I celebrated New Year’s this year at a residence I rented in Maine, not too far from where I was born. My “pure Canadian” wife and I were joined by our two daughters and their husbands, as well as other family members including my mother who continues to live on Campobello Island where I grew up. The reason for the celebration in Maine was that my older daughter, who now lives in Texas and is married to a Texan, has applied for a green card and could not leave the US. She and her husband had originally intended to come to Nova Scotia and spend Christmas with us, but when her green card did not get issued in time, we had to settle on “Plan B”, which allowed her to spend some time with her grandmother and other family members.
When I opened my Christmas gift from my Texas daughter and her husband, it was a T-shirt with a depiction on the front of a star above a cannon and the words “COME AND TAKE IT”. My son-in-law, who is from Cuero, explained that the shirt was from the neighbouring town of Gonzales. He explained that back in the 1800’s, Mexican authorities had given the people of Gonzales a cannon to help protect themselves from frequent Comanche raids. Over the next few years, the political situation in Mexico deteriorated and several states revolted. The Mexican commander thought it unwise to leave the cannon with the residents of Gonzales and asked them to return the cannon. The residents’ reply was a defiant “COME AND TAKE IT”. The Battle of Gonzales was the first military engagement of the Texas Revolution.
As I often rant about the US government as a result of FATCA, the slogan made my daughter and son-in-law think of me. This slogan basically sums up my position with regards to FATCA. Regarding my paltry life’s savings, my message to Barack Obama, his henchmen in the US government and his minions in the Canadian government, is “COME AND TAKE IT”! Instead of a star above a cannon, my flag has a maple leaf above a piggy bank. I have no intention of giving Barack Obama, Charlie Rangel, Timothy Geithner, Hilary Clinton, or anyone else in that crime syndicate known as the US government one cent of my hard earned money without a fight. The opening salvo in that fight starts with the ADCS Charter challenge.
According to Wikipedia, “Under President Antonio López de Santa Anna, the Mexican government began to shift away from a federalist model. The increasingly dictatorial policies, including the revocation of the Constitution of 1824 in early 1835, incited many federalists to revolt. The border region of Mexican Texas was largely populated by immigrants from the United States. These were accustomed to a federalist government and to extensive individual rights, and they were quite vocal in their displeasure at Mexico’s shift towards centralism.” In relation to the cannon, Wikipedia says, “The cannon’s fate is disputed. It may have been buried and rediscovered in 1936, or it may have been seized by Mexican troops after the Battle of the Alamo”.
Regarding the Alamo, Wikipedia says, “The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under PresidentGeneral Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the Alamo Mission near San Antonio de Béxar (modern-day San Antonio, Texas, United States), killing all of the Texian defenders. Santa Anna’s cruelty during the battle inspired many Texians—both Texas settlers and adventurers from the United States—to join the Texian Army. Buoyed by a desire for revenge, the Texians defeated the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto, on April 21, 1836, ending the revolution.”
As I get older, I wish I had spent more of my life studying history. Someone said, “Those who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it.” Though I have just scratched the surface in learning about the Texas Revolution, it was amazing how it seemed to describe what we are facing. The US government (both parties), in shifting from a federalist model, becoming increasingly dictatorial, ignoring the Constitution and removing individual rights are stoking the fires of revolt. There is a reason Donald Trump is so popular, and the unrest in the US is palpable as Obama continues to act as a monarch. I expect his next executive order will be to repeal the Magna Carta!
The Battle of Gonzales had little military significance, but it marked a clear break between the colonists and the dictatorial government and is considered to have been the start of the Texas Revolution. In the Battle of the Alamo, the vastly outgunned and outnumbered colonists eventually succumbed to the government firepower, but the cruelty of the government got the attention of and stoked the anger of the larger population. Once the slumbering masses were awakened to the cruelty of the government, the fight was over and the government lost. I have heard it said of our fight that we are in a marathon, not a sprint. I would like to add that we may have lost a battle, but we will win the war.
Any good “revolution” against oppressive dictators requires brave leadership. I am so thankful for (alphabetically) Gwen Deegan, Peter Dunn, Ginny Hillis, Stephen Kish, Tricia Moon, John Richardson, Lynne Swanson and Carol Tapanila (and others – please forgive me if I have overlooked you). Others, whose real names I do not know, are involved in other ways, for example supporting the Charter challenge or regularly commenting on news articles, changing hearts and minds one at a time. I am especially thankful for Ginny and Gwen, the public faces of our ragtag group of women and men. They are more concerned about the plights of people like me than they are about their own comfort and security. It is in large part from following their brave example, that I defiantly tell Obama that if he wants to plunder my totally Canadian earned life’s savings, “COME AND TAKE IT”!
