Couple evading taxes vows to fight to the death

[DPDarkPrimus]

Calling the federal agents surrounding his fortified compound "guns for hire," a New Hampshire man convicted of tax evasion vowed today that he and his wife would fight U.S. marshals to the death if they tried to capture them.

"Do not under any circumstances make any attempt on this land. We will not accept any tomfoolery by any criminal element, be it federal, state or local," said Ed Brown in a press conference from the stoop of his concrete-clad home in Plainfield, N.H. "We either walk out of here free or we die."

Brown and his wife, Elaine, were sentenced in absentia in April to serve 63 months in prison for failing to pay more than $1 million in income tax.

The couple, however, insists that there is no law that requires citizens to pay income tax.

"There is no law. We looked and looked," Brown told the press.

Brown and his supporters, including Randy Weaver, leader of the 1992 standoff with ATF agents at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, told the press that the government has unlawfully tricked people into believing they have to pay income tax, knowing full well that such a law would be unconstitutional.

"We will defend it to the death. This is 1776 all over again. You cannot tax someone's labor because that is slavery," Brown said.

Carrying a pistol in his waistband, Brown also insisted that he could not receive a fair trial in a federal court because "the court system falls under freemasonry."

"There [are] no longer any lawful courts. The Freemasons have taken over our nation. … [Freemasons want] to take over our nation and all nations on the planet," Brown said.

Weaver, whose son was killed by federal agents and who later received a $100,000 settlement from the government, said he was there to support the Browns.

"I'd rather die on my feet right here than die on my knees under this de facto government," he said. "Bring it on."

Despite months of surveillance and reports of agents hiding in the woods of the couple's 110-acre compound, U.S. marshals said this morning that the Brown's Plainfield, N.H., home was not surrounded by their officers.

U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier made an effort to starkly contrast the actions of the Marshals with those of the ATF agents who besieged Ruby Ridge in 1992. In addition to Weaver's son, one federal agent was killed in that incident.

"There is no standoff and the house is not surrounded." Monier told ABC News.com. "We have no intention of assaulting the house or engaging in a violent confrontation."

Monier said he believed Weaver would attend the press conference the Browns are hosting this afternoon. He said Weaver and others -- some of whom are believed to have brought the couple weapons -- have been freely allowed to enter Brown's property.

"There is no reason to block Weaver. People are free to exercise their First Amendment rights," Monier said. "We are not setting up roadblocks or surrounding the house."

In April, Ed and Elaine Brown were sentenced in absentia to 63 months in prison for failing to pay more than $1 million in taxes.

Since failing to appear in court the couple has remained within the concrete-fortified walls of their rural New Hampshire home.

Monier said the Marshals have been communicating with the couple in an effort to get them to turn themselves over the federal authorities without having to resort to the use of force.

"We know they have weapons and we do not want to see this escalate," he said.

Last week agents cut off the home's telephone, Internet and power access. Monier said the couple most likely had generators -- possibly solar or wind powered -- but that eventually the Browns would become uncomfortable enough in their isolation that they would be forced to surrender.

"They probably have generators but those will soon need fuel and need people to fix them. We want to continue to encourage them, and make it uncomfortable enough for them that they'll give up."

Brown said he and his wife had enough supplies to wait out the government no matter how long it lasted. He said the couple did not use air conditioning and could chop down trees from firewood.

Last week, Danny Riley a friend of the Browns was arrested near their home by federal agents while walking the couple's dog.

The Marshals claim they were engaged in routine surveillance of the property, but the Browns believe Riley thwarted a potential raid.

Source

[The Vortex Empire]

They think that there's no law enforcing income tax... Morons. So, the government has them under siege?

[Shinova]

Freemasons? Not Jews? LOL.


Seriously though, that's just nutty. Maybe the Feds should just starve them out.

[EmperorChrostas the Cruel]

No law? No law? There's a fucking constitutional AMENDMENT about income tax. The 16th one! From that springs forth reams of paper full of laws about tax collection.

