Ed and Elaine Brown have officially been arrested.
The Browns were arrested when undercover officers went to their home at about 7:45pm on Thursday evening.
“Ultimately, this open-door policy that they seemed to have which allowed the Browns to have some supporters bring them supplies, welcome followers and even host a picnic –this proved to be their undoing,” U.S. Marshal Stephen Monier said. “They invited us in. We escorted them out.”
Following the arrests, the feds found numerous weapons, ammunition and explosive devices. The property was also booby-trapped. The Browns will likely face additional charges related to those weapons.
What I really hate about this is that these guys give tax evaders a bad name — like people who think the personal income tax is unjust and unconstitutional are the lunatic fringe.
When Thoreau refused to pay his taxes and spent time in jail for it, it was called “civil disobedience”, and it became a piece of great American literature that many schoolchildren read.
Why is it a foregone conclusion that we have to have a Federal personal income tax? Plenty of states operate just fine without one. And there are many other ways the government could be funded far more efficiently (and constitutionally).
Anyway, I’m glad the incident ended peacefully, but I’m sad that it gives the government more fuel to marginalize what should be a serious public dialog about the topic.
…to have some supporters bring them supplies, welcome followers and even host a picnic –this proved to be their undoing…
Do they have to declare the supplies they received as taxable income…?