Irwin Schiff: Political Prisoner Seeking Compassionate Release (Video)
Peter Schiff appeared on Alex Jones’ InfoWars last week to share some sad news. Peter’s father, Irwin Schiff, has just been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. With a couple more years left in his prison sentence, this effectively means Irwin Schiff will serve a life sentence for his political beliefs. Peter and Alex discussed the hypocritical policies of the Internal Revenue Service and the federal court system that imprisoned Irwin Schiff.
I’ve sat around people who have admitted to me. Lawyers have said, ‘Look, your dad is technically right. He’s legally right, but the government won’t let him get away with it.’ I mean, that’s an important thing. I’ve talked to judges who have told me that. ‘Okay, yes, technically your dad may be right, but it doesn’t matter.’
“What Americans are willing to accept today – the type of taxation, the type of regulation – is off the charts compared to the tiny, little bit of government that Americans were protesting from King George…”
Peter has chosen the less risky route of paying his taxes in accordance with federal laws, though he continues to support Irwin’s ideals. Rather than withdrawing from the tax system, Peter advocates owning gold and silver as a way of withdrawing your savings from the US dollar. The inflation caused by quantitative easing is less apparent, but just as insidious as the official tax system.
Highlights from the interview:
“[Irwin Schiff] is a political prisoner. He’s not even a pseudo-political prisoner, because he is in jail for his political beliefs. He’s not in jail for breaking any laws. You mentioned the tax code. His real issue has always been that the internal revenue code – the laws were written voluntarily. You hear it is based on voluntary compliance. Well, that means you are not required to pay. The reason the laws were written voluntarily is because otherwise they would have violated numerous provisions of the constitution. The constitution is really inconsistent with a mandatory direct tax on your income…
“The government is violating numerous Supreme Court decisions in the way it enforces the income tax. My father just tries to point all these things out. The courts are routinely rubber stamping government action that violates the constitution… As far as the courts are concerned, there’s nothing the government can’t do. The government is in now way inhibited or restrained by the constitution…
“My father, who is 87 and has been in jail for 10 years, was just diagnosed with terminal lung cancer… In theory, he won’t survive the rest of his sentence. He would have what amounts to life sentence for a non-violent tax crime. But we are still trying to get him out on a compassionate release. The crazy part is my father doesn’t want to get out on compassionate release. He still wants to get out on the merits of his legal arguments…
“Clearly my father is not a criminal. The most you can say about my father is he was mistaken. But we don’t put people in jail for having good faith beliefs that turn out to be wrong…
“They’re going to say he was advocating non-payment of taxes. He was helping people. What my father was trying to do was educate people as he understood the law. He always encouraged people to make their own decisions. I always remember when my dad gave seminars, he would always encourage lawyers and accountants to show up. If he ever talked to somebody about not paying taxes, he would say, ‘Look, bring your account. Bring your lawyer.’ …
“I’ve sat around people who have admitted to me. Lawyers have said, ‘Look, your dad is technically right. He’s legally right, but the government won’t let him get away with it.’ I mean, that’s an important thing. I’ve talked to judges who have told me that. ‘Okay, yes, technically your dad may be right, but it doesn’t matter.’ Well shouldn’t the law matter? …
“Look at our founding fathers… They didn’t have to stand up to King George. They had good lives. And they risked it all for a concept, for freedom, for an idea. Most Americans weren’t even involved in that. Can you imagine today – would we have had any kind of revolution if the type of Americans who are around today were around in 1776? We’d still be ruled by the king of England… What Americans are willing to accept today, the type of taxation, the type of regulation is off the charts compared to the tiny, little bit of government that Americans were protesting from King George…”
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Please accept my heartfelt condolences, Peter. We all know what the Federal Government has done to your father.
Peter …enjoyed the interview that you had on the Alex Jones show.
Sorry to hear of your fathers’illness.
It’s still amazing to realize the steps that the government takes
to get their way; laws, ethics, the Constitution ,human life are meaningless in their eyes.
May God be with you and your family.
PETER:
this is howard down here in MIAMI FLORIDA, I dont know what to say, last time i talked to IRWIN he said he was getting out in two months. he really needs to be out, but the GOV. couldnt care less for him or anyone in the USA. the GOV. are a group of heartless goons! what i feel now about his having cancer, i cannot begin to say! Irwin has violated no law, nor federal regulation, and he is in prison, i really believe it is so bad, all the politicians/lawyers/judges in the U.S.A. should be in prison, and i aint joking about that, i really believe it has gotten that bad, none of em are any good! Peter, if you get the chance, text me. if you dont have my number, email me and ill email you my cell number! BTW, yes i am the howard in the federal mafia! life sentence and have committed no crime, can things in the USA get any worse? i dont think so!
Peter,
I first found out about your father’s plight when I was doing some research on your Senatorial campaign before becoming a donor. If men say something is “RIGHT” then the opposite is “wrong”, and if they say nothing can be done to correct it, then “PRAY”. My prayers have been for your father vindication of this UNJUST internment. Irwin’s Patriotic stand for justice under our Constitution is RIGHTEOUS, and thereby known by the GOD of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. May GOD’s Will be blessings upon your father and his family.
While Irwin may or may not have been correct in his theory that the income tax is unconstitutional and thus one is not liable to pay an unconstitutional assessment on one’s income, the manner and evidentiary basis for his theory’s admissibility and the manner in which it was presented was, for lack of a better description, all wrong. Irwin sought to be qualified as an expert witness which the Court would routinely deny. Instead his testimony should have been presented as a question of fact on the issue of scienter or intent negating guilt on the basis of “good faith but unreasonable belief”. A taxpayer defendant who heard Irwin’s theory might easily be convinced that he was correct and innocently acted on that belief albeit unreasonable. The court would then have been required to let him testify. Trying to be an expert witness gave the court a discretionary way out . Under this theory it would have been reversible error to have prevented Irwin from testifying as to his theories on the income tax. I never understood why the banning of the Federal Mafia book was not appealed either.
Consider writ of habeas corpus or possible violation of civil rights ( Title 42 US Code 1983) incorporating present circumstances re health, age and compassion. Good luck.