From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 1997 02:32:45 +0800
To: Duncan Frissell <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: The Real Bell Issue / Re: Bell, etc
In-Reply-To: <199708190730.JAA00747@basement.replay.com>
Message-ID: <v03102803b01f909c07ac@[207.167.93.63]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



At 8:15 AM -0700 8/19/97, Duncan Frissell wrote:

>At 09:30 AM 8/19/97 +0200, Anonymous wrote:
>>  Jim Bell was like manna from heaven for the IRS. It gave them an
>>opportunity to bring down the fascist forces of a wide variety of
>>government agencies to back the IRS's play in this instance.
>>  Bell's persecution was not a mistake, it was a loud and clear
>>message to the taxpaying sheeple that they are "a felon under an
>>increasing number of laws," and that the IRS has a plethora of
>>government agencies ready and willing to join them in fucking
>>over anyone who gets out of line.
>
>It would have turned into a mistake if Bell had had balls to match his mouth.
> The Feds hate to lose prosecutions like this because loses encourage the
>activists in the population to resist.

One lesson, or reminder, I take from the Bell matter is this:

Avoid doing stupid and petty things like using multiple Social Security
numbers, evading taxes, and releasing stink bombs into government (or
other) offices.

 (These are things Bell has pled on, as I recall the transcripts, so
there's little doubt about them. And had he pled not guilty and gone to
trial, apparently the evidence would've convicted him on most of the
charges. Perhaps this is why he pled.)

The constitutional protections for speech, free association, etc. don't
have a lot of use for these charges (unless one can successfully mount a
major, major, earthshattering challenge to the basic constitutionality of
the Income Tax system itself, something which has consistently failed over
the decades).

They got Al Capone for tax evasion, not his other criminal activities. I'm
pretty scrupulous about filing correct tax returns, much as I dislike taxes
in general (and uses to which my taxes are put in particular).

This is because some "tax protestors" have gotten fairly stiff (multi-year)
sentences to Terminal Island, a federal prison in California, for the
"crime" of evading a few tens of thousands of dollars. This while less
vocal, less activist evaders have either been given a chance to settle
(sometimes for nickels on the dollar) their outstanding tax balance, or
have received suspended sentences, or have gone to "country club" prisons
in Pleasanton, Lompoc, etc. (these are the California facilities I'm
familiar with, through news reports, understand).

I don't have much doubt that if the Feds could nail me for a serious
violation of the tax or reporting laws, e.g., if I used multiple SS numbers
in various jobs,  they would. But so long as they can't, they won't.

So, I disagree with Duncan's apparent point that it's too bad the Bell case
didn't go to trial. I'm convinced Bell would have been convicted on most or
all charges. Hardly a test case for anything important.

--Tim May


There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws.
Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!"
---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:----
Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
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