Though I forgot to mention him in my post (mainly because I don’t know his real name), another Brocker whose bravery inspires me is Native Canadian. His courage in confronting MP’s about our situation during the election campaign was impressive. I also find the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms toilet paper idea to be very fitting. To publicly provide a roll to each MP in the Conservative and Liberal parties (the two parties who have now shown that they will not protect the rights of Canadians) would be classic.
@CanadianCop
BRAVO! A Tour De Force post.
And you are so right about all our heroes and heroines.
Native Canadian also… and the mental image of all the MPs on both sides of the aisle in Parliament being issued a roll of Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms toilet paper has completely made my day!!
And did not Gregg Abbott , Governor of Texas just say that very thing to Obama regarding guns?
COME AND TAKE THEM!
Dear Canadian Cop,
It is wonderful to read a new post from you. Is it time for an update of your earlier post especially for the new Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who says *A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian*?
If there are new readers here who have not yet read the Canadian Cop post mentioned, I bring it forward for you as it was then and is now a *Must-Read*.
http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2014/02/07/an-open-letter-to-prime-minister-harper/
Thanks for your thanks to us, especially to Gwen and Ginny who stand for us all in…
The opening salvo in the fight that starts with the ADCS Charter challenge.
COME AND TAKE IT !
@Canadian Cop
Thank you for a wonderful post and furthering my education about the other bordering country( Mexico).
You have served our country Canada in your profession here well and I thank you.
The motto Gwen and I have is just a little different from yours.
We always say COME AND GET US, but please if you must, take us to that beautiful country of Cuba we both love so well if you are going to throw us in one of your rotten prisons.
I am glad to read you had such a wonderful family time over the holidays. I agree with you that fearless NativeCanadian is an inspiration. He excels in creative ideas.
Thank you also for your kind words about Gwen and me. She is one of the best persons I have ever met. If my dad were still alive, he would call us the ragtag team ruffians. I hope to have the opportunity to shake your hand one day, along with many from this group. I consider myself so fortunate to have ( not actually, but some day) met and been inspired by so many wonderful dedicated people here, and I count you as one of them.
@FuriousAC
I did see a tweet from Greg Abbott (someone I know must have “liked” it) in which he said his response to Obama wanting to impose more gun control was “COME & TAKE IT”. It included a picture of the same “COME AND TAKE IT” flag that was on my T-shirt. I had never heard of it before, then saw it twice in a week.
@Calgary411
Thanks for your kind words. I wish I was as dedicated as you and many others are, there are just so many demands on my time that this effort often gets bumped down the priority list. I am expecting my first two grandchildren this year (one from each daughter), but every joy in life is somewhat tempered by this evil that we have to deal with. The sad part is, I know that everyone else struggles with the same undeserved loss of joy.
@Canadian Ginny
You and Gwen truly are an inspiration to myself and many others. The only Brocker that I have met in person so far is John Richardson, who was extremely helpful and compassionate. Like you, I look forward to the day when I can meet you (and other contributors to this cause who have been so important in helping me maintain some semblance of sanity) face-to-face and express my gratitude in person. Hopefully our “Alamo” is behind us and this will be the year when things coalesce in our favour!
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”, George Santayana.
“Those who study history are condemned to repeat it. Those who don’t study it experience it for the first time”, Norman Diamond.
I won’t be sending them a direct “Come and take it!” taunt. However I decided a couple of years ago that if they try to steal my life’s savings (all Canadian sourced) then I will not help them do it. They’ll have to do the deed without any input from me. I guess that would make me uncooperative as well as willfully non-compliant. If that makes me a bad person then so be it.
@ Canadian Cop
I am expecting my first two grandchildren this year (one from each daughter), but every joy in life is somewhat tempered by this evil that we have to deal with.
Great expectations, congratulations. May I offer you some unsolicited thoughts? I can assure you, as a grandmother of five, that nothing compares or will ever overshadow that joy. You can get back to me when you become a grandfather and I will rejoice with you. You’ll see. As overpowering as the troubles we face, I guarantee the joys of being a grandparent. Best wishes to you and your family on the two new arrivals. 2016 is destined to be a wonderful year!
