Tuesday, June 24, 2008

The Homeland Security State: Boyz With Lethal Toyz

















Everything the State says is a lie, and everything it has it has stolen. --

Nietzsche



Terror must be maintained, or the Empire is doomed. It is the logic of history. --

Wise Fictional Character to be named later*



Couldn't the county simply have paid him for the damage to his well?


That's the question that urges itself upon me as I sift through the rubble of last Spring's confrontation in rural Wisconsin between Robert Bayliss and ... well, at last count, roughly two dozen local, county, and state agencies.


The anti-Bayliss coalition included elements from no fewer than six SWAT teams and the prominent use of three BearCat (Ballistic Engineered Armored Response and Rescue Counter Attack Truck) military assault vehicles.


Surely, Mr. Bayliss must have been a singularly fearsome fugitive in order to trigger such a huge deployment. One would think as much. And one would be wrong.


It ain't a Stutz: The BearCat armored assault vehicle, just one of the taxpayer-funded lethal toys being handed out to the army of occupation we call the local police.


Prior to his arrest on April 3, the diminutive and reclusive Mr. Bayliss (either 60 or 61 years old, depending on the media account) lived in a small, ramshackle abode on 18 acres outside Viola, Wisconsin.

We can appreciate just how pathetic and fragile the Bayliss dwelling was by the fact that it was never referred to as an "armed compound" during the police siege.


A former volunteer firefighter who had served as a sonar officer in the Navy, Bayliss had a heart attack about a decade ago. Reputed to be a world-class amateur computer technician, Bayliss had been reduced to grubbing out a meager living by picking apples in the fall and doing whatever other odd jobs he could find.


Press accounts dutifully describe Bayliss (who looks like a much frailer version of Grandpa Walton) as someone who possessed "strong anti-government attitudes," which -- to genuinely intelligent people -- is a bit like being singled out for having a healthy immune system. Unlike the stereotypical anti-social recluse of lore, however, Bayliss is considered to be very personable, outgoing, and generally respectful of the preening, oddly dressed, self-important parasites who insist on being called "the authorities" -- judges, police, and that ilk.


"I like him," commented substitute librarian Judy McConoughey about Bayliss following his arrest. "He is extremely gentle, kind, thoughtful, respectful.... It's only when he is confronted with what he thinks is illegitimate abuse of the Constitution that he gets very upset.... Most [of his neighbors] know him and like him. He is basically a peaceable person, I would take him into my home."


Eugene Winchell, who picked apples with Bayliss in local orchards, allowed that he was "maybe a little eccentric, but he was good to work with ... always with a smile on his face. I don't think there was a bad bone in his body."


"I think he was always poor," says neighbor Al Cutler of Bayliss, "but he wouldn't take money from anybody. He wired my shed in exchange for firewood. He would help just about anybody who needed help."


In his previous court appearances -- which have been plentiful, for someone who has never imposed on anybody, let alone committed an offense against person or property -- Bayliss has displayed tremendous respect for judges and court officials. Given his polite and deferential nature, Bayliss seemed to be the last person who would ever throw a few rounds of lead at local law enforcement officers, as he reportedly did on March 31 when four Sheriff's deputies invaded his property for the purpose of evicting him from his home.


Last November, the clique calling itself the government of Richland County voted to steal Bayliss's 18-acre plot because he had declined to pay $5,737.01 in property taxes between 2000 and 2006. Until 2000, Bayliss had dutifully paid out the protection money demanded by the county Camorra, but found himself in trouble anyway: The County Sheriff sicced his deputies on Bayliss to deliver a tax delinquency notice, despite the fact that he had already paid the first of two installments to the town treasurer.


Bayliss was understandably frustrated by the bureaucratic foul-up, and infuriated by the serene arrogance displayed by the deputies when they trespassed on his posted property. In a nice bit of mimicry, Bayliss had put up a sign announcing that those who entered his land had to pay a $5,000 "land-use fee" to obtain an entry permit. So after the deputies left, Bayliss sent the county a bill demanding payment of the delinquent $5,000 fee.


