So we now have another installment in the story of the two whack job fugitives Ed and Elaine Brown of Plainfield, New Hampshire. Convicted of tax evasion and hiding almost two million dollars in income from the IRS, the Browns have holed up in a mansion that they own on 110 acres and sworn that they'll fight to the death before coming out. And a few dozen other America-hating, no-job-having, wanna-be militia heroes have left their trailer homes and come to support the Browns and talk trash about the government, at least until the police actually show up.
The latest from the news
Some may sympathize with the Browns. After all, no one really likes paying taxes, me included. But I suspect that most of us are merely bugged about the amount and the fact that so much is wasted or spent on programs that don't do anything for those of us who actually pay. That's understandable. But the Browns--having done quite well in America and amassed millions of dollars--just decided that they don't want to pay their fair share, period. Did they stop working and go live in the woods, you ask? DId they move out of the country? No. They just began to use elaborate means to conceal their earnings, expenses and property purchases while still living the good life and availing themselves off all of the benefits of living in America--benefits that you and I and most everyone else paid for. They didn't stand up and object to the tax system like any citizen is allowed to do according to our Constitution. They didn't sue for relief in our courts. No, they just lied and cheated until they got caught, and only then did they start that the system is unfair. And that quickly changed to "the system doesn't exist!" Ed Brown now claims that the federal government, the courts, the local sheriff, and anyone else that he doesn't like are all just "fictions" and have no authority over him. He stopped going to his trial even though he knew that the trial was going on without him. His equally crazy wife Elaine stuck her trial out, but upon conviction and with a sentence of 5 years hanging over her, she tearfully begged the judge to release her to her son so that she could tidy up some of her affairs, promising that she wouldn't go back to her husband and their mansion. In my opinion, the judge should have known better than to trust a proven liar, but he let her go and she promptly broke her word and ran straight to their compound, where she now sits, also declaring that the judge is a "fiction" and shaking a gun at anyone that she thinks might be coming to arrest her and her goofy husband.
So far, the US Marshals aren't rushing to storm the compound, a fact which seems to disappoint the Browns and their disciples, most of whom apparently idolize and envy Randy Weaver and the Branch Davidians and wish that they too could die as martyrs. The Browns and their flaky followers have taken great pains to prepare for a siege, stockpiling food, gas for their generator, guns, and other supplies. But now the government isn't giving them the chance to make that last desperate stand that they crave. We're not going to engage in that kind of game with them," U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier said. But, he added, "law enforcement is not going away and neither are the warrants."
Good move. The knotheads have to come out sooner or later. If nothing else, they're already in prison as they can't leave their mansion. And the day that they do, even if it's ten years down the road, then their real prison terms will begin.
Still, it's my hope that the government at least brings this closer to an end by cutting their power and phones and keeping their loon fan club and relatives from resupplying them. When they run out of gas and canned food and when they can no longer issue statements to the media and their fan base, they'll walk out the door eventually. And when the government seizes every asset that they own to defray the cost of monitoring them and babysitting them in their estate, leaving them to walk out of prison with the clothes on their backs and a pair of bus tickets, I for one won't have a problem with it.
I'm sure that some of their supporters will let them stay with them for a while, assuming that there's room in those trailers that most of them call home.
My take: America is a great country with a great system that let's anyone work to change or challenge the laws. If you don't like something, either try to change it or accept it. But breaking the laws for years then running away after getting caught isn't an option that I'll ever support for anyone. Heck, I'd like to see the Browns' citizenship revoked and I would enjoy the sight of them being deported too. Maybe we can trade them to Mexico for a couple of maids or landscapers who really want to come here, obey our laws and eventually become good citizens.
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