[Superman]

Perfectly normal, perfectly healthy...

[Jadeite]

No law? No law? There's a fucking constitutional AMENDMENT about income tax. The 16th one! From that springs forth reams of paper full of laws about tax collection.

They don't consider the 16th to be a valid amendment, due to some technicality about Ohio "not being a valid state at the time".

[The Duchess of Zeon]

I think this calls for a 300 spoof.

"Mr. Brown? This is criminal! You must pay your taxes!"

"TAXES!? YOU'RE A FREEMASON!"

[Chris OFarrell]

Where these wacos stand up and start giving a speech to the hoards of Feds...only to be shot to pieces in the age of long range rifle fire?

Seriously though, I'm hoping the Marshall's have learned from cockups like Waco and Ruby Ridge and will just take it calmly and carefully step by step.

[Lord Zentei]

No law? No law? There's a fucking constitutional AMENDMENT about income tax. The 16th one! From that springs forth reams of paper full of laws about tax collection.

They don't consider the 16th to be a valid amendment, due to some technicality about Ohio "not being a valid state at the time".

Heh. And, of course, they deem themselves to be the ones qualified to judge that as opposed to, say, the Supreme Court...

Last week, Danny Riley a friend of the Browns was arrested near their home by federal agents while walking the couple's dog.

The Marshals claim they were engaged in routine surveillance of the property, but the Browns believe Riley thwarted a potential raid.

Damn, that guy must have been some badass, preventing a raid into their homes despite being arrested. Normally one would think that would make him unable to do anything about any such raid.

[Pelranius]

I hope the feds starve them out. No sense in wasting tear gas on morons like them.

[lance]

I hope the feds starve them out. No sense in wasting tear gas on morons like them.

Instead you have to have officers stay there for maybe months. Who could be doing better things.

[Darth Wong]

Where these wacos stand up and start giving a speech to the hoards of Feds...only to be shot to pieces in the age of long range rifle fire?

Seriously though, I'm hoping the Marshall's have learned from cockups like Waco and Ruby Ridge and will just take it calmly and carefully step by step.

The only reason Ruby Ridge and Waco were "cockups" was the peculiar American propensity for taking the side of the criminal. If you are brandishing weapons and getting yourself into an armed standoff with the police, you shouldn't be surprised when they shoot at you. And if your kid is an accomplice in this activity, then why is anyone surprised when he gets shot too? As for Waco, if they had been Muslim religious extremists instead of white Christians, people wouldn't have given a second thought to the notion that the government deliberately burned down the compound rather than them doing it to themselves.

In America, if you're a black guy in a ghetto and you threaten the cops with a firearm, they can shoot you and they did a good deed. But if you're a white guy on a ranch and you threaten the cops with a firearm, they're supposed to bring you milk and cookies and ask you nicely to put the weapon down.

[Tribun]

"There are only two things you can't escape from: death and taxes."

I guess they want to chose death.

[TC Pilot]

Taxing labor is slavery? Never mind the fact he's being paid for doing work he doesn't have to be doing if he chose to.

What idiots. I hope the Free Masons crush them.

[Darth Servo]

Taxing labor is slavery? Never mind the fact he's being paid for doing work he doesn't have to be doing if he chose to.

You just gotta love his insistence that this is "1776 all over again". Last time I checked the American Revolution wasn't about freeing any slaves. That came nearly 100 years later. Where did this moron go to school again?

What idiots. I hope the Free Masons crush them.

A little sarcasm for their ridiculous conspiracy theory there? I doubt the actual Freemasons give a damn. They've been targets of conspiracy theories since long before any of us were born.

[TC Pilot]

You just gotta love his insistence that this is "1776 all over again". Last time I checked the American Revolution wasn't about freeing any slaves. That came nearly 100 years later. Where did this moron go to school again?

He's probably referring to the taxes part. American public schools have a tendency to overemphasize the role taxation played in the colonies' revolt.