This is a futile gesture, of course, but I'm trying -- without success -- to identify a moral argument against what Bayliss did. It was his land, owned free and clear since 1979. He was the sole inhabitant and sovereign of his own little polity. In anything other than a strictly positivist sense, why couldn't he charge for access to his land?


Fanciful as Bayliss's demand of the Richland County Government may have been, that government's culpable neglect also handed him a solid, incontestable grievance.


Some time prior to Bayliss's initial property tax conflict in 2000, a construction crew straightened County Highway G, which runs next to Bayliss's land. This involved blasting away a limestone hillside. Part of the collateral damage of the blasting was the loss of Bob Bayliss's well.


According to Al Cutler, Bayliss's neighbor, the blasts left the well's submersible pump irreparably damaged, leaving him with no source of water. Cutler also reports that the county refused to restore the well or provide Bayliss with an alternate source of water. He was forced to fill large, blue, plastic barrels with water from local springs.


So it's no particular surprise when Cutler reports that Bayliss, who was not predisposed toward anti-government sentiment, was "sore at the county."


Once again, I ask: Why the hell didn't the Richland County Government, which committed the initial offense by destroying Bayliss's well, pay for the damage?


The answer, obviously, is: Because they didn't have to. They have armed men in their employ, after all, who are clothed in the supposed authority to commit acts of violence against intransigent people like Robert Bayliss.


So on March 31, the County dispatched four of their armed employees to serve eviction papers on Bayliss. For his part, Mr. Bayliss -- reportedly a "crack shot" -- displayed nearly superhuman forebearance in the face of this aggression by aiming his shots above the head of the invaders.


The deputies withdrew; conferences were held; local police officials contacted their comrades in neighboring jurisdictions to organize a militarized response to Bayliss's defiance.


As described in a press release issued by Richland County Sheriff Darrell Berglin, the operation involved six Sheriff's departments, one local police department, six SWAT/tactical teams, State Police personnel, a bomb squad, two airborne units, three emergency response teams, and representatives of three state agencies.


All of this manpower was mobilized, remember, to conduct an assault on a solitary aging man who owed $5,737.01 in back taxes.


I'll bet that the Richland County Government wastes more than that amount each year in needless purchases of refreshments and office supplies.


Conspicuous in the April 3 assault on Bayliss's home were three BearCat vehicles. Lenco Industries of Penco, Massachusetts, which manufactures the BearCat, proudly reports that the vehicle is fortified with "half-inch hardened steel armor plates, State Department-approved bulletproof windows, blast fragmentation resistant floors, specially designed gunports, roof hatches with rotating turrets, gun mounts and gear storage."


Bayliss flung a few rounds, and a few "grenade-type devices" (most likely Molotov cocktails) at the lead BearCat, slighting damaging its bullet-resistant windows. Two more of the assault vehicles were summoned to the scene. SWAT operators chased Bayliss into his house, firing numerous tear-gas rounds into it before finally using "less-lethal" rounds to subdue him. The house itself burned to the ground.

Scars of a victory nobly won? Nope -- incidental damage inflicted on federally subsidized paramilitary gear by a besieged homeowner valiantly defending his land.


Having conquered such a menacing adversary, the local Homeland Security affiliate took a victory lap.


Fist-jabs and chest-bumps were exchanged; beers were hoisted in triumph; press releases were joyously disseminated. The battle-damaged BearCat itself was put on display in LaCrosse County, whose Sheriff's Department had purchased the vehicle with a federal Homeland Security grant.


You see, the purchase of the BearCat by the LaCrosse Sheriff's Department had been controversial, because it had been arranged without the County Board of Supervisors being notified.


So much for civilian control over the military -- even at the county government level.


Apparently, only the Sheriff and a couple of his cronies were aware of the grant and how it was spent. After the purchase became known, County Supervisor Jill Billings quite sensibly suggested that it be turned over to the local National Guard unit. This provoked a theatrical display of pious outrage from Supervisor Karl Haleverson, a former sheriff.


"Don't we care about these law enforcement officers?" simpered Halverson. "Boy, sometimes I think I'm on Mars."