RBT is the only, “REAL” solution to all of the issues of FATCA/IGA.
Those still off-shoring finances for “no good” will be the only ones caught.
Unless they’re VERY wealthy, in case of that, they tax-dodge with impunity & welcome at the bequest of the “happy-to-serve-you congressmen & women” along with the IRS:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/30/business/economy/for-the-wealthiest-private-tax-system-saves-them-billions.html?_r=0
How do they get away with this sh*t??? Are the US people/sheeple really that dense????
@Jane, “Are the US people/sheeple really that dense????”
In one word, YES.
And Congress needs scapegoats, look in the mirror you are a scapegoat.
Some of the same powerful people rewarded in the 2008 financial debacle.
How can we put this info out to the populace. I feel this info never makes it to them at all…
Jane,
I think that yours is one of the most important questions for us.
In my mind, it is partly the purposeful distraction of *the populace* to what really is happening in our world and the failure of the media, generally, to report what we, *the populace*, do need to know in the mainstream media. Our news seems to be advertisements for what the corporate part of the corporate media wants *the populace* to know — that and our more important entertainment.
I have always thought that the FATCA issue, and especially how this US extra-territoriality affects *US Persons Abroad*, should be front-page news. I have not seen that.
Related to that, for me, is the non-communication we experience from our government representatives in our own countries, to say nothing of the non-communication with US government representatives (even when we have been asked to submit our comments). It has mostly been communication in one direction –> to the governments but nothing (or very little, mostly lip service) back. We and our issues are nearly invisible and that (in my opinion), too, is on purpose.
If there were a “war” which targeted 8 million, I’m sure it would be reported on.
We, are at war.
Where is the outrage?
The moment has passed for me to say “come and take it”, but I commend you, Ginny, Gwen and all others who do, Canadian Cop.
I’ll keep doing what I do to affect change from within the system, but I think it will ultimately be the rebels like you all who get us the attention we need. Bravo!
Jane,
There may be no or little outrage because we have all effectively been painted *US tax evaders* who do not pay our fair share (to a country we do not reside in and do not receive benefits from) by the corporate media in its cut and paste article advertisements in support of unfair US extra-territorial CBT law instead of reporting what is another exceptionality of the US, citizenship-based taxation. I daresay even the majority of those who read such articles may not understand CBT. The media’s message could better (or equally) be the US citizenship issue, that is the genesis.
@Bubbles……the rebels outside the systems also need the rebels inside the system!!!
And alas, I do not have a clue as to where I fit within the spectrum….
It has been the ploy of the present US administration to ‘divide and conquer’ placing the ‘haves’ against the ‘havenots’ . They are not lone government in this , but are the most visible.
‘Paying your fair share’ was a great campaign ploy and has worked there for years.
Those not paying taxes outnumber those who do by a wide margin.
The top 20% of earners pay 84% of the taxes and that margin widens the more welfare and other goodies are handed out by governments to garner votes.
WITH TAXPAYER dollars, not their own. If politicians had to dig into their own pockets that handout would be reduced dramatically. ( meanwhile THEIR pockets are filled with the millions of special interests to ensure THEY get the ear of the politician to advance THEIR agenda. )
With that kind of disparity, the majority of the population of working age do NOT pay taxes, they COLLECT from the government.
And it is not the seniors on CPP or other earned pensions sucking the coffers dry.
They continue to pay taxes in many ways when they have already spent a lifetime paying taxes.
This, in my opinion, is the reason why we do not have the kind of financial support needed.
Even if we ourselves have little to give, we give it because we have been productive members of society and have and do pay income taxes where we live. We have been and continue to be productive members of society.
Overtaxed, harassed, under assault by a greedy society intent on taking from those who have earned it to give it to those who have not.
In the meantime, the assault continues on our freedom and individual liberty, the vanguard headed by our own government, fighting us tooth and nail with our own money.
It is set up for our voice to be silenced and silenced forever. Just be good little sheep and go to the polls when we tell you and we will take care of the rest. Keep quiet from then on until we call on you again to go to the polls. A charade designed to make us think we are a free society.
I can think of no more egregious betrayal of free peoples. Politicians around the world , once elected, head for the UN and get their marching orders and once home make sure the lines of communication are well open for the lobbyists seeking favour.
