  |
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
THE POWER TO DESTROY
By Julie Foster
As most Americans prepare to
celebrate Independence Day tomorrow, one man whose repeated and
high-profile questioning of the Internal
Revenue Service regarding the validity of income taxes is making his
way to the nation's capital, drawing attention to his hunger strike. Bob Schulz, founder and
chairman of the We the
People Foundation for Constitutional Education, began abstaining
from food at midnight Saturday. Schulz plans to continue his fast, says
We the People's website, "until he dies or until the federal
government agrees to send experts to a public forum to refute evidence
of researchers from the Tax Honesty Movement as to the
unconstitutionality of the federal income tax and its illegal
enforcement." Schulz began his fast
alone, as his wife was out of town. The Schulzes' daughter gave birth
Sunday morning to the couple's grandchild. The fast began without
fanfare – the protester's meal Saturday night consisted of leftovers.
There were no prayer vigils at his home to mark the beginning of the
hunger strike, since, as Schulz put it, "My life is a prayer."
But despite the fast's
quiet beginnings, Schulz's schedule has been booked. After finishing
preparations yesterday for his trip, the tour began today with press
conferences in two New York cities. In the afternoon, Schulz is planning
to tape a segment for Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes."
He spends the rest of his time on tour holding press conferences at
various federal buildings on his way to Washington, where he will spend
the Fourth of July. During the tour, Schulz's van will carry a trailer
sporting a large sign detailing the man's struggle. Schulz and other members of
the loosely tied "tax-honesty movement" believe the 16th
Amendment was fraudulently ratified. The amendment made income taxes
constitutional, and because of its improper implementation, says Schulz,
Americans have been duped into believing a lie – that they are
required to pay income taxes. Additionally, tax-honesty
movement adherents – more commonly, if less warmly, referred to as
"tax protesters" – believe the tax code is intentionally
complex to mask its lack of legal authority. The code never actually
states citizens are required to pay an income tax, activists claim. Another major argument is
the allegation that tax filers waive their Fifth Amendment protection
against self-incrimination by voluntarily filing a return. Such
activists also assert that the IRS routinely violates citizens' Fourth
Amendment right against illegal search and seizure and ignores citizens'
due process rights in administrative procedures. The April
edition of WND's monthly magazine, WorldNet, included an extensive
investigative report on the legal strategies used by activists to
challenge the income tax – including those claims made by Schulz. Clarifying the reasons for
his hunger strike, Schulz said he is not trying to force the
government's hand into validating his arguments against legality of the
income tax. He simply wants to discuss the matter with federal
officials. His strike is about the First Amendment, he said, which is
the "guarantee of our right to petition the government for redress
of grievances. The government has an obligation to respond." We the People has proffered
several invitations to IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti and other
federal officials, asking them to sit down with inquirers and explain
the government's interpretation of the Internal Revenue Code. But the
invitations and requests for explanations have continually gone
unanswered. "I simply cannot
tolerate this any longer," said Schulz. "I'm doing everything
I know how to do, short of breaking things and killing people, to bring
the government back to its boundaries that the people have drawn around
its powers." Schulz described the irony
of Americans celebrating the nation's Independence Day while they
continue to suffer "the loss of liberties – the privacy rights,
property rights, gun rights" and other freedoms. Many of those
losses occur when IRS agents conduct "armed raids from people who
are trying to get answers from them," he added. "The people are on a
collision course with the government," he said. "I'm trying to
prevent violence. I'm trying to draw attention to the fact that the
government has an obligation to answer these complaints." "I'm not against
government. I'm only against government gone wrong," Schulz
continued. "I'm not against taxes. I pay all my taxes, income taxes
and so forth. I'm interested in issues of government. … The way things
are working are in sharp contrast to the way things are designed to
work." Popular sovereignty and
separation of powers are fundamental principles of the United States and
are the qualities that make America unique from other governments, he
remarked. "And I'm going to lay my life down for them if I have
to," he said. "All governments become totally tyrannical and
totally despotic, throughout history." But despite his desperate
measure to gain an audience with his government, the husband, father and
grandfather says he still has faith. "I don't believe the
government is going to allow someone to waste away rather than answer
some simple questions," he concluded. The IRS did not return
calls for comment.
|
