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Jun. 8, 2007 SWAT teams, armored vehicles, an explosive disposal unit, and a communications truck surrounded the house. Roadblocks were constructed in a one mile perimeter around the house, blocking the media from entry and AP helicopters were ordered out of the airspace. The power and phone lines to the house were then cut. Although eerily similar to the scene in Waco, Texas in 1993, this was the scene outside of Edward Brown’s Plainfield, New Hampshire home on June 7th. What was the reason for the mass amounts of military gathering outside of the Brown home? According to federal authorities this was necessary to serve Ed Brown and his wife, Elaine, with a warrant for tax evasion. Edward and Elaine Brown were accused by the government of tax evasion, after refusing to pay an income tax for the past five years. Halfway through the trial Edward Brown refused to return to the court and surrender to federal authorities. In January of 2007, Ed and Elaine Brown were found guilty of tax evasion. Before being sentenced, Elaine joined her husband in their house and also refused to surrender to authorities. They have since both been sentenced to more than five years in jail. For months the Browns have secluded themselves inside their Plainfield home and Ed Brown has stated in several interviews that he will not go to jail and is prepared to defend himself against any siege by the government. He has also stated that all the government or IRS must to do is show them the law requiring them to pay an income tax and he will surrender. Throughout his entire trial none of the prosecutors could show the law requiring the average American to pay an income tax. The Browns’ claim is that the 16th Amendment, which requires people to pay an income tax, is unconstitutional because it is a direct unapportioned tax. What this means is that the income tax is a tax that everyone must pay, but is not equally distributed among the population. The Constitution states that Congress has no power to levy a direct unapportioned tax. Also, the Supreme Court has found in several cases, such as Pollock v. Farmer’s Loan and Trust, that the federal government has no right to place a tax on the people’s income. Also, in 1918, following the ratification of the 16th amendment, the Supreme Court found in the case of William E. Peck & Co. v. Lowe that the 16th amendment gave the federal government no new taxing powers. In addition, IRS code itself states that it is “voluntary” to comply with the IRS tax laws. These Supreme Court cases have never been overturned and the federal government has never been able to identify a law that requires every American to pay an income tax. Even beyond the actual case, the government’s moves are extremely unnecessary. Do they honestly need hundreds of soldiers and military vehicles to take the Browns into custody? Is it worth the risk of death to take them into custody? And how can the government justify spending more money on taking the Browns into custody than the Browns are accused of withholding? All of the government’s actions illustrate a tyrannical government that would rather risk a standoff with its own citizens than answer a few simple questions. Danny Riley, a supporter of the Browns, has accused government agents of firing at him even though he was unarmed and not in any way interfering with the agents. Several witnesses have substantiated this claim, asserting that they heard gun shots. Remember that Ed Brown has promised to surrender if the federal government simply showed him the law that requires paying an income tax. Since the government can’t prove the legality of the income tax they are using force to impose their will on the people. This is not what America was founded on. This is no longer a free country. |