The Board of Supervisors eventually issued a resolution (.pdf) "authorizing" the purchase after the fact. Of course, the County Sheriff and other local clients of the Homeland Security State believe that the BearCat purchase was entirely validated by the successful siege of Robert Bayliss's home.


Of course, the BearCat acquisition, like the purchase of hundreds of thousands of dollars of hi-tech gear with federal funds, was justified as a counter-terrorist measure -- as if the minions of the omnipotent troglodyte Osama bin Laden regarded rural Wisconsin to be a critical target of the global jihad.


The inaugural use to which that armored assault vehicle was put was much more illustrative of the priorities and function of the Homeland Security State, which is to maintain terror -- not only the politically profitable fear of outsiders, but the tacit fear that commands submission to the State's demands. The amount Bayliss owed was less than trivial, but his defiance -- rooted in a very plausible set of grievances -- could have proven contagious if not properly dealt with.


As helicopters circled Bayliss's besieged property in the distance, and smoke arose from his ruined house, a resident of the nearby town of Viola commented to a reporter: "This could happen to anybody." That's precisely the message the local Homeland Security affiliate meant to send.

__

*Can anybody identify the character who said this? Chances are it's not who you think.



On sale now!











Dum spiro, pugno!

45 comments:

  1. Is it spock from star treck?

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  2. He doesn't completely own himself or his land. The government does. That's why they get to collect the fruit of his labor, and collect rent on his land. Because that's all taxation is. Robbery. Can we finally be intellectually honest about it?

    -Sans Authoritas

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  3. Another excellent post -- up to your usual high standards, Mr. Grigg.

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  4. Perhaps from Star Wars?

    What ever happened to pride in getting a job done with the minimal amount of help...6 swat teams, air assistance, etc. Those wimps should have their sugar pops taken away.

    I think if you surprised them by coming out from behind a tree, and yelled, boo!, they would probably piss their pants and run home crying out for Mommy.

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  5. Your Majesty, that's a good guess, but it's wrong.

    challenger16 -- You want to refine your answer just a touch...? You're on the right "Trek," as it were.

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  6. I knew it was from star trek, but i had to cheat and use the internet to find the context.

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  7. Right Trek, but wrong Spock. Does that help?

    The lesson to be learned here is to aquire armor piercing ammo!

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  8. ::jumping up and down, waving arm::

    Oh - I know! I know!

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  9. Coincindentally, I have been posting over at Vox Populi (Vox Day's blog) for several months under the handle "Bearded Spock."

    Nice quote.

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  10. "Conquest is easy. Control is not. We may have bitten off more than we can chew"-Captain Kirk

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  11. C.O.P.
    County Occupation Army
    ....it was Sulu! Right?!

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  12. "It was his land, owned free and clear since 1979. He was the sole inhabitant and sovereign of his own little polity."

    More specifically with regard to the land ownership issue, I tried to address this with another commenter some months ago. Ron Paul's Immigration Misfire. http://freedominourtime.blogspot.com/2007/12/ron-pauls-immigration-misfire.html

    "With regard to property law, I'm guessing you would agree that under English law, at the time of the founding, there was no property owned completely free and clear (of the crown, of any encumbrances, taxes, etc. i.e. inalienable). The 13 states were of the 13 colonies which were of the crown. We left the crown. What followed? Where did the Constitution change that idea of ownership? Was the ownership transferred? Was part of it abolished? In the body of the Constitution, I only see the word property in AIV, S3, and it seems to refer to the property of the state or states. (The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States....) Also, doesn't the Takings clause suggest a continuation of the English monarchical/feudal idea --that the state can take the land; that you don't own it free and clear? "

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  13. Isn't that quote from "alternate reality" Spock?

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  14. "Don't we care about these law enforcement officers?" simpered Halverson. "Boy, sometimes I think I'm on Mars."

    That reminds me of the words of a spoiled child saying "YOU DON'T LOVE ME!!!" when the parent refuses to buy them a toy they want.

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  15. "Apparently, only the Sheriff and a couple of his cronies were aware of the grant and how it was spent."

