by Hart Williams © 1998

Let’s begin, perhaps with illegality (many of the names you will see here, note, are regularly seen on TV screaming for Clinton’s impeachment based on a very mild form of "perjury.")

The Heritage Foundation is a 501(c)(3) "charitable" organization, underwritten entirely through tax-deductible contributions from some of the wealthiest "conservatives" in America. Founded in 1973, with a check from Joe Coors, the organization’s "guest speaker" bureau includes such "non-partisans" as Edwin Meese, III, noted anti-porn Attorney General under Reagan, William Bennet, "Mr. Virtue" the former Education Secretary and "Drug Czar" under Reagan, Oliver North, Richard Allen, Jack Kemp and a host of others.

But read this from the IRS: "organizations exempt from federal income tax as organizations described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code are prohibited from participating or intervening, directly or indirectly, in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office ... These organizations cannot endorse any candidate, make donations to their campaigns, engage in fund raising, distribute statements, or become involved in any other activities that may be beneficial or detrimental to any candidate."

Or this, from the IRS Code prohibiting classification as a 501 (c)(3): "no substantial part of the activities of which is carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting, to influence legislation ... and which does not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office."

And now viddy this typical bombast from The Heritage Foundation, brothers and sisters: "RECEIVE YOUR COPY OF THE FLAT TAX — FREE! ... ‘Mitchell marvelously demonstrates how the flat tax will rip away the principal source of political pollution in Washington and replace this anti-growth, anti-family, legalized cesspool of corruption with a new system that will return power and opportunity to the American people.’ Steve Forbes (blurb) Simply fill out the form below and we’ll send this free book to you!"

This from the Heritage Foundation’s website 5/17/96. Need I point out that Steve Forbes was, at that very moment, running for President as a Republican on a "flat tax" platform?

It’s blatant law-breaking, but worse, it’s an overt attempt to subvert the political process ON YOUR DIME! Every cent contributed to the Heritage Foundation comes out of the taxes of wealthy folks like ... Steve Forbes!

Worse, on that date, May 17, 1996, the HF was touting that for a tax-deductible contribution of $1000 you could have your choice of breakfast with Bob Dole (then Republican candidate for President) or Newt Gingrich.

This is what the HF says, right now: "The Heritage Foundation opened its doors 25 years ago in a small Capitol Hill storefront on a whisper and a prayer —and a start-up grant from Joseph Coors. Phil Truluck and I joined Heritage in 1977, and we have spent the past 20 years building an institution and a team of experts and marketers dedicated to conservative policies. Our mission: to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

Over the years we've grown from the ‘feisty new kid on the conservative block’ to a permanent voice in the national debates. We now have an annual budget of $25 million and 165 employees, and occupy an eight-story office building just two blocks from the U.S. Capitol."

Or this typical quote the HF trumpets its importance with:

"When conservatives on Capitol Hill are looking to turn ideas into legislation, the first place they go is The Heritage Foundation."—Dick Armey, House Majority Leader.

The Heritage Foundation is a campaign services committee blatantly involved in pushing their agenda via legislation, candidate services and, as we’ll see in a moment, outright subversion of the Civil Service.

But first, consider this: A typical HF "report" in 1996 attempted to coin the phrase "The Clinton Crunch." Within days of its publication, then-Republican Candidate Bob Dole was seen in one presidential debate, and in numerous sound bites talking about "The Clinton Crunch." The HF report abstracts, not coincidentally, happen to be perfectly timed for "special orders" speeches on the House floor, and I’ve heard several pre-fab HF speeches entered into the Congressional Record as "speeches" by "conservative" (read Republican) congressmen.

Legally, the IRS Code requires that the HF’s 501(c)(3) status be revoked IN PERPETUITY, and all monies collected returned to the US Treasury from the period that the criminal activity was determined to have begun!

So, WHY is this blatant politicking underwritten by YOUR taxes?

Let’s take a look at the HF’s "Job Bank":

"The Heritage Foundation maintains a Job Bank to assist in placing conservatives in public policy-related positions, both in government and the private sector, in the Washington, D.C. area. Our candidate placement process is a free service provided by The Heritage Foundation which is CONFIDENTIAL and discreet for both employer and employee.

"Recognizing that personnel is policy, the Heritage Job Bank—founded in 1980—seeks to place qualified individuals with conservative credentials in key policy-making or support positions in Congress, trade associations, policy institutions, the media, and elsewhere. The Job Bank is also committed to developing a long-term working relationship with Washington-area employers." HF Web Site, 10-10-98.

When I first began researching this story in 1996, I found it impossible to interest any national publication in this story. Deciding to pursue it on my own, I called the IRS office in D.C. and was "bounced" to the IRS office in Baltimore. In the time I took to dial the new number, the "PR Officer" was already waiting for me. He very carefully explained an incredibly difficult set of circumstances by which I might get my "Writ of Mandamus" and was unbelievably defensive. I could only wonder if HE weren’t an HF placement in the IRS.

Do you begin to understand?

By subverting the political process, and the Civil Service (note how they say: "Policy Positions") progressive agendas become impossible. This, to my mind, crosses the border into outright treason.