As pointed out in posts above, the silence from our elected officials when WE contact them is deafening.
@George
Thanks. I often wonder how one can rebel against something one conforms to.
You add valuable support to the Rebels both in and outside the system!
I cannot count the number of expatriate Americans who have, like James Cagney in “White Heat,” (1949), announced to the IRS (literally or figuratively) “Come and get me, Copper”. I first encountered such a person in 1970, an expat in Germany, who wrote the IRS and told them to treat him as deceased. His sons were, at that time, in the German Army and presumptively (at that time) ipso facto divested of US citizenship unless they took steps otherwise.
The fact is that the IRS will do no such thing if the former taxpayer, self-divested of American citizenship, has no assets, income or heirs in the USA. The days of gunboat diplomacy are over. Indeed, the USA is increasingly, in Europe and the Middle East if not in Canada, being seen as a toothless tiger. Only those entities and governments fearful of losing access to Wall Street continue to genuflect. It may be that the destruction of VW, following on multi-billion-dollar impositions on foreign banks, will turn the tide. IMHO all the protests, petitions, lawsuits and anguished postings on forums by particular Americans will be as unheard in Washington as those prayers that, on Aug. 22, 1980, Bailley Smith said would not be listened to in Heaven.
Unfortunately no practising lawyer or accountant can give advice along these lines, at least not if s/he has a US connection and could be subject to reprisal. (Thus: client privilege ceases if advice would tend to assist in breaking the law.) But the statistics (8.4 million Americans abroad, they say? Count ’em: improbable, but never mind that) speak louder than any forum, or any professional.
@Canadian Cop. Thank you very much for the mention. I would tend to think that ANY Canadian would stand up for the innocent people who are being betrayed by the government they support. The driving force behind what I am doing about this issue can be summed up in one word: “innocence” While I fully support a punishment for anyone who commits a crime, I would hope that a government would also, and equally, support and stand up for the innocent. This USA law has no right to attack innocent Canadian citizens. We can go over this time and time again and it always comes to the same conclusion that the USA laws end at their border as does the education of their laws within their country. The USA has extended by threat, their laws into Canada without also extending their obligation to educate anyone they target. This created innocent people being told they are guilty and MUST obey a foreign law. For many reasons, I will go out of my way to educate, and gain support for our lawsuit and for our families. I will also go out of my way to shame and educate government representatives who traded CANADIAN CITIZENS for MONEY. Canada does not do this to Canadians do they Mr. Trudeau? Thanks everyone for your support. We will protect our people.
@Bubblebustin
I’ll keep doing what I do to affect change from within the system, but I think it will ultimately be the rebels like you all who get us the attention we need. Bravo!
Not so sure. People who work within the systems often get the hardest work done. It’s tedious, frustrating, bang your head against a brick wall type of thing, but often effective. Diplomacy is an effective skill and art.
Rebels, by definition don’t suffer systems well. They believe in the squeaky wheel sort of thing. I admire people who have the patience to take the long view. I did that at one time. Rarely worked due to my nature. That lack of patience gene again, which as I get older has been depleted.
Inside workers are very valuable. We need the ying and yang of both. The philosophy and strategy of attacking both flanks, I guess. In other words, there’s room for all. Every effort can move us closer to our goal.
@NativeCanadian
We can go over this time and time again and it always comes to the same conclusion that the USA laws end at their border.
Exactly that simple. Baffles me how people don’t get that. Especially politicians. I’d love to take a quiet stroll with Trudeau2 along the beautiful riverfront of my city looking over the not as nice riverview across the narrow river. I’d ask him if he knew where we were at that moment. I’d suggest he look to the midpoint of that river and ask him where he thought the boundary between two sovereign nations lie and what he thought that boundary means. I’d remind him of the days of the 1967 Detroit riots when my city’s Fire Department sent ,with Detroit’s permission and gratitude, as many firefighters and trucks as they could provide to assist our neighbors whose city was burning. A day I will never forget. Detroit looked for the helpers on that dark but fiery day and we were there for them without equivocation or passports or compensation for the many days of support our firefighters donated. That’s what good neighbours do. Now that same neighbouring country comes to our lands not in friendship or assistance but as a bully boy to extract money from the same permanent residents and Canadian citizens they want to claim for their coffers.