And Why Would They Do That, When DOGE Has Shown How They’ve Been Wasted?

 

These are all good reasons to withhold your taxes. Can the tactic work? Is it right? Morally and politically motivated tax nonpayment has an honorable, if not always successful, history. After the Roman empire’s destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD Jewish people refused to pay Rome’s “temple tax”. Rome responded by destroying more temples. Gandhi’s salt tax protest, on the other hand, was the first step toward India’s independence from the British empire. The American Revolution was a tax revolt, and that worked – although some colonists resisted taxes levied by the revolutionaries and, after independence, the states as well.

Well, indeed! It's almost as if, when you show people how to keep their own money, they want to continue to do so, isn't it? 

One of the diabolical features of what geographer Ruth Wilson Gilmore calls an “anti-state state” like our current regime is its ability to turn acts of resistance against the state against themselves. Principled prosecutors and agency heads resign rather than carry out the president’s illegal orders – leaving only Maga flunkies in their places. Civil servants quit rather than pervert the services or science they’ve devoted their careers to – leaving the work unguarded and the workforce decimated, precisely as the wrecking crew intends.

This is the modern interpretation of 'decimated', despite the actual effects being closer to the original 10% reduction. 

Thanks to intentional staff shortages at the IRS, your missing tax payment might go unnoticed, just as the Trump family’s multibillion-dollar fraud escaped the agency’s auditors for decades. But if tax evasion is a secretive act, tax resistance is civil disobedience, a public, political act. The reason to withhold your taxes is not to cheat the government of much-needed funds. It is not even to cheat the crooks now running the country, satisfying as that may be. It is to expose the criminality of what is being done – and not done – with the money the state has a legal and moral obligation to collect and then to distribute, to serve all the people.

Can anyone imagine what this idiot would have said had Republican voters decided to withold their taxes rather than see them spent on Biden's pet prtojects? Sher'd have demanded they be sent to Guanatanamo!  

Inspector Terry Murphy Is Either A Fool Or A Liar...

At a press conference on Thursday, Insp Terry Murphy, from Avon and Somerset Police, called the incident "incredibly rare" and said there would be an increased police presence in the area over the coming days.

"Our thoughts, first and foremost, are with the family of the young woman who's tragically died as a result of yesterday evening's incident.

"A full investigation is now well under way to establish the full circumstances of the events that led to her death," he said.

This latest Bristol attack comes a scant few days after his colleagues in Cheshire Police (where the dead girl hailed from, coincidentally) had to expend 19 rounds of ammo to bring down one of these mutts who'd nearly killed an 84 year old man. 

And he'd probably barely finished speaking before the press were alerted to yet another attack. 

So, is he a fool or a liar? Or just another arrogant senior police officer who knows he can spout utter bollocks and never be called on it? 

Chilling!

Nice one, Matt...

Does It Make You Illiterate Too?

Because the prospect of your children growing up to work for the 'Daily Mail' truly is terrifying.

Sunday Funnies...

When you've just had enough of the antics of Hollywood types...

Whipping Up A Furore

Jean-Paul Jeanrenaud, a former director of WWF who worked for the charity for 27 years, said: “The WWF name, certainly from my experience, had a lot of leverage. If I approached people, they wanted to hear what I had to say … WWF has an influence, and it still has an influence.

“I think the public will be even more than surprised, perhaps shocked. I know that it’s the sort of thing that I have difficulty getting my head around.”

What is 'the sort of thing' he's talking about?  

The wildlife charity WWF has been working to support the trade in polar bear fur at the same time as using images of the bears to raise money, it can be revealed.

And if you're shrugging right now, welcome to the club! 

Despite their endangered status, polar bears are hunted commercially in Canada, the only country that still allows the practice after it was banned by Russia, Greenland, the US and Norway. An annual average of 300–400 skins are exported, primarily to China, where a full pelt sells for an average of $60,000 (£48,000) and is often used for luxury clothing or as a rug.

And despite all their campaigns, WWF is just fine with this. Because what they decry in public, they support in private. And for good reasons:  

A two-year investigation has found that WWF has helped facilitate the international commercial trade in polar bear furs as part of its support for the policy of sustainable utilisation. The idea is that by licensing the exploitation of a small number of animals for economic purposes – such as for fur or trophy-hunting – the status of the species overall will be improved.

WWF has also claimed a ban on the international commercial trade would damage the livelihoods of Indigenous communities. 

Never mind the animals, respect the savages!  

WWF has made clear statements about its position regarding trophy-hunting and the trade in elephant ivory. It has said it is “not opposed to hunting programmes that present no threat to the survival of threatened species and, where such species are involved, are part of a demonstrated conservation and management strategy that is scientifically based, properly managed, and strictly enforced, with revenues and benefits going back into conservation and local communities”.

WWF said in a 2013 statement: “If, at some stage in the future, polar bear populations become so diminished by climate change and habitat loss, and/or if international trade presents a greater threat, we would want to revisit the Cites listing issue. But we’re not at that point.”

So make hay while the sun shines!  

Premeditated Excuses

An 87-year-old great-grandmother who died after being punched to the floor by a stranger at a train station in Birmingham had been trying to break up an argument at a Pret a Manger, MailOnline can reveal.

Dorothy Chiles suffered a broken hip and other injuries in the vicious assault at Birmingham New Street and passed away six weeks later.

The incident isn't recent, either... 

The horrifying incident actually happened on November 19 last year but only came to public attention after British Transport Police revealed earlier this week that Dorothy had died as a result of what they called an 'act of senseless violence'.

It happened after a row began when two strangers bumped into each other - and one made a racist remark, with Dorothy's only involvement as a would -be peacemaker. And one eyewitness to the attack said: 'The old lady was trying to calm her down but the woman just violently punched her. She was killed for her kindness.'

The 'Mail' has tracked down an eyewitness. 

A man who watched the entire episode unfold revealed: 'The older lady had approached the much younger white woman who was shouting and screaming at staff and customers in Pret. 'The woman was clearly very agitated and getting worse.

'She was shouting things about how she was autistic and saying that people were picking on her.

'As the older lady got closer to try and console her, the younger woman without warning spun around and knocked her backwards onto the floor.

'It was kind of a punch with a closed fist and it pushed her over.

'The older woman was left sprawled on the floor and train station staff and other commuters rushed to help her before she was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital in an ambulance.'

Another eyewitness gives an identical statement: 

'Other people started having a go at her about using racist language.

'This seemed to wind her up even more.

'She was shouting loudly and saying 'Why are you having a go at me? Why are you picking on me? I have autism'.

'As she got more and more angry and upset, that's when the older lady who was standing nearby came over I think intending to console her or calm her - but instead she was attacked for her kindness.'

It seems the brandishing of a diagnosis is now used to excuse the following actions. Because it works. 

Police say a woman in her 20s was initially arrested on suspicion of GBH but later held on suspicion of manslaughter and released on conditional bail pending further inquiries.

Who'd bet against her ever seeing the inside of a court? 

Tweet Of The Month

Post Title Of The Month

 Longrider on a particularly whiffy plot for attention:

Quote Of The Month

Bucko on Labour promises on welfare spending:

"And this is why I don't believe a word that any of the buggers utter. Fourteen years ago we had a new Conservative coalition telling us that hard choices needed to be made, but we never saw any meaningful austerity then, or in fourteen years of a 'Conservative' Government having the ability to do so

And now Labour are saying the same tired old shit. Nothing changed before, and nothing will change now, but some in the Labour party are loosing their shit anyway, just at the thought of something sensible being done to tackle welfare spending"