From: "Barrie" < barrie@thepotentialsunlimited.com
Date: Fri Apr 6, 2001 8:57am
Subject: From Barrie...Re: Harold Thomas comments about "60 Minutes"

Greetings from Barrie,

Many people have written to ask me what I thought about the 60 minute clip on the de-taxing movement. The following article accurately reflects many of my views, because I have been on the receiving end of similar programs before.

What is most interesting to me, is that the program segment before the tax issue segment was a strong subliminal of the power of authority. If you did not notice what was played out before you it is your mind that needs to be shocked into full awakening consciousness. In my opinion that shock will be either a war in the Middle East. A stock market crash, this time the New York Stock Exchange, the America is only leading the way. Or a bad harvest and food shortages this fall.
Barrie

----- Original Message -----

Subject: Harold Thomas comments about "60 Minutes"

An Open Letter to CBS and 60 Minutes II Producer Raylena Fields:

Some weeks ago I was contacted by Raylena Fields, a producer for CBS and 60 Minutes II. Robert Schulz of We the People Foundation had apparently suggested that she contact me as a potential source of information on the "Tax Movement". Ms. Fields called, indicating that she was indeed gathering information for the purpose of a 60 Minutes II program to be aired in April.

As I recall, our conversation lasted almost 90 minutes, during which time we had what I considered to be a rather frank and open exchange. Ms. Fields seemed to be completely unaware and surprised that several "tax protesters" had been acquitted by juries of "Willful Failure to File" charges. She appeared to have an honest interest in gaining an understanding of the facts and issues motivating people in the Tax Movement.

Subsequent to our phone conversation, I sent a fax of some 30 pages to Ms. Fields. This fax contained a substantial amount of well documented information that should have easily raised serious questions related to the income tax and the behavior of the Internal Revenue Service. In addition to the lengthy fax, I also provided Ms. Fields with the addresses of several locations on the Internet where thousands of pages of information are available on the subject. I have no way of knowing how much, if any, of the available information Ms. Fields and her program staff studied.

There are two indications that they studied little or none of it:

1) To my knowledge, neither Ms. Fields nor the reporter who did the interviews on the program ever contacted me or anyone I know for the purpose of seriously questioning or challenging any meaningful amount of the information provided and available, and

2) the 60 Minutes II program contained not one single reference to any of the information I provided.

When Robert Schulz called me to let me know that Ms. Fields would be calling, he was excited and quite taken with her apparently genuine interest in doing an honest story on the subject. In spite of this hearty recommendation by Bob, I was skeptical and told Ms. Fields that in the 10 years or so that I've been studying this Tax Movement I have not seen even one honest program by the mainstream Media on the subject.

At various times in our phone conversation I candidly expressed to Ms. Fields my skepticism about CBS's motives, and informed her that, if she did an honest program that openly aired the information -- and questions raised by that information -- that her superiors would never air the program. Ms. Fields sounded so genuine that I must admit by the end of our phone conversation I was believing, along with Robert Schulz, that there was a real chance that CBS might actually present some meaningful facts on the subject and even perhaps ask a few of the important questions on the air. Shame on me.

I now completely understand why John Kotmair of Save- A- Patriot Fellowship has a hard and fast policy of refusing to speak to the Media unless it is a live and unedited format. This will be my personal policy from here on out.

On Tuesday, April 3rd, CBS posted to its Web site an article, including a video clip, entitled "Tax Revolt". That same evening CBS treated the same subject in its program 60 Minutes II. Both the article and the program were truly "revolting". CBS's presentation of this issue amounts to nothing more than slick "infotainment" -- a sickening, typical tax season puff piece.

CBS, how dare you dismiss and trivialize over 30 years of brave, honest research and struggles by patriotic Americans with your paltry, glib paragraphs and 13 minutes worth of sound bites.
Not one of the serious, legitimate questions raised by those in the Tax Movement was answered or even given a meaningful examination -- and there are hundreds of serious questions that beg an answer.

Yet, rather than raise important, well- documented questions for its viewers to consider, what did CBS choose to do with its 13 minute segment on the "Tax Honesty Movement"? Let's consider just 3 pieces of CBS's slick hatchet work.