    I read elsewhere (failing to save the link) that a man who had applied to become a policeman somewhere was rejected for being "too smart." My first thought was that police departments are screening applicants for personality traits suited to the coming brutal lawless authoritarian crackdown. It would be interesting to see the so-called 'IQ test' that is being administered. Perhaps it is more a test of willingness to follow orders to subvert the Constitution and rule of law.

    I see a pattern here (along with other trends) of local police being coopted in the same way that the federal government has been infiltrated by a cabal of authoritarian corporate leeches who operate in the dark.

    I believe our law enforcement agencies, the same ones that participated in the Operation FALCON exercises, are secretly preparing a takeover, whenever the signal to execute the MAINCORE 'final roundup' is given.

    Similar to evidence that there is/was a second chain of command in the Air Force, that enabled the loose nukes incident last fall, I believe our law enforcement agencies are no longer independently controlled by their local elected governments. Possibly they are being run by DHS, which is really the outfit that will coordinate martial law.

    Great writing. I've only been reading here for a few months.

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  16. To Anon @10:26 or anybody - What ya gonna do when they come for you?

    Put the gun to your head and pull the trigger?

    Run away?

    What?

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  17. Christopher, I'm still trying to figure that out myself. Here is an interesting source of information about 'land patents' and how to secure one on the piece of ground you think you own.

    landpatents

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  18. Will,

    is it Mirror Spock?

    anyways, Arming piercing ammo is not enough for 1/2" armor and bullet resistant glass. you need a big bore caliber. i'm thinking .338 and up. that would mean you'd really have to have a .50 BMG to get the variety of rounds you'd need.

    rick

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  19. Several of you came close to naming the Wise Fictional Character, and minnesota chris referred to the actual "person" -- but rick actually got the name right. If I'm going to maintain my Trek-Dork cred, I have to pay proper attention to details of that kind.

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  20. I stumbled onto this Wayne Madsen piece which explains:

    Blackwater Training US Police

    "Blackwater is also planning to establish regional training centers in Potrero, California and Mount Carroll, Illinois, billed as Blackwater West and Blackwater North, respectively. These training centers, in addition to Blackwater's Lodge and Training Center in Moyock, North Carolina -- Blackwater East -- and a possible fourth rumored to be slated for the Pacific Northwest -- Blackwater Northwest -- may result in the establishment of a network of Blackwater-trained police, sheriffs, and other police units around the country. Given Blackwater's dismal record on human rights and brutality, this spells trouble for civilian control of police and paramilitary forces in the United States, from major metropolitan areas to small rural towns."


    - anonymous @ 10:26

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  21. In the TOS episode "Mirror, Mirror" a transporter accident swaps Kirk with an alternate version of himself from a Universe where the Velvet Glove fascism of the Federation is morphed into an Iron Fist.

    Spock is First Officer of the Enterprise in that place and the quote is his.

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  22. will,

    whoopee! i'm 2 for 2!!! i got mad skillz.

    "Ooo is your dahdee, and vaht does ee doo!"

    rick

    oh well...i have to share this one.

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  23. Zonga said: "What ya gonna do when they come for you? Put the gun to your head and pull the trigger?"

    Nah, kill as many of the bastards as I can before they kill me. Double tap to the head and one to the groin will defeat most body armor. Made that choice long ago. If you are not ready to die for what you believe in, you believe in nothing.

    I think Zonga is a provocateur . . . A few of his/her ilk have posted in the past, I think Leviathan is becoming irritable.

    Sic Semper Tyrannis

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  24. Our country is gone.

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  25. I'm surprised they didn't cal in an air-strike, or artillery bombardment...

    God bless that man

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  26. There is an application for a property zoning change locally for a "search and rescue training center", to include a shooting range, amnutition storage, mile-long airstrip, and parking for vehicles "...greater than 10,000 lbs each". This in the center of 12,000 acres of woodland less than 3 miles from a large rural school here in central Florida. My first thought was Blackwater, but SWAT training seems more likely. I'm scared, very scared. It's one mile from my house!

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  27. Land tenure in the US is "fee simple" which means (the short version) you never "own" the land; you simply hold title (possesion) of a "lease" from the government. You can sell, mortgage, inherit, will, give, rent this "property right" but you do not own the land.

