Yeah. I know.

I've been missing. I have to finish my story. 

In the meantime, we are leaving to go north tomorrow and this winter has been amazing. Remind me it write about that too. 

Just read that the  BLM  has backed off of the Bundy case (for now). 

Now don't get me wrong, he can't ignore paying his grazing fees. Or whatever they are called.  I haven't researched a lot of this story, but that gave them a reason to do what they were doing. 

But I wonder. 

Several years back I heard this horrible preacher (you know the kind) on the radio. He was pastor over a large congregation in Indy. Let's just put it this way, he was only a shade better than Westboro. An extreme type who said over and over that people who played music in their church were going to hell. 

I'm serious. 

That's what he claimed over the radio. He said Jesus didn't give us permission to play music. Yeah, he was that screwed up. 

So his church was making him very rich. And as the church grew and hired staff and teachers, he claimed they weren't employees. Directed their performance. Check. Directed their hours. Check. Paid them as regular employees. Check. 

Why did he do that?  Because that way he didn't have to pay the employer portion of the social security tax. When his employees went to file their taxes, he also had not supplied them with a 1099. Until H & R Block told the employees that they needed at least a 1099.  He kept reciting the H & R Block "authority" as proof they were not employees. 

Give me a break. H & R Block?   They are flunkies.  They get a couple weeks of training.  They are NOT CPAs, they are not the Internal Revenue Service, they are not tax attorneys. 

So the church started issuing 1099's to employees. After several years, the IRS started knocking on the church's door. Hey, youhave about a 100 employees. They are not independent contractors. They are employees. That means a W-2. You need to start collecting 1/2 of the social security tax and PAY 1/2 of the social security tax. 

That is NOT the church income tax exemption, which he first tried to claim. It's the normal employer social security tax (or equivalent for churches) portion. 

Well Psycho Minister refused. 

And after years and years of arguing, the Feds finally came calling. 

It broke into the local stations saying the IRS had directed the church to shut down. And the vigilance started. Dozens of people showed up at the church and would not leave. It looked as though there would be a big showdown. 

What happened instead?  The Federal Marshall didn't show up. 

Took about two weeks of nothing but a few committed followers of this idiot to decide they didn't need to stand watch in the church. 

One sunny morning, without so much as a whisper, the Federal Marshall walked into the church door and shut it down. 

So I wonder if that's what might be happening on the Bundy case. 

I just read about a thousand people showed up at this ranch. Of course they would back off. 

I'm sure this guy has his reasons, but the stupid grazing fees gave the federal government a reason to shut him down. I could have stood firmly behind him if they were claiming it was only about the turtle. But he has allowed them an opportunity for an excuse. 

Anyway. What got me going was something in the story about people abiding by the free speech zones the government has set up on the ranch. 

We hear this claim about free speech zones on college campuses all the time now days. 

Last time I checked AMERICA was a free speech zone.