1. An "Ivy League" tax professor is brought in for a short, delicious clip of her laughing her head off and dismissing the honest concerns of millions of sincere, good Americans with the word "Hogwash!" Brilliant little piece of imagery, indeed -- completely useless to anyone interested in really understanding the facts of the matter. I must know hundreds of people capable of utterly demolishing the condescending pontifications of CBS's giggling "tax professor". Were any of these people brought on the program to provide counterpoint -- even so much as a sentence? At least CBS doesn't make the Fox Network claim of being "fair and balanced".

2. One "employer" is selected to be "interviewed" by a smirking, prosecutorial "host".Poor Mr. Thompson is supposed to handle the pressure of this moment, the gravity of the issues and a Network host and camera crew obviously trying their best to make him out to be both an idiot and a "tax cheat"! This phony, mocking voice then finishes him off by repeatedly accusing him of "willfully misreading the law". Right! Like this "host" had ever used the word "willfully" in her entire life prior to being "prepped" for this "show". It is important to note that CBS could have chosen to interview any one of several employers who have stopped withholding.

Al Thompson is personable, knowledgeable and sincere; Dave Bossett, on the other hand, is a CPA AND A FORMER TAX PREPARER! CBS went to an Ivy League College for its "opposing viewpoint". Gee, I wonder why it didn't choose to interview a CPA AND FORMER TAX PREPARER to articulate the Tax Movement's point of view? Hmmm???

Wouldn't you love an answer to THAT question? Perhaps several hundred thousand people should telephone the offices of CBS 60 Minutes II, ask to speak to Raylena Fields, and demand an answer to exactly that question.

3. Commissioner Rossotti smugly boasted about being "100% successful" against "these arguments". Weeks before the program the producer of the CBS program 60 Minutes II was provided with documentation of quite a number of court cases in which the IRS has 100% failed to make its case, resulting in jury verdicts of "not guilty" for "tax protesters" charged with "willful failure to file" tax returns. Are CBS "reporters" so afraid of the IRS Commissioner that they are unwilling to "ask the hard questions"?

Are they afraid to ask him how he could boast of 100% success in light of the Cheek case, the Gabe Scott case, the Hardy brothers' case, the Ray and Dixie Lee Powell case, the Franklin Sanders/"Tennessee 17" case, the Fred Allnutt case, the Lloyd Long case, the Whitey Harrell case, and others? Apparently the Media has neither the courage nor the integrity to mention anything that might publicly embarrass the Commissioner of the IRS.

Due to its vast access to the minds of the American people, the Media has both awesome power and profound moral responsibility. CBS's use of that power on Tuesday, April 3, 2001 constituted a complete abdication. By now, anyone paying the least bit of attention to this issue can see that the gov't has few if any answers to the serious questions raised by the Tax Movement. Rather than stand for and with the American people, CBS put its tail between its legs and publicly wet itself in fear of what an IRS Commissioner can do to people who embarrass him.

CBS has not "examined" the issue; it has not asked the hard questions. It has spinelessly allied itself with a gov't campaign of coercion and fear-mongering. What it has done, in my humble, yet experienced opinion, is best described by terms such as "smear", "disrespect", "disinform" and "disservice" -- oh, yes, and "cowardice". I'm beginning to understand why "Pulitzer" starts with the letters "PU". The American people should be informed that the producer of CBS's 60 Minutes II was provided with more than sufficient documentation to craft serious, even stunning questions that the IRS Commissioner could have and should have been asked on TV -- in front of CBS's millions of viewers. What the producer of 60 Minutes II actually did with this information is unknown, but was any of this information even shown the light of day?

No.

Were any of the obvious questions raised by this information posed to the IRS Commissioner?

No.

For well over 30 years millions of Americans have been acquiring sincere and well- researched views that the IRS's version of the income tax is a convoluted hoax and lawless extortion racket. Any honest gov't would have cleared up the confusion years ago -- and apologized that it ever took place. Instead of that, however, both gov't and Media have now repeatedly proven beyond a doubt that neither has any interest in clarity or honesty -- or human decency, for that matter.

Until gov't officials are willing to directly, fully and publicly answer the questions raised by 30 years of research -- and until the Media demonstrates that it understands the validity and importance of this -- gov't and Media will continue to be viewed as co- conspirators in the tyranny of the status quo. The sadness and exasperation I feel is indescribable. Sure, in my heart I suspected what was coming, but an honest break in the Media is of such importance that it is difficult not to hope against hope. I won't be making that mistake again anytime soon. Where we go from here, I couldn't begin to tell you.

Harold Thomas

http://www.iresist.com/ice/

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