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FREEDOM LOVING PATRIOTS: READ WITH DISCRESSION

March 29, 2005

Like the emergence of daffodils and the return of the robin, the blossoming of permanent injuctions against flaky tax preparers is a perennial sign of the spring. A permanent injunction issued last week by a federal judge in Oklahoma gives a glimpse of how tax quacks use ugly websites to get folks to pay to get themselves in tax trouble.

The Oklahoma injunction, issued to Richard M. Blackstock, orders:

...that Blackstock and his representatives, agents, servants, employees, attorneys, and those persons in active concert or participation with him, remove from their websites, including www.freedomcommittee.com/5567/5567, all abusive tax scheme promotional materials, false commercial speech, and materials designed to incite others imminently to violate the law (including the tax laws), to display prominently on the first page of those websites a complete copy of this Order, and to maintain the websites, at their own expense, for one year with a complete copy of the Court's permanent injunction so displayed throughout that time; and to file with the Court, within 15 days of the date of this Order, a certification that he has done so;

What deadly, attractive snare does this website with the strange url ending in "5567" have that must be shut down? Why, it's... another injunction! Now there's a catchy promotional idea!

This injunction was issued against another, apparently affiliated, abusive promoter. This page will get crowded with another injunction. But wait - the injunction disappears before your eyes and another one that invites you to send them money, tries to appear:

Cancelling that screen, we get a website featuring this catchy slogan:

Yeah, who needs it? Not me! Sign me up!

But to close the deal, the part of the web site marked "USDC Court Order" has this to say:

Any tax promotor who can spell "discretion" with two s's has to be pretty effective. Who could resist?

UPDATE: Another misspelling noted. It's "GUMMINT," NOT "GOVERMENT". We regret any misunderstanding.

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