Pillaging one person at a time
A few years ago, when the current president of Central African Republic took over via military coup, Chadian rebels, who helped him to power, pillaged the seminary where I taught for eight years as a visiting professor. Eye witnesses said that nearly everyone shut themselves up in their houses and hid from the rebels, who came and forced each house to open up by firing their AK47s outside their doors. Then, the rebels took anything that was of value from each inhabitant.
My friend Bennet said that everyone, in fear, took the completely wrong approach. Bennet was a Sudanese refugee in the Central African Republic and had worked at the school. He said that he learned in his military training in Sudan that if someone is hiding from you it is because they have something to hide. He took the opposite approach and walked up to them and spoke with them in Arabic. He gave them a tour of the campus, misdirecting them. When they came to the largest of buildings, full of professors’ computers and other valuables, they asked him, “What is that builiding?” Bennet responded, “That’s a library. It has books. You won’t be interested in that.” They agreed, as they were all illiterate. Thus, Bennet spared the school the worst of the damage. I was meditating about this over night and the next day I asked Bennet the question that was bothering me: “Weren’t you afraid?” He said, “No.” I asked, “Why not?” He answered, “Because they were not shooting at me.” A Sudanese refugee who fled in panic the artillery shelling of his hometown through the dense forest separating CAR and Sudan is not easily intimidated by a few light arms pointed at him.
The US persons who are resident in Canada number approximately 1 million. We are a sufficiently large group that if we stand up boldly together we can make a difference. But if we cower in fear and hope that the IRS doesn’t notice our houses they will threaten and pillage us one by one. We Canadians are standing on the moral high ground. We have conducted our lives in accordance with the laws where we are resident and most of us had no clue what the IRS demanded (the number of non-compliant is in the hundreds of thousands). Their demands are not only unjust but also unconstitutional. I for one am tired of suffering in silence or using pseudonyms when dealing with this issue. The fact is that hundreds of people on internet bulletin boards and blogs are using false names. Well, if they want to know who I am, they can figure it out. It doesn’t take great hacking skills.
I am coming out in the open. I have committed no crimes and I am innocent, and I would ask that the IRS and all the other branches of the US government stop treating me like a criminal. I don’t owe you any taxes, not even according to the rules that you’ve set up. I’d love to be so rich that I owed you taxes but with the rate of taxation in Canada, it’s going to be long time before that ever happens. Here I am. If you want to make an example out of me, then you do so at great risk to your reputation. Already in this last campaign you have been censured.
The Righteous Investor 
Thank you for this. I agree it’s not going to work to talk about this situation in the shadows only. Love the graphic you’ve used.
Yes. If we come out and show the world who we are, then they will have to openly attack us for all to see.
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Thanks for your leadership. I think the following may have some applicability here:
An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so.
Mohandas Gandhi
The problem with Congress today is that they don’t seem to acknowledge the higher status of constitutional law, and above even that, natural law. Thus, the rule of law begins with natural rights, not constitutional rights or anything else. Natural rights, you know the ones given to us by God, Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Well, it takes away my life and liberty and certainly my happiness when the IRS has the right to fine me 300% of my wealth. –that’s one point where the predator article was wrong–it said 50%, but it is 50% per year per infringement, with a statute of limitations of six years. Incredible.
Check out the following comment from a Vancouver article:
US citizens in canada, living in a holocaust
GPADO October 2nd 2011 | 5:17 PM
Well, I too am in a quandry. I renounced my citizenship in 1967 but regained it in the 90’s to help my daughter get her green card. I have been unaware of these new changes ( I fault my accountant for this ). All of my family live in the US, but I feel that I cannot cross the border for much longer. When should I stop going to the US is my question. I ( we ) were planning to visit our daughter and family in Dec, how soon must I stop travelling to the US? WE are about to retire, if they tax our RRSP etc it will financially cripple us as we do not have any pensions. So , can we form a “class action” group and fight this or are we just week and mild Canadians, always compliant. We are Obama’s first and weakest targets. We need to help each other as our WEAK Canadian government does not seem likely to
http://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/psyched/2011/09/09/get-out-my-pocket-uncle-sam?page=0,0
Thanks very much for that reference.
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Taxing non-residents is just one of the many injustices in a country where corruption is legal (lobbyists are allowed to bribe politicians under the Freedom of Speech Act). Imagine being taxed by the IRS without ever using the roads or schools, and not being represented in any sort of way, not even in the census do we exist. Even if it turns out no taxes are due I should not have to fill out the paperwork, especially for a country that I feel has betrayed me, dictated by corporations.
For the person who tells us about the usefulness of Embassies, let us say that they are there not so much for us common folks, but as a political base for the US. We are small change, pawns to justify their position.
Embassies and Consulates charge for their services. So taxes do not cover that either.
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