Liberty and justice for all United States persons abroad

The Isaac Brock Society

Author Archives: Petros

Fair tax, unfair tax: or When is it paying my fair share?

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Patrick Henry: Tax Protestor

In studying historical tax rebellions, I have observed that governments have frequently been ready to commit mass murder in order to maintain their tax hegemony over a people.  South Korea committed mass murder against the poor tax revolters on Jeju Island, who rose up in rebellion in 1948; Californians rode out to suppress the Indian tax revolters in 1851; Britain waged war against American colonists who unilaterally declared a permanent tax holiday from King George; the Romans razed the Temple at Jerusalem and crucified the anti-tax zealots in the Jewish War of succession in AD 66-70.  Even George Washington, the beloved president who cut down the cherry tree but could not lie about it, personally led the troops against the Western Pennsylvanian tax protestors in the Whiskey Rebellion. No nation which wants to be taken seriously can ever allow a tax revolt.  That’s why Irwin Schiff, father of investor Peter Schiff, rots in a Federal prison.

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Federal Public Minister of Switzerland denies that Swiss banks did anything wrong by giving employees names to the USA authorities

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The federal public minister of Switzerland (similar to an attorney general or solicitor general) denies that banks did anything illegal by transmitting the names of 10,000 Swiss bank employees to USA authorities.  The lawyer of the plaintiff, a former bank employee, said that the decision signifies that, “No one committed a single illegal act” («aucun acte illicite n’a été commis par personne»).  The plaintif will challenge this decision within ten days before the Swiss federal penal Tribunal.

It seems like the Swiss authorities are circling the wagons around the Swiss banks against the rights of individual Swiss citizens.

Plainte d’un ancien de la banque HSBC classée

Hat tip:  Jefferson D. Tomas

Detention of former marine Brandon Raub for “terrorist” comments on Facebook page

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This is a developing story that has found its way on to Zero Hedge and Business Insider, two very different sites that I follow for investment news.  Hopefully, it is much ado about nothing and that there will a be reasonable explanation–though would you believe the explanation if it came out?

Here is the mother’s side of the story on the Josh Tolley Show:

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The Whiskey Rebellion: or How does the United States enforce its tax laws?

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George Washington reviewing the troops to be led against the Whiskey Rebellion

 

At the Daily Reckoning, Byron King has offered a three article history of the Whiskey Rebellion:

The Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion, Part II: Enforcing the Wealth Tax
The Whiskey Rebellion, Part III: Ending the Rebellion

Synopsis

After the Revolutionary War, the United States suffered chronic problems of debt and lack of revenue.  Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, created a tax imposed upon whiskey at its source.  This greatly upset the distillers of Western Pennsylvania who began to abuse the tax collectors.  As a result of this, President Washington mustered the army, which was in disarray, and so he supplemented it with the Virginia and New Jersey militias.  The Western Pennsylvania militia, on their way to attack Pittsburgh was met by a delegation of Pittsburgh men with wagons full of beer, beef and other food.  The Western Pennsylvania militia feasted and disbanded before Washington arrived with the US forces.  Washington proclaimed amnesty and the Whiskey Rebellion became a footnote of history.

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Jon Corzine will not face charges

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About a billion dollars in client’s segregrated funds disappeared at MF Global, lost in its own unprofitable proprietary trading, and the United States Federal government has determined that no fraud was involved, Zero Hedge reports:  Jon Corzine Will Not Only Not Face Prosecution, But May Be Launching A Hedge Fund Imminently.

Of course, these are the same folks who charged RBC, a Canadian bank, with an illegal trading scheme.  Don’t bother going after the real crooks, attack a foreign bank.  The crony capitalism in the United States has now reached proportions that have vastly exceeded the wildest dreams of tinpot dictators in Africa.  It is a coalition of the corrupt banksters, elected politicians and the civil service of the United States government.  It is no mere coincidence that Jon Corzine is an important political ally of President Barack Obama.

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Drones on the Canadian border

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U.S. suggests drones, underground sensors to beef up surveillance along Canadian border

Here is the interesting bit:

The Canada Border Services Agency said it was in both countries’ interest for the border to remain “open, efficient and secure.”

“From our huge trade relationship to our common security concerns, we will continue to work together to keep the border open to legitimate trade and travel but closed to terrorists, criminals and other threats,” it said in a statement.

I wonder what other threats might be.  From the American perspective, it could only mean the threat of expat tax evaders trying to go to and fro on the border without settling with the IRS.  My house is a few kilometres from the border.  I wonder what the range of the missiles on the drones is and what sort of destructive capacity they have.

 

Paternalism and how it works

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Bayaka pygmies in Central African Republic, photo by Peter W. Dunn

I have been reflecting over the last few days on the question of paternalism as a type of leadership.  I talked this over with my next door neighbor from Burkina Faso with a PhD from Laval University (Quebec), as he has some experience in Africa with paternalistic leadership styles.  His own country is a former colony of France and continues within a neocolonial, paternalistic relationship with France, and he also experiences paternalism in his church-missionary relationships. Here are the main points that he and I discussed (though I am entirely responsible for this write-up):

  1. A relationship of protection:  In a paternal relationship, the superior party is more powerful than the inferior and is therefore able to provide protection, benefits or honors to the inferior party in exchange for obedience. However, in paternalism, the superior forces the inferior to accept this protection. The Canadian government forced the children of aboriginal people into residential schools. The inferior must accept this protection and usually has no choice in the matter, because with disobedience comes the withdrawal of protection, loss of privileges, or even violent punishment. Continue reading →

Dotty, Potty, Naughty Expat Freedom Poetry

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Some of our participants are poets.  Here is a sample of their work pulled out of the comment stream:

From Em, I call it, “Dotty, Potty, Naughty”:

As I pile on the years and perhaps become dotty
It’s likely my mouth will become a wee potty
And I’ll label the States as the “axis of rotty”
Then I’ll hope some Brockers will not get all haughty
And berate me for being politically naughty

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Children of Swiss asset manager detained for six hours for questioning by US officials (Updated with partial translation)

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Innocente made the following comment:

Swiss newspapers are reporting that two children of a Swiss asset manager were interrogated by US customs as to the whereabouts of their father, what their father did, whether their father made trips to the US, etc. They were entering the US to visit their grandparents. Sorry, interrogation of children looks like something from the Gestapo playbook. Here’s an article on it in French:

Les deux ados d’un gestionnaire de fortune genevois interpellés aux Etats-Unis

Here is a translation for the first couple paragraphs by Innocente:

“What a holiday! On a beautiful Sunday in May, two teenagers from Geneva and children of an asset manager took off from Geneva Airport. They left for the U.S. to visit their grandparents, who live in that country, while their parents remained in Switzerland. Upon arriving at the airport of a large city *, these two minors were given special attention of police. “Where is your dad? What does your dad do for a living? Has your dad ever worked in the United States? “Both young men were subject to these questions and others for six hours at the offices of the police. They weree not allowed to contact people outside. Throughout the questioning their parents and grandparents received no information. These facts, reported by a Swiss lawyer, suggest what a large part of the Swiss financial center have been fearing: the U.S. authorities have already begun to exploit the (employment) data delivered in April by five banks….”

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