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I could not help but post this very entertaining (…it made me laugh, it made me cry) news story: 

To defend himself against athorities, a New Hampshire man convicted of federal tax evasion has armed himself and locked his house down and says that he will actively fight arrest.

CONCORD, N.H. —  A man who has holed up with armed supporters in his fortress-like house for most of his tax evasion trial was found guilty Thursday, along with his wife, of engaging in an elaborate scheme to avoid paying federal income taxes for a decade. Ed Brown has said he will defend himself against capture if necessary; U.S. marshals said they have no plan of escalating the situation.

Given the will and the resources Mr. Brown has it is hard to conceive that this incident will resolve itself quickly or quietly.

Ed Brown heard of the verdict in the middle of an interview with a radio station. “The verdict is in. I can guarantee you all hell’s going to break loose,” he told WNTK-FM in New London.

He later said, “It’s all bogus charges. None of these charges are lawful.”

Ed Brown stayed in his wooded, 110-acre home this week. The large, cement-walled house features a watchtower that offers 360-degree views of the rural setting. He said the home is capable of generating enough electricity to operate if cut off from the main grid…

Brown and about 25 supporters said they will defend themselves against capture if necessary. Bernie Bastian, a supporter who said he was carrying two guns, said they would stand with their friend.

Of course, all of this is only conceivable in a state like New Hampshire–which has a far greater libertarian bent than any other in the nation. His motive for evading his taxes was political. Mr. Brown, an exterminator, believed that he has a right to his money and that the Feds are not entitled to take it from him for the sake of supporting a big and intrusive government.

“Most Americans would cower and cringe and raise their hands and surrender like a good little slave,” he said this week.

“I won’t. Under no circumstances. I do not tolerate cowardliness, oppression, bulliness, and I certainly don’t tolerate a federal agency that has absolutely zero jurisdiction in my state, never mind in my county, in my town.”

Whether or not Ed Brown is a lunatic vigilante or a man dedicated to righteous values or both does not seem to be the initial thought to mind. The point is that this story would normally seem so bizarre, but because it took place in New Hampshire it just makes sense. And in all you cant help but feel a glimmer of excitement for a man who stands up for his freedom against big brother (not to mention the fact that it’s pretty badass).

Finally, in quoting General John Stark and the state motto of New Hampshire, Mr. Brown declared, “Live free or die. What else can I say?”

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The Man fights to Live Tax-Free or Die by New School Politics, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.