Anti-Government Defiance Rises in Popularity in U.S.

, a jury unanimously acquitted the Oregon rebels who occupied a U.S. federal wildlife refuge post of all of the most serious charges against them. Since they seemed to be guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of those charges, with buckets of evidence to back that up, and since some of them were representing themselves in court rather than trusting their fate to lawyers, the acquittals came as a big surprise.

A jury of twelve seems to have all decided that the federal government can go fuck itself, evidence or no evidence. That’s an exciting development, though I worry that the government may decide it can no longer trust juries to roll over and give it what it wants and may decide to hold future trials in the Waco model instead.

Throwing shade at the IRS seems to be growing in popularity, too, with both church leaders and student newspapers openly defying the agency’s rules forbidding non-profits from endorsing political candidates.


I found this in the Dublin Evening Post of :

Tithes Once More!

A few days since a scene presented itself in this town, which carried back our thoughts to the olden times of memorable Rathcormack. The bayonet flashed once more before our eyes — the withering volley strewed our countrymen — and the widow’s wail again over her murdered son rung in our ears. The scene to which we allude, was the sale of property of a respected townsman — Joseph Benjamin Grubb, Esq., a member of the Society of Friends — under an execution at the suit of a clerical claimant of this odious tax. Too sagacious to be deluded by a change of name, Mr. Grubb felt the same conscientious objections to the payment of the tithe rent charge which he was wont to entertain with regard to tithes; and according to the usage of his sect, allowed his carriage, together with a horse, harness, &c., to be sold at a price far below their value, rather than violate his principles in regard to this tax. Let not his countrymen, either, be deceived. The baneful tithe system is neither dead nor sleeping, and it is time they should open their eyes to the real nature of the relief which our legislators pretend they have afforded in regard to it. We are told that twenty-five per cent. has been taken off — away with such sophistry! By an ill-disguised bribe to that amount, an attempt has been made to purchase the submission of the Irish people to the residue of an impost, to the whole of which they, on principle, object. It was not for a paltry pecuniary saving that such arduous — often, alas! bloody struggles were made by them. In the memorable language of the great Doctor Doyle, “their hatred of tithes will be as lasting as their love of justice.” We cannot conclude without expressing our surprise at what appears to us to be a singular piece of inconsistency on the part of a great portion of the members of the Society of Friends in this country, in relation to the tithe impost. Entertaining, as all the members of that body allege they do, conscientious objections to the payment of this tax, they, nevertheless, with but few exceptions, refuse to join in the constitutional efforts of their countrymen for its abolition, and seem to think that, by adopting a system of passive resistance (as they term it) — in other words, by allowing their goods to be distrained, and sold for one-half of their actual value, whilst the tithe claimant is not a farthing’s worth the worse off, their scruples ought to be completely lulled. If our Quaker friends think it wrong to put their hands into their pockets, and deliver thereout to the tithe claimant the amount of his demand, by what manner of reasoning do they reconcile to themselves the quietly allowing him to put in his own hand and help himself, for to this their system of “passive resistance” virtually amounts. ―Tipperary Free Press