In the Land of the Free, people grow up hearing a lot of things about
their freedom.
You're told that you live in the freest country on the planet. You're told
that other nations 'hate you' for your freedom.
And you're told that you have the most open and fair justice system in the
world.
This justice system is supposedly founded on bedrock principles-- things like
a defendant being presumed innocent until proven guilty. The right to due
process and an impartial hearing. The right to counsel and attorney-client
privilege.
Yet each of these core pillars has been systematically dismantled over the
years:
1. So that it can operate with impunity outside of the law, the
federal government has set up its own secret FISA courts to rubber stamp NSA
surveillance.
According to data obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center, of
the nearly 34,000
surveillance requests made to FISA courts in the last 35-years, only ELEVEN
have been rejected.
Unsurprising given that FISA courts only hear the case from the government's
perspective. It is literally a one-sided argument in FISA courts. Hardly an
impartial hearing, no?
2. The concept of 'innocent until proven guilty' may officially
exist in courts, but administratively it was thrown out long
ago.
These days there are hundreds of local, state, and federal agencies that can
confiscate your assets, levy your bank account, and freeze you out of your
life's savings. None of this requires a court order.
By the time a case goes to court, you have been deprived of the resources you
need to defend yourself. You might technically be presumed innocent, but you
have been treated and punished like a criminal from day one.
3. Attorney-Client privilege is a long-standing legal concept
which ensures that communication between an attorney and his/her client is
completely private.
In Upjohn vs. the United States, the Supreme Court itself upheld
attorney-client privilege as necessary "to encourage full and frank
communication between attorneys and their clients and thereby promote broader
public interests in the observance of law. . ."
It doesn't matter what you're accused of-- theft. treason. triple homicide.
With very limited exceptions, an attorney cannot be compelled to testify against
a client, nor can their communications be subpoenaed for evidence.
Yet in a United
States Tax Court decision announced on Wednesday, the court dismissed
attorney client privilege, stating that:
"When a person puts into issue his subjective intent in deciding how to
comply with the law, he may forfeit the privilege afforded attorney-client
communications."
In other words, if a person works with legal counsel within the confines of
the tax code to legitimately minimize the amount of taxes owed, that
communication is no longer protected by attorney-client privilege.
Furthermore, the ruling states that if the individuals do not submit
attorney-client documentation as required, then the court would prohibit them
from introducing any evidence to demonstrate their innocence.
Unbelievable.
While it's true that attorney-client privilege has long been assailed in
numerous court cases (especially with regards to tax matters), this decision
sets the most dangerous precedent yet.
With this ruling, government now has carte blanche to set aside long-standing
legal protections and even deny a human being even the chance to defend
himself.
Naturally, you won't hear a word about this in the mainstream media.
(Click link below to read more)
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About Me

- Judy Chaffee
- This site is the inspiration of a former reporter/photographer for one of New England's largest daily newspapers and for various magazines. The intent is to direct readers to interesting political articles, and we urge you to visit the source sites. Any comments may be noted on site or directed to KarisChaf at gmail.
Monday, April 21, 2014
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