    True ownership is called Allodial title and it does not exist in the US. Allodial title is inalienable, in that it cannot be taken by any operation of law for any reason whatsoever. Allodial title is exempt from taxes, zoning, all forms of control and confiscation by any level of government.

    You can see why governments will never allow it. Allodial title, like all freedom, is something that must be taken; it will never be given.

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  28. Anon @ 2:41 AM - Dude. They only do THAT when there are women and children present! (See "Waco")

    Good article Mr. Grigg......I only wish the lamestream "media" would report these things instead of the latest on Britany, Jessica, etc (ad nauseum)

    And the 'silent majority' snores along.

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  29. It seems to me that the peaceful way to have handled this would have been to put a tax lein on his property.

    From the town's perspective at the worst it would amount to giving him a reverse mortgage on his land, but it would be civilised.

    All other issues aside, at least then it could be worked out in court or on grounds of the disputant's choosing. this is nothing more than thuggery under color of law.

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  30. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,371925,00.html

    For some reason I figured maybe I should send you this article...actually for a couple of reasons. First, my continuing disenchantment with the death penalty. Despite the crying out from somewhere deep inside that death is too good for these people, there is also the question of why on earth we should let the government punish what God is already going to punish in a much more severe way. If we emptied our prisons of potheads, we'd have a place to keep these people off of the streets, we'd have a safe society and they'd have a lifetime to repent.

    Second, note the quote from the Texan about children being a "resource." Something about that idea strikes me as inherently disgusting (not, admittedly, as disgusting as child rape). It is amazing the arrogance of a state official, to dare to call children "our...resource".

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  31. Wilco (i think it was you) suggested: It seems to me that the peaceful way to have handled this would have been to put a tax lein on his property.

    From the town's perspective at the worst it would amount to giving him a reverse mortgage on his land, but it would be civilised.

    All other issues aside, at least then it could be worked out in court or on grounds of the disputant's choosing. this is nothing more than thuggery under color of law.

    The problem is, someone would still have to drive up and serve him papers. Otherwise it would be happening without him knowing it. And at that point, he would (and did) shoot at the summons servers. And if that summons server was your wife, I sure as hell bet you'd want someone to go in and get the guy. Well, maybe not, I've never met your wife (if you have one). But choosing to shoot at someone that shows up to serve papers is probably not the best idea if you don't want force met with force.

    What IS the answer? I didn't say I had any, I just said I had questions.

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  32. The message is clear - falling behind on exorbitant rent payments to the local public school system could easily trigger a military style assault. It takes a lot of money, after all, to keep the population servile and barely literate.

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  33. I need to warn you all. DON'T EVER call Will Grigg a "trekkie dork" to his face, like I did last year. I mean it! Apparently, he wasn't in the greatest of moods when I needled him last year with that condescending remark. I found out that he's not only brutally strong, but he also knows some pretty fancy Greco-Roman wrestling moves. He rushed me, put me quickly to the ground and somehow managed to wrap my left leg behind my neck while simultaneously wedging my right arm in the space between my neck and leg. I couldn't pull it out. Needless to say, I was in immense pain. Then, Mr. Grigg (I always call him Mr. Grigg now.) took my crutches, along with the cast that had previously encased my right foot and threw them all into the Snake river, along with my angina heart medication.

    A word to the wise:

    Think before ye speaketh! Yea! Holdeth thy tongue and cleaveth it to thy roof of thy mouth in silence!

    My doctor says I should be fine. I'm almost back to 100% health, but my left leg and right arm still have some numbness, and I still can't find my glass eye that was disgorged that fateful day. Anyway, I hope Mr. Grigg will forgive my past impertinence and let bygones be bygones. Shalom! (Please?!)

    -R. "Gilligan" Wiesinger

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  34. Hey, Gilligan -- I'm gratified to learn that you've recovered from my fit of temper last year. :-)

    Didn't I say you wouldn't like me when I'm angry?

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  35. When "Cops Gone Wild" run around with military gear trying to put the people in their "place" it is only a matter of time they want to use their toys. It will only get worse.

