Posted on 06/20/2007 8:13:49 AM PDT by Texas_Dawg
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.
I’ve heard these nutjobs on the radio and the best thing to do is put a 20 foot fence around their “property” and let them make do on their own with no outside interference (or help).
bttt
Just answer their question!!! Cite the law that says you have to pay income tax! Seems reasonable to me. If they are guilty of breaking the law, then tell them WHICH LAW
I know in any criminal court I have seen they cite which law by number
Interesting idea.
But tell me...who puts up the fence? The Gubmint? What right do they have to put up that fence? Where are the rights of the Government enumerated?
Texas_Dawg,
Do you like our military? How does their salary get paid? By citizens paying their “membership dues” to live in this country.
Example #2: You own your home. It catches on fire. You call 911 and the fire department rushes out and puts out the blaze before it consumes the whole house. Membership dues pay for that.
#3: A friend is walking down the street. He gets hit in the head with a baseball bat and dies. The police catch the killer. (Then they dilly-dally with his case longer than should be and he has endless appeals... ok... maybe this story doesn’t have an ideal ending.)
The point is - we enjoy certain benefits being Americans. Many of those benefits cost money. That’s where taxes come in.
Of course, you and I probably both agree that many of those benefits should probably be cut (not police, fire, military, but others). But if our tax burden was lower, we’d still have to pay it if we wanted to enjoy the benefits of being a citizen.
I’m not symphathetic to their cause but can people bring them food, or aren’t outside people allowed in by authorities?
Good idea, Mr. Brown - take tax advice from a neo-Nazi lunatic.
This is typical of the ‘live free and die’ locals-not the mass transplants, but the people that have been their for years and years.
This is typical of the ‘live free or die’ locals-not the mass transplants, but the people that have been their for years and years.
"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."
.....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."
Last week agents cut off the home's telephone, Internet and power access. ....eventually the Browns would become uncomfortable enough in their isolation that they would be forced to surrender.
Last week, Danny Riley a friend of the Browns was arrested near their home by federal agents while walking the couple's dog.
The house is not under seige from the feds. Yeah, right.
“his fortified compound “
Loaded words from a liberal media. It’s always a fortified compound whether the resister has concrete walls or not.
Odd situation. I guess I wish that our gubmint could find a modicum of “tolerance” for people like this who opt-out of the system. Sounds like they live, to a certain extent, in a “prison of their own making”. Makes precious little sense to me for a group of JBT’s to risk life and limb, to drag these people out of their prison, to throw them into one of “our” prisons, at our expense...
Every one of your examples can be paid for without taxing people.
But if our tax burden was lower, we’d still have to pay it if we wanted to enjoy the benefits of being a citizen.
You strongly support taxation but then get mad when people take what you support too far.
Good luck with that.
But wait, there’s more!
Do you pay income taxes yourself?
Of course, but if such a thing were done, the state operators would see a serious blow to their power and cash flows. Which is the whole point of working for the government. Their dropping the threat to attack or kill you for not paying your taxes would be highly detrimental to their own personal interests.
So, there is no private property in the US. Hand over the money, and no one gets hurt. Etc.
A real class act indeed.
The Browns are nutty for sure. That doesn’t mean people should attack and kill them for money though.
What an incredibly stupid statement. Everyone should know that the Catholic church and the Knights of Columbus control the courts. Freemasonry only controls elections and some of the police force.
Refuse to pay the Mafia's mark-up, and they will send one of their men to your home. Refuse to give him what he demands, and you'll probably get killed.
That doesn't make what the Mafia does moral or productive though. (And their allowing the man to vote against some other people before taking and redistributing his stuff among themselves and to those other people wouldn't really change this fact, fwiw.)
Justice System:
Illegal Alien don’t pay taxes= you’got it made.live off the gubmin handouts. get a green card. all the rights of a U.S. Citizen, except the shaft.
U.S. Citizen, don’t pay taxes= get shot and pissibly killed, jailed, and everything taken away.
It's called Title 26 of the U.S. Code. Section 1 states: "There is hereby imposed on the taxable income of—
(1) every married individual (as defined in section 7703) who makes a single return jointly with his spouse under section 6013, and
(2) every surviving spouse (as defined in section 2 (a)),
a tax determined in accordance with the following table...
And then it continues on to the current tax table.
What's more, Sections 61 and 63 define taxable income; Sections 6012 and 6151 state that you are required to file a return; and Section 6072 state when the return is due.
Happy now?
This is tangential, but isn't it odd (or maybe not) that this story fails to mention Weaver's wife, who was also shot and killed by the ATF.
I’ll agree, they are on the nuttier side of the candy bar, but I still feel he has a point, though lost in moon bat - english translation.
The police and fire department are paid via state taxes (which are legal) not federal, which is where the Brown’s issue lies.
I believe more Americans should take a stand against the federal government in such a way, it’s time that the politicians we elect to office start answering to us, the voters, and not to what ever special interest group is paying for lunch that week.
The amount of money the federal government brings in far exceeds it’s actual need to run the government, and that’s just plain theft at that point, I don’t think I should have to pay for John Kerry’s $400 hair cuts.
So maybe if all Americans finally stood up and demanded the government get it’s hands out of our pockets and let us choose what to fund and what not to fund, and allow us to say how much allowance they get, things would get better.
I always found it funny how they vote themselves pay raises all the time, yet never seek permission from their bosses (Us, the voters), imagine if you tried to do that at work, you’d get fired, yet we never seem to fire them...
That is how the military is paid, but income taxes is not how they should be paid. We had a military long before we had an income tax. We ceased using Constitutional methods of raising money, and we started going after the income of our own citizens. And the most egregious thing is that we patterned the income tax after the Marxist model for the purpose of wealth re-distribution. The intended re-distribution of wealth should be enough for all of us to protest the income tax, and be actively seeking to see it ended.
which was made possible by the 16th amendment.
Somehow...I don’t think that is going to satisfy them...:)
The strangest thing occurred to me today, driving passed Elaine Browns old commercial property dental office in prime West Lebanon New Hampshire retail area on the Glen Road...the property that the feds seized two weeks ago. I would dare to guestimate commercial real estate value 1 or 2 million. I wonder why they also have to seize the house because they have property already that far exceeds what the Browns owe on back taxes, fines, and legal costs.
No, I don't think it will.
Illegal Alien don’t pay taxes= you’got it made.live off the gubmin handouts. get a green card. all the rights of a U.S. Citizen, except the shaft.
U.S. Citizen, don’t pay taxes= get shot and pissibly killed, jailed, and everything taken away.
Stop voting for human beings to rule over you or "represent" you. It only makes your problems worse. Keep your dignity.
Regardless of what made the law possible, the law is still there.
Which I hate to admit, passed legally, though in a very shady manner.
The end problem is that the solution to all of this is very easy, vote out the people who constantly grown government and the tax rate, but unfortunately the American voting public is horribly ignorant in political information, and in turn vote based on an American Idol model, really, really sad...
Accurate description of these two clowns, and a great idea with the fence.
I was with him up until the Freemasonry BS.
To make an example of them. That's all this is about now.
The Mafia demands you pay its mark-up for the "services" it claims to provide you. Don't pay the mark-up and it will threaten you to do so. Continue to refuse, and it will send men to your home, and at that point, they won't just be there to collect some little mark-up anymore. They'll be there to deliver a little message to you... but more importantly, to its other subjects that are watching.
Good to see someone besides me knows this.
FYI the rest of the police force not controlled by Masons is controlled by the Moose Lodge.
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