Pete Hendrickson - political prisoner?

[bmielke]

Yep he's a polical prisoner all right, with out politicians we wouldn't have the laws that put him awy, it was sooo political!

[Gregg]

The Most Significant Whistleblower on Government Malfeasance in American History Languishes Unsung in a Federal Prison After a Corrupt Trial

that just doesn't work without a dramatic musical fanfare...

[Joey Smith]

Help, help! I'm being repressed! I'm being repressed! Look at the violence inherent in the system! Look at the violence inherent in the system!

But Pete apparently hasn't figured out yet that his followers have dwindled to Patrick Mooney, Skankbeat (who is apparently abandoning CtC for unspecified common law approaches), Libre "the system is going to collapse next week just like I've said every week now for about a year", and just a few other nuts who seem to be spending most of their time trying to figure out how to respond to IRS levies and sanctions.

[grixit]

The Most Significant Whistleblower on Government Malfeasance in American History Languishes Unsung in a Federal Prison After a Corrupt Trial

that just doesn't work without a dramatic musical fanfare...

Call a medium! We need Gilbert and Sullivan to do justice to this one.

[Gregg]

Help, help! I'm being repressed! I'm being repressed! Look at the violence inherent in the system! Look at the violence inherent in the system!

But Pete apparently hasn't figured out yet that his followers have dwindled to Patrick Mooney, Skankbeat (who is apparently abandoning CtC for unspecified common law approaches), Libre "the system is going to collapse next week just like I've said every week now for about a year", and just a few other nuts who seem to be spending most of their time trying to figure out how to respond to IRS levies and sanctions.

That is an important (or impotent) point, most of the posts there now are pleas for "helpo me get the IRS off my back" veiled in various degrees of patriot posturing for prosperity...

[LPC]

All I can tell you is that the errant federal government itself has written, and continues to write, the best, clearest and most unmistakable exposition of the accuracy of CtC with every week that goes by,

Yes, every CtC loss is really a win.

Scrolling through Hendrickson's pompous drivel, two questions arose in my mind:

1. Has Hendrickson ever written a *short* rant?

2. What is the difference between inspiring rhetoric and Hendrickson's cant?

Thinking about the second question, I think that one possible difference is that great writing, and great speeches, have an understandable underlying idea with a fundamental human appeal.

Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech is about racial unity, and about peace and love and human fulfillment. In that respect, it is not unlike great speeches by Jesus or Buddha or Muhammed.

Hendrickson's rant is about.... what? "Look how right I am" or "Look how they're oppressing me" never sells well. Even "we need to return to the Framer's original intent" doesn't work unless you present a clear image of what intent you want to return to. "I should be free to keep my money" is also not going to sell well.

In other words, Hendrickson's political diatribes don't work very well for the same reason that his legal diatribes don't work very well: They're largely incoherent. That's why people talk about having to read CtC multiple times. It really is not logical or sensible. The crackheads who thrive on it and think it makes sense are hearing noises that appeal to them, but can't explain what it means.

I like the part at the end:

I once had a performance review where my supervisor labeled me "presumptuous", and when I challenged that, his response was, "Do you realize the things you're asking for?" My response was that, if you don't ask, you have no chance of getting what you want.

So no, Hendrickson didn't realize what he was asking for.

[The Observer]

1. Has Hendrickson ever written a *short* rant?

Contradiction in terms. Rants by their very nature can never be short.

[wserra]

Rants by their very nature can never be short.

"Don't give me that, you snotty-faced heap of parrot droppings! Shut your festering gob, you tit! Your type really makes me puke, you vacuous, coffee-nosed, malodorous pervert!"

That's pretty short. Then again, this is abuse.

[The Observer]

No, that is an argument.

[wserra]

No it isn't.

Must stop . . . must stop . . . must stop

[ArthurWankspittle]

No, that is an argument.

No it's abuse, arguments are next door.
5 minutes or the full half hour?

[Paul]

Must . . . not . . . threaten . . . with . . . the . . . Spanish Inquisition!

[Cathulhu]

Hey, who left this dead parrot here?

I think it's a Norwegian Blue...

[Cpt Banjo]

Spam, spam, spam, spam, spamitty spam!

[JamesVincent]

Rants by their very nature can never be short.

"Don't give me that, you snotty-faced heap of parrot droppings! Shut your festering gob, you tit! Your type really makes me puke, you vacuous, coffee-nosed, malodorous pervert!"

That's pretty short. Then again, this is abuse.

Stop quoting drill instructors without giving proper credit. And you forgot to say "drop and push the Earth, maggot!"

[The Observer]

He wasn't quoting a drill instructor. He was quoting an employee at The Argument Clinic.

[Imalawman]

No it isn't.

Must stop . . . must stop . . . must stop

This isn't an argument, its a contradiction!!

[BBFlatt]

No it isn't!

[Pottapaug1938]

No it isn't!

Is!

[Joey Smith]

Predicted, the response to Pete's latest press release even on his main support forum at LostHeads amounts to two posts telling their local talk radio shows about it, and two more trying to figure out to link to it from their Facebook page.

Pete's following ain't much these days ......