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  36. I particularly like the Wisconsin State Journal's two references to Mr. Bayliss' short wave radio & internet inspired "sovereign beliefs".

    Truly - 'short wave radio & internet' sources of information can and will make a person nuts.

    QUOTE:
    "Bayliss said his growing disenchantment with county government — fueled in part by commentary he heard on short-wave radio broadcasts and reflected in slogans he frequently refers to

    He did, however, make frequent references in the interview to oaths and constitutional issues and trespassing laws. All are familiar themes in what are commonly known as "sovereign" beliefs. The Internet and short-wave radio are popular sources for that information. There are recent court cases in Wisconsin involving members of groups who place harassing liens on public officials, or refuse to pay taxes based on obscure or false interpretations.

    But Bayliss said — and McConoughy confirmed — he is not a member of any groups espousing generally anti-government views.

    "He listens to their radio shows and gets a little agitated after doing that all winter," McConoughy said.

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  37. A powerful report on a sad state of affairs within this country. These artificial entities created by We The People believe they own us and all our property and can take it away for not paying them homage.

    State and Local "governments" think they own your land and the "federal government" and many states believe your time at labor has a "ZERO COST BASIS" meaning that all that you earn is "gain or profit" and may be taxed.

    I admire Mr. Bayliss and hope that I have the strength to stand and fight like a man when my time comes, and I fear this may be sooner, rather than later.

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  38. "All of this manpower was mobilized, remember, to conduct an assault on a solitary aging man who owed $5,737.01 in back taxes."

    Nice attempt at propaganda, you tool. He fired shots at police officers. This old idiot doesn't deserve your praise; he deserves a Darwin Award. Goddamned imbeciles...

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  39. I see that reading comprehension isn't part of your toolkit. Go back and read, or have read to you, the portions of the essay describing how this ugly mess could have been avoided without lead being thrown, if somebody in the County government had simply given this poor schlep suitable redress.

    "He fired shots at police officers"? Oh, my stars and garters! Scarcely a day goes by without tax-fattened gun thugs firing shots at perfectly innocent people, and we're supposed to assume that there's nothing innately wrong with that.

    As I pointed out in the piece, Bayliss fired over the heads of the uniformed parasites who came to throw him off his land. I admire his restraint. In a state of nature he would have been within his rights to ventilate their empty craniums.

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  40. From rumors around Viola and from people I won't disclose, apparently he had assets in coin collections totalling over the limit for a PD. In court he agreed to have the coins sold the PD's offiice would receive their portion and he would get the rest. He signed the agreement and at another hearing stated that he never signed the agreement and called the signed document a forgery. Stories I've heard, not just from the Sheriff's Dept but from people who know him say he is kind of mentally unstable. Hearsay! I've never met him.

    This summer when I went to donate my books to him the Sheriff's jailors wouldn't let me see him. Apparently, he must request a guest and I just showed up unannounced. I had to donate the books to the jail library and not to him directly, but I was assured he'd be told they were there.
    I know and trust the Deputy I spoke with.

    As for protecting hs liberties;
    Regarding the criminal charges, not too much if he has a PD. The attorn ey will handle it. Andrew and Judge Leinweber are both just men. I trust he will get a fair trial procedurally.

    Getting a fair jury may be more difficult. As you know, Richland County is a small county population wise and many people don't like violence. The guy shot at Marcia Marchokta? Hell, she's my meighbor! Hang the sonnuvabitch!!

    I am friends with deputies from Richland and Vernon counties. I feel the tax and seizure laws need to be totally revised (repealed). Especially taking more property than what is owed. I personally think govt should not be allowed to seize property for delinquent taxes. But that is a separate rant!!! It is also why I can see his side even after he shot at people I like and respect.

    But David, what can WE do??? Ok, ok:

    Civil matters: 1. Raise money to pay his back taxes if the property has not already auctioned. 2. Try to get a lawyer for him to stay the auction if it has not already happened. 3. A real long shot Have an attorney sue the county for wrongful conversion of real property. Just off the top of my head.

    Please be advised that none of this discussion is meant to constitute any legal advise from me. Just musings. Nor do these musing in any way constitute legal representation. In other words these are just thoughts and cannot relied upon for any legal action. Basically, I'm not practicing law without a license.

