martin in Baltimore, I thought one of the goals of the organization was to improve race relations, not worsen them ("'We are Trayvon,' marchers proclaim," March 27). I am as outraged as anyone about the horrible fate that befell Trayvon, but how is the death of this young man any different than the hundreds of other innocent young black men slain every year In this country? The answer is: The race of the murderer. If the NAACP wanted to advance its goals, it would hold a rally every day, not just to shine a spotlight on mixed race-violence when the victim is black.

It is always nice to win. That is our first reaction to the news late last week that the national headquarters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — and its 80 or so jobs are staying in Baltimore instead of moving to Washington. This was a bit of a surprise, because for some years now it looked as if the venerable civil-rights organization's one-time leaders, Julian Bond and Bruce S. Gordon, were intent on relocating the headquarters from Seton Business Park in Northwest Baltimore to the Washington area or another location outside the city.

Gov. Martin O'Malley is set to meet with NAACP president Benjamin Jealous Thursday morning to discuss topics including repealing the death penalty, according to a spokeswoman for the governor. The meeting, planned for 9:30 a.m. at the state house, was granted at Jealous's request. "They are meeting," said O'Malley spokeswoman Raquel Guillory. "The death penalty will be a topic of discussion. " The NAACP will hold a news conference after the meeting. This year, the civil rights organization plans a major push for full repeal of the death penalty.

It is apparent that the NAACP has lost its moral compass because they feel they must stand with a black president and not their Christian roots when it comes to defining marriage and the rights and privileges associated with it ("Favoring equality," May 29). They have been losing credibility with many of us for years because they are often hypocritical and this one takes the cake. I hope those blacks who disagree with their position consider fleeing their membership and spending their energy and resources with their churches and communities.

Workers were ordered out of the Baltimore building that hosts the national headquarters of the NAACP , after authorities received reports of a "suspicious letter," but the letter was later determined to be harmless. The FBI confirmed that agents had joined city fire and police officials in the 4800 block of Mt. Hope Dr. after receiving a report of a suspicious letter. "It's not uncommon for us to respond to something like that,"  said FBI spokesman Richard Wolf. " At about 1:45 p.m., Wolf said authorities had determined that the letter was "a non-hazard, non-suspicious letter.

As Maryland lawmakers debate whether to ban capital punishment in the state, The Sun will host prominent advocates on both sides of the issue for its first Newsmaker Forum of 2013. National NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous, who has helped marshal support for the repeal effort, and Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger, an opponent of repeal, will answer questions from Sun editors and members of the audience. The event will take place from 7-8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21 at The Sun building, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore.

You know the beverage industry is running scared when it feels driven to mount an all-out campaign against a New York City law passed last year banning the sale of super-size sodas and sugary drinks. But it's beyond shameless when that effort includes arm-twisting support for its cause from a group representing the very people who would benefit most from the law. Yet that's what played out in a New York courtroom last week, when the city's NAACP branch took the industry's side by arguing that the ban on sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces, which was strongly endorsed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, would unfairly hurt residents in African-American communities.

Maryland's highest court has ruled that the state police must give the NAACP access to internal affairs files on racial profiling complaints. The civil rights group had requested the documents under the Maryland Public Information Act but the police agency denied the request, saying the records were protected personnel files. The Maryland Court of Appeals rejected that argument, agreeing with a Baltimore County court that the information could be shared if identifying information is redacted.

As the son of a woman, the husband of a woman and the father of daughters and granddaughters, I celebrate the record number of females who are now United States senators. However, I do see some differences in the way these and other women are treated, depending on their party, policies and beliefs. Diane Sawyer broadcast a celebratory report last week on ABC's "World News Tonight" on which she gushed about the "record number" of 20 female senators. Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland also praised the Senate female population.

Lord Nickens, a long-time civil rights leader from Frederick, has died at age 99. Nickens fought for fair housing rules and served as the president of the Frederick branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for more than 20 years. "He fought for the right of African Americans to pursue the American Dream and helped ensure equality for all Americans," U.S. Senator Ben Cardin said in a statement. " … Lord Nickens was an inspiration for all who knew him; his advocacy on behalf of the African-American community helped to change our nation.

Ben Jealous, the national NAACP president, came to Annapolis Tuesday to call on Maryland legislators to make this the year the state does away with the death penalty. Flanked by several legislators, Jealous said he intends to return to Annapolis repeatedly through the 90-day legislative session that starts Wednesday to work for repeal. Death penalty opponents have come close in recent years to securing the votes needed to remove capital punishment from the books, but each time have fallen a few votes short.

Miami. -- The NAACP has, in perception and perhaps in actual fact, ceased to be of much relevance to black America's struggle. Consider: The venerable civil-rights organization is now generating more passion and excitement than it has in years -- not for some bold new initiative, but for sacking its scandal-tainted executive director, Benjamin F. Chavis.That says something.So does this: Some months ago, I was asked by Vibe, a national magazine for young blacks, to assess the NAACP's importance, if any, to its audience.

After a 45-minute meeting Thursday morning with Gov. Martin O'Malley, NAACP national President Ben Jealous said the governor “supports repeal of the death penalty but wants the civil rights organization to line up support before he decides whether to make the effort an administration priority. Jealous also told reporters after the State House meeting that he plans to meet next week with Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, who could be the pivotal figure in deciding whether a repeal bill gets a floor vote during the General Assembly session that starts next month.

Gov. Martin O'Malley is set to meet with NAACP president Benjamin Jealous Thursday morning to discuss topics including repealing the death penalty, according to a spokeswoman for the governor. The meeting, planned for 9:30 a.m. at the state house, was granted at Jealous's request. "They are meeting," said O'Malley spokeswoman Raquel Guillory. "The death penalty will be a topic of discussion. " The NAACP will hold a news conference after the meeting. This year, the civil rights organization plans a major push for full repeal of the death penalty.