(originally launched into cyberspace on 05/28/2007)Dear Subscriber,
I finally got around to doing something I've been meaning to do for
a while, and it's somewhat appropriate that it is up and running on
Memorial Day. Though this is generally considered a day to
acknowledge those who died in military combat, the underlying
sentiment is to remember to be thankful for those who put
themselves in harm's way for the sake of the rest of us. And
getting killed is not the only way to suffer for a cause. Becoming
a prisoner of war is another unpleasant result of fighting the good
fight.
Memorial Day is often a day of fervent nationalism--something I
personally detest. I find loyalty to an arbitrary geographic
location, or to a particular group of tyrants ("government"), to be
goofy (to put it nicely). On the other hand, loyalty to a
principle, a noble ideal--such as freedom, or truth, or justice--is
very worthwhile, and those who have suffered for such a cause
deserve our recognition and our support.
That is why I started the Tax Heretic Relief Fund, to make it
easier for people to help out the family of one particular "tax
heretic" who has risked and lost a LOT in an effort to spread the
truth: Dr. Charles Thomas Clayton (aka "Dr. Tom"). While there lots
of good people who have suffered at the hands of the IRS, I know of
no one who has given so freely of his time, effort, and money (LOTS
of all three) with not even the request to ever be repaid for any
of it. His reward was to be demonized, harassed, railroaded, and
then sentenced to five years in prison for crimes the government
KNOWS he did not commit.
The efforts of Dr. Clayton ARE having a lasting effect, even while
he sits in prison. There is no way to tell how many thousands of
people have had a taste of the truth, who never would have if not
for Dr. Clayton. So this Memorial Day, I honor one person in
particular, who has "fallen in battle" for speaking his mind. He
was taken from his friends and family and made into a political
prisoner, because he said things which the powers that be could not
refute, but would not tolerate being spoken (which is a fine
definition of the concept of "heresy"). Thus the name of the fund.
We can't do much for Dr. Tom himself right now (I'm not even
allowed to write to him until I'm finished my "supervised
release"), but we can help his family, which is his primary concern
right now. A lot of you generously gave in the past, but now it's
become a lot easier. The following link allows donations to be made
online. (Before donating, please read the rest of this message.)
https://128bit.ClickandPledge.com/Default.asp?ID=14700While you can just make a one-time donation, I would strongly
encourage those who can to make it a recurring monthly thing, which
this system can do (which is why I chose it). We each have enough
going on in our lives that it's pretty easy to forget about the
troubles of anyone we don't see or hear about on a daily basis. His
family has expenses every month, whether we remember to send them
help or not. Wouldn't it be cool if they could count on getting an
assistance check every month?
There are still a little under 6,000 people on this list. If we
each pledged just $10 a month, Tom's family would get almost
$60,000 a month (about $700,000 a year), all of which even the IRS
knows is tax-free. Of course, there's no way that's going to
happen, but if a thousand of us pledge what we can, we can make a
hard time significantly easier for the family of this "tax
heretic." Don't hold back because you think others will do it.
Trust me on this: NO amount of money would be too much of a "thank
you" for what Tom has done for all of us. (I'd love to see his
family get a million dollars a year, but I know that won't happen.)
Important note: If you want to do a monthly recurring gift, you
need to put in the YEARLY total as the donation amount on the first
page. For example, if you want to give $10 a month for a year, put
$120 as the donation amount; if you can do $20 a month, put $240,
and so on. The NEXT page in the donation process gives you the
option of splitting your total donation up into regular monthly
payments.
I'm sure I'll be mentioning this worthy cause again, but I wanted
to get this message out this Memorial Day, so people can start
showing support for this particular "fallen" hero.
Sincerely,
Larken Rose
www.larkenrose.comP.S. Many thanks to the anonymous supporter who sent me and Tessa
that hunk of metal. It couldn't have come at a better time, though
I lament having to convert it into those dang Federal Reserve
notes.