    Good luck. Hope you are having fun at RonFest '08.

    Yours in Liberty,

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  41. the jury is back...Guilty on 13 of 17 felonys...now hopefully the court sysyem will continue to do it's job and put him away for a long, long time!

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  42. They facts on this site are wrong. IT WAS NOT ABOUT TAXES!!!! It was about a man who shot at poeple- yes cops are poeple too- who where trying to serve civil service papers on him. That's right CIVIL service. Mr. Bayliss shot at the cops first. They weren't going to drag him off of his property. The cops were simply there to diliver a piece of paper that invited Mr. Bayliss to argue the facts on the piece of paper in court- CIVILLY! Instead, he chose to shoot at them. The police were then forced- by Mr. Bayliss- to act in the mannor that they did. The bloggers that complain that Police spent too much money to take Mr. Bayliss into custody might be right. The cops could have spent a lot less money and killed him. But the cops didn't. They did their job, and when they got the oppurtutity to take Mr. Bayliss into custody unharmed, they did so dispite the fact that he tried to kill some of them. The military has the benifit of "collatoral damage" and "friendly fire". The cops don't! Simply put, the cops are here to SAVE YOUR ASS. Cops, much like firefighters and our military, RUN INTO situations that people, such as this sites bloggers, run screaming FROM. We love our firefighters and military personell, but we hate cops. The fact is most, if not all, of the people on this site lack the balls or brains to have actually been involved in a situation like this. The fact that the standoff turned out like it did, without injury or casualty, is a testiment to our law enforcement community. All you bloggers can play "monday morning quarterback" all you want. Remember-NO ONE LIKES COPS BUT, EVENTUALLY EVERYBODY NEEDS ONE!

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  43. I grew up in Viola, WI graduated from Kickapoo High School in 1999. I knew Robert and he was a nice guy, not only that, but he was smart and his grievances were legitimate. You see, once he paid off his debts, he didn't need money anymore and he didn't need the state to provide security for him or his assets because not only did he exercise his natural right of self-protection and self-representation, but he had a pretty good social safety net with all of the friends he made by being a compassionate and reasonable person. The last time I checked, the US Government was based on consent from the people, not coercion by the authorities. I could quote the Constitution, but I'm not going to spoon-feed you the facts, find this sh-t out for yourself.

    Robert Bayliss did not consent to government because he had a good reason to: he did not need it. It's too bad that he didn't take out a few deputies, SWAT members or agency representatives. It's too bad he didn't kill them all. I wish I could have helped. Next time I will, and next time, there will be blood.

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  44. I,too had an issue with Richland Cty. over a faulty sewer hookup. County official Harriet from zoning told me to fix it & gave me a deadline, instead of helping me force the engineering firm to make it right. The DNR wouldn't help, nor any of the idiots that work for me. (I pay my taxes!) I have the resources, so I hired a lawyer & told him to sue the village, & everyone else he could think of. We finally settled for a sewage pump in the basement paid for by the village & the engineering firm. I imagine it will lower the homes value, but a fullscale lawsuit would have cost my neighbors, some of whom barely scrape by now. These arrogant lawmen in this county really pissed me off last year when they claimed my 17 yr. old step son gave them permission to search my house. I told them a 17 yr. old doesn't give permission to do anything. Then they tried twice to serve papers on him without showing me the papers. The second time they realized I meant it. I signed for them. If they want to treat me in a legal, respectful, manner, I'll do anything to help them. If not then who knows how it will turn out. This ol' Marine, Viet Nam vet, (2 tours), Oathkeeper, don't scare worth a shit. Keep it legal, boys. Richland Cty. was responsible for the well. They should have made him whole.

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  45. Yea i hate to tell ya but i live 20 min from this and LaCrosse county where one bearcat came from is a likely target, 2 major mississippi bridges and a power plant and spent nuclear rod holding facility so it is justified to get one and no one has any form of air support and the only SWAT like team is from LaCrosse and its like 6-8 dudes. If the guy paid taxes he wouldnt have problems, its an evil that we all have to deal with.

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