Quatloos!

Elaine and Ed Brown's home during the standoff.


Ed and Elaine Brown.

Elaine Brown, the infamous tax protester who, together with her husband Ed, defied the government for nine months in an armed stand-off while booby-trapping her home with explosives, got sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Of course, heavy punishment in itself is not necessarily proof that one is wrong. But in this case, as usual with tax protesters, the heavy punishment has little to do with the original tax evasion charges, and everything to do with with rigging one's home with explosives while filling it to the brim with weapons. The mandatory minimum for the explosives charge and the plot to kill federal agents is 30 years.

If they had protested against the government in other ways, such as speaking to the press for example, then the worst-case scenario for their tax evasion charges would be a few years in prison. Certainly not de facto life in prison. Even if they were 100% correct -- and they are not -- about the government "illegally" making them pay taxes, protesting in this way would still be guilty of the explosive and plotting charges and still be sent to prison for the rest of their days.

That Ed and Elaine practically sent themselves to prison, due to their own violent, dangerous, and downright bone-headed behavior that (again) had nothing to do with the original tax issue, does not, of course, stop the usual gang of idiots from claiming it is all a huge government conspiracy to silence them, punishing them for 'a plot to defend themselves'.

I know! Next time a cop stops me for driving 40 in a 35-MPH zone, when I was clearly only going 32, I'll shoot him dead on the spot! I'd just be defending myself against evil government coercion, right? We all know that if you think the government wronged you, every possible act of violence is justified in retaliation. Just ask Ed and Elaine!

As I said: idiots.
Ah well.

Labels: Ed Brown, Elaine Brown