Motherhood, Apple Pie, All Part Of Sinister Plot Says True American Patriot

[Dr Adequate]

So what do you call an American who declares that he is not a citizen of the US, that the US does not in fact exsit, that the almighty dollar is completely worthless, that Congress has no powers over him, that he doesn't have to pay taxes, that he's exempt from US law, that the US i(which doesn't exist) is secretly run by the Knights Templar, that Bush was behind 9/11, that 1776 was a "year of infamy" ... ?

A patriot, of course! What else?

I guess most of the American posters have seen these people but my mind is still boggling.

My favorite is this guy. Did you know that America was secretly run by British lawyers? He also definitely wins the prize for Earliest Date At Which America Was Betrayed. Most of 'em date this incident to 1865, but this guy has talent :

1776 is the year that will truly live in infamy for all Americans.

Okay, now my brain is frightened and trying to escape. The article also contains winged monkeys.

I can't quite get a handle on these people. I recognize their politics but what the heck is their theology?

More wingnuts :

They the Elitist Globalist Bush Crime Cabal are preparing for another American War in the United States by their continually creating Haliburton No Bid Contracts as for example the recent $385 billion dollars to build more concentration camps in order for the Bush New World Order to be able to imprison the uprising and then to further mass murder the approximately expected fifteen million American dissident Patriots. These Money Laundering Elitist Illuminati Gangsters are going to be rounding all dissident American Patriots up anyway America.

I don't usually approve of Bush, but if he's going to round these people up and shoot 'em, I'll hold his coat. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

Oh, and did you know that Good And Lawfull Christians aren't people and don't have names? And that's the law, so it is.

Arrgh.

Anyway, there's now a SkepticWiki article on [swiki]Tax Protestor[/swiki]s, and will shortly be one on Christian Reconstruction. On the downside, I now require psychiatric counselling.

 

[RandFan]

So what do you call an American who declares that he is not a citizen of the US, that the US does not in fact exsit, that the almighty dollar is completely worthless, that Congress has no powers over him, that he doesn't have to pay taxes, that he's exempt from US law, that the US i(which doesn't exist) is secretly run by the Knights Templar, that Bush was behind 9/11, that 1776 was a "year of infamy" ... ?

"Sovereign citizens" AKA convicts. For some unknown reason the IRS doesn't take too kindly to folks not paying taxes and with heretofore unknown means they will through your ass in jail if you willfully refuse to file your return.

Strange.

ETA: Folks, file the damn return and pay your taxes. If you don't like it petition congress or move. I don't like it either but it is what it is.

 

[BPSCG]

On the downside, I now require psychiatric counselling.

What, just because some weirdos are claiming some exotic legal theories to evade paying taxes? You must truly be a delicate flower if that's all it takes to send you 'round the bend.

BTW, what RandFan said. These nutjobs, when caught, get prosecuted, fined, and jailed for tax evasion and fraud. Not one of them has ever won against the IRS in tax court.

 

[shemp]

He required psychiatric counseling before he read this stuff, there is no connection.

 

[rdaneel]

Not one of them has ever won against the IRS in tax court.

Which just goes to prove it's all a big conspiracy.

 

[RandFan]

...they will through your ass in jail...

Really, "through"? Sheesh, take a moment and read the post. Is that too much to ask?

 

[BPSCG]

Really, "through"? Sheesh, take a moment and read the post. Is that too much to ask?

Y'know, you can hit the edit button within two hours of putting up a post, and correct your spelling errors. How do you think I mange to avoid typos so well?

 

[slingblade]

I think you guys are right (surprise!). If you don't like the taxation system, either work to change it or move. (Hi, Jocko! I don't normally protest taxation, but then, I only pay sales tax! ) If I've made a false dichotomy, I don't mean to; please help me out by explaining the other options you might have, aside from refusing to pay, leaving, or protesting while paying.

I know I'm putting this far too simplistically, but in essence, I think it's wrong to live off this country's dime and protest that you don't think it's fair to have to pay your dime, too. I think at least some of these "protesting" conveniently forget or don't think about everything from which they benefit, which taxes provide.

I bet they enjoy a nice steak, and don't think about who tries to make sure they really are nice, and who pays for that effort.
I bet they enjoy a nice drive on well-maintained highways and don't think about who pays to maintain them.

Bet their tap water is potable. Bet their medicines are relatively safe. I bet their money is good no matter where they take it.

I bet they have a legal right to protest, to begin with......

I just think, simplistically again, that if you're going to honestly protest paying taxes [edit] by not paying any taxes, you ought to also give up everything those taxes provide. If you can help pay for it, but you think you're paying too much, of course you can and should protest that. I'm only saying you shouldn't be wanting to *eat your cake and have it, too. Otherwise, who can take you seriously?


*I recently learned that's how that should be said. If you've eaten your cake, you can't have it, too. You've already had it. Said this way, the saying truly means you're wanting what you can't have. Interesting, huh? Wonder how it got turned 'round?

Edited for more clarity.

 

[Regnad Kcin]

I*I recently learned that's how that should be said. If you've eaten your cake, you can't have it, too. You've already had it. Said this way, the saying truly means you're wanting what you can't have. Interesting, huh? Wonder how it got turned 'round?

A bird in Bush is worth two in the hand.

 

[slingblade]

Whatwasthatyousaid? Bush is a birdbrain? What?

 

[RandFan]

Whatwasthatyousaid? Bush is a birdbrain? What?

A bird's bush is good in the hand... or is that "I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy". I get the two confused.

 

[bob_kark]

On the downside, I now require psychiatric counselling.

I beg to differ, they're certainly the ones requiring counselling. It would seem to me, the person with no degree in psychology who makes random posts that border on nonsense at best, that there are some people in this world that simply need the world to be more than it appears to be. It seems chaotic enough for me. However, things are always more interesting when your life resembles a Jerry Bruckheimer film, at least in your mind. Also, some people, obviously, will go out of their way to avoid paying for anything. Especially if they can become extraordinarily mental in the process.

The frightening thing in my opinion is that these nutjobs can convince other people that they actually are in possession of some secret knowledge. I often defer to Foucault's Pendulum at this point as I think it makes a great point at how far some people can take this skewed line of reasoning. It certainly is an entertaining book and hits the point much more effectively than I could ever hope to.

 

[Dr Adequate]

What, just because some weirdos are claiming some exotic legal theories to evade paying taxes? You must truly be a delicate flower if that's all it takes to send you 'round the bend.

Joke, ho ho. But it's mind-boggling. It's like creationists got interested in tax law. In fact, [swiki]Kent Hovind[/swiki] is a tax protestor, which is why I got interested in the subject.

BTW, what RandFan said. These nutjobs, when caught, get prosecuted, fined, and jailed for tax evasion and fraud. Not one of them has ever won against the IRS in tax court.

You know, the article [swiki]Tax Protestor[/swiki] which I just linked to, and just wrote, damnit, does explain that in some detail. You don't have to tell me that they're looneys. I figured that out myself.

PS : don't you just love it when judges get sarcastic?

Plaintiff claims that he is a nonresident alien or 'foreign individual of America' in relation to the United States, and that his residence and citizenship rest solely with the States of Washington, 'a free, independent, sovereign, territory' ... Despite plaintiff's creative argument, the court takes judicial notice of the fact that the state of Washington is one of the fifty states that comprise the United States of America, entering the Union in 1889 as the forty-second state.

 

[Mephisto]

He required psychiatric counseling before he read this stuff, there is no connection.

That's part of Dr. Adequate's appeal, and why I'll always consider him a friend. He's perfect for the times. As Hunter Thompson once said, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."