Consider this statement from the HF on environmentalism: "Of course, the agenda of environmental alarmists is the same as it has always been: Convince the American people that modern chemicals are deadly and evil and stampede the government into spending more money on more programs that will further restrict our choices and freedom." — Edwin Feulner, President, The Heritage Foundation, April 25, 1996.

Do you really think you have ANY chance at environmental reform with this gentleman’s 18 years of infiltrating the EPA? Or the Justice Department? Is the strange witch hunt of President Clinton so difficult to fathom? Or the endless connections between Ken Starr, the Federalist Foundation, the Heritage Foundation, etc. Etc.?

Here is a listing of just a few of the organizations the HF has purposely networked together as natural allies on their "Town Hall" site on the internet—draw your own conclusions: The Family Research Council, American Conservative Union, Empower America, The Leadership Institute, the Washington Times National Weekly Edition, Americans for Tax Reform, Small Business Survival Committee.

Finally, let’s explore HOW the HF teaches "conservatives" to subvert the media by providing the "talking heads" you see night after night under suspiciously "legitimate" sounding names.

But first, let’s look at a typical HF report, filled with specious reasoning, paranoid conclusions, and attack-dog journalism ON journalism (and, I’ll let them point out that there IS NO RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY):

SPECIAL REPORT: Conspiracy to Commit Journalism: The Media’s Attacks on the Scaife Foundations, April 17, 1998—A Media Research Center analysis by Director of Media Analysis Tim Graham reviewed TV news coverage of the Scaife controversy and then focused on what reporters didn’t ask ...

1. How can this be a conspiracy? The Scaife foundations’ donations are hardly secret, with their IRS forms posted on the Internet (at www.scaife.com). The organizations the Scaife foundations have supported are hardly in agreement about wrongdoing by President Clinton. Few of the dot-to-dot conspiracy stories connecting Scaife to The American Spectator magazine noticed Scaife is no longer funding the magazine after it published an article criticizing journalist Christopher Ruddy’s reporting on Vincent Foster’s death. Few note that alleged Scaife pawn Starr ruled the Foster death a suicide. What about the unsubstantiated Scaife-Starr conspiracy? As a February 11 Investor’s Business Daily editorial pointed out, if "this was a conspiracy, it sure was an odd one. Here was Scaife helping fund a new position that tempted Starr — allegedly ‘his’ man— away from the work of probing the president."

2. Who are the real powerhouses in public policy giving? Several large liberal foundations give hundreds of millions of dollars more to public policy nonprofits than do the Scaife foundations, yet only Scaife’s comparatively smaller donations are newsworthy. Reporters also ignore that many of the richest foundations in the United States are distinctly liberal, with the Ford Foundation authorizing grants of $300 million a year, the MacArthur Foundation donating over $100 million, and the Carnegie Foundation over $50 million.

Well, jeepies, Tim, I’m not a TV reporter (note that print journalists were utterly ignored in the jeremiad quoted above) and wasn’t Scaife the fellow who just financed Paula Jones’ new nose job? Hmmmm. Well, I’ll bet we never find out.

The Ford Foundation, the Carna-gie Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation are spending millions to destabilize the US government? To provide political services and prop-aganda to Democrats, and to promote a "liberal" agenda in all legislation? If true, I’m against it: the law is a good law, and NEEDS to be enforced. But can any rational person SERIOUSLY believe these allegations from the HF’s attack dog? (Remember, they pay this chimpanzee to work in a "Think Tank" even though he seems palpably incapable of the former and appears highly the latter: tanked, that is.)

A prominent article in 1996 offered helpful tips on HOW to present yourself to media organizations as a "spokesman" and how to KEEP ON MESSAGE and shout down the namby pamby liberals on the tube.

If you’ve been watching FOX News or CNN, or CNBC, you know what I’m talking about.

It is no accident that the Reagan Administration’s FCC decided to do away with the "Fairness Doctrine." Does anyone seriously believe that Rush clones could flourish, having to give equal time?

The point being, while the HF loves to play the old Conservative Saw that the "Liberal Media" is against them (and note that the "Right Wing Conspiracy" Hillary referred to on NBC’s TODAY Show had been pooh-poohed by every major network pundit by NIGHTFALL of that evening) they have no compunction about subverting the media to their own ends.

A case in point, recently, is the "spin" that the Republican Majority Whip screamed about the White House "planting" that story about Henry Hyde’s affair back when he was an Illinois legislator. Even though it came out within 24 hours that there was NO connection to the White House, and that the story had been shopped by a retiree in Florida for MONTHS, talking heads STILL claim that it was a "Clinton Conspiracy." And that an "old affair" wasn’t worthy of comment, when an old land deal (Whitewater) IS.

No, the long conspiracy against the White House has been carefully orchestrated by well-financed criminal "conservative" organizations, like the HF: subverting legislation, candidates, media and the Civil Service.

The HF has clearly stepped over the line into outright subversion and treason, and they are the most "respectable" of the bunch. But, if this be the "high ground" what must the LESS legitimate groups be up to?