A little sarcasm for their ridiculous conspiracy theory there? I doubt the actual Freemasons give a damn. They've been targets of conspiracy theories since long before any of us were born.

I remember watching a video online much like where Leno asks simple questions to people on the street. When asked what Al-Queda was, the man responded, "A branch of the Masonic Order"

It's kinda frightening these kind of people actually help determine who runs the country.

[Patrick Degan]

No law? No law? There's a fucking constitutional AMENDMENT about income tax. The 16th one! From that springs forth reams of paper full of laws about tax collection.

They don't consider the 16th to be a valid amendment, due to some technicality about Ohio "not being a valid state at the time".

WTF? Did Ohio briefly seceed from the Union for a couple of weeks in 1913?

[Jadeite]

No law? No law? There's a fucking constitutional AMENDMENT about income tax. The 16th one! From that springs forth reams of paper full of laws about tax collection.

They don't consider the 16th to be a valid amendment, due to some technicality about Ohio "not being a valid state at the time".

WTF? Did Ohio briefly seceed from the Union for a couple of weeks in 1913?

No, it was just a paperwork fuckup and the ratification wasn't done "properly", so these people consider the vote not valid, and any laws stemming from the 16th amendment not valid either.

[Jadeite]

Sorry to make a double post, I just went and found the entire story. Apparently Congress never passed a resolution formally admitting Ohio, but that was corrected in 1953. Tax retards claim that since Ohio wasn't properly admitted until then, that President Taft wasn't a natural born American citizen, and thus couldn't have introduced the amendment. Of course, it's bullshit anyway because Congress retroactively declared Ohio's admission in 1803.

[Darth Holbytlan]

Sorry to make a double post, I just went and found the entire story. Apparently Congress never passed a resolution formally admitting Ohio, but that was corrected in 1953. Tax retards claim that since Ohio wasn't properly admitted until then, that President Taft wasn't a natural born American citizen, and thus couldn't have introduced the amendment. Of course, it's bullshit anyway because Congress retroactively declared Ohio's admission in 1803.

Wow, that really is retarded. Not only does the President have no legal role in the amendment process, making his legitimacy irrelevant, but 38 states ratified it. Even if Ohio is thrown out, it still passed with room to spare. Wikipedia also mentioned some claims about differences in capitalization and punctuation in different state's versions---they might as well claim the amendments were in different typefaces---and some procedural issues. Both of those fall under de minimis non curat lex, the legal principal of ignoring trivial shit.

[TC Pilot]

It doesn't matter if Ohio was or wasn't a state anyway. The Constitution applies to every state, regardless of when it was admitted. The South can't have slavery any more even though they weren't states when the 13th amendment was passed.

Not only that, but the condition of the president's home state is irrelevant (if it wasn't a state, it was still a territory, and still part of the United States, anyway). President Johnson was from Tennessee and was made president before the state was readmitted.

Essentially, no matter what they try, this family has absolutely no legal or moral ground to justify their actions.

[Lonestar]

A little sarcasm for their ridiculous conspiracy theory there? I doubt the actual Freemasons give a damn. They've been targets of conspiracy theories since long before any of us were born.

George Washington would be shocked, yes, shocked to hear that there are Freemasons in positions of power in the US Government.

[Superman]

Here's what gets me about these shitheads; even IF they were correct (just go along with me here), they would rather protest and be jailed than pay. Even if the government is taking money illegally, they can still arrest you and throw your ass into prison. It doesn't take a genius to weigh out the consequences and see which of the two is better. Fucking lunatics...

[Singular Intellect]

It's been mentioned already, but the irony of the phrase "Death and Taxes" is certainly amusing in this situation.

[Alerik the Fortunate]

Perhaps they think of themselves as libertarian martyrs, and their deaths will awaken the masses from their slumber to avail themselves of their second amendment rights to attempt armed overthrow of the government that would illegally pass laws allowing the taxation of their hard earned money.