Greetings, all.

First, I want to once again welcome each and every one of you to these assemblies of patriotic and purposeful defenders of our American heritage of liberty and the rule of law.  Indeed, I want to thank you for being here.

Second, I want to immediately quell any fears that from now on your computer screens are going to be filled with an extra helping of messages from me, as a punishment for signing up for the group.  Be at ease, it's not going to happen.

Third, I will state for the record that I have no intention of imposing any detailed agenda on your group, and I mean what I say on the sign-up page: Your level of participation is entirely your call.

However, I am writing now to invite you to consider an agenda item which I believe will be of considerable interest to all, and which is very much in keeping with one of key purposes for which most of you joined this group.

What I am talking about is the development-- by everyone in the group, acting in concert-- of a specific analysis and legal argument regarding your state's version of the "frivolous" statute.  Most proper state filings are treated as the law requires.  In the few exceptions to this rule, the balking state typically attempts to deliberately disregard the return, based on the "frivolous" pretext.  That pretext, therefore, is what must be overcome to eliminate roadblocks to the straightforward enjoyment of lawful behavior from the government in these cases; and the preparation of a rock-solid legal argument custom-fitted to each state's statutory structure is the tool that is needed to do that job.

Such an argument will also be the difference between securing professional legal assistance and going it alone, as well, if push comes to shove and the issue gets into a courtroom.  Although I have little good to say about the legal profession in America overall, it is not correct to say that all (or most) attorneys are corrupt (or whatever).  What CAN be said is that they are already busy, and they are no more eager to put aside their lucrative practice of routine law in favor of teaching themselves a new field and doing all the relevant research-- into statutes at which they have hitherto never looked once-- in order to go into battle with a government entity.  The homework needs to have been done for them, so that the only thing they are really being asked to provide is knowledge of procedure.

So, what this means is getting copies of your state's statutes (remembering that your state Constitution is the fundamental statute, by the way) and putting your heads together to produce a bullet-point, step-by-step argument chain of insurmountable logic, which studiously incorporates all relevant citations of law.

For a starting point, see the discussion of this subject at 'It's Time To Demand An End To This "Frivolous" Nonsense'-- particularly the  'Further Comments Regarding The Legal Contest' portion; and also Tom deSabla's excellent presentation of Maryland's relevant statutes, posted at www.losthorizons.com/tax/deSablaLetter.htm.  Neither of these are in the finished, bullet-point format that yours should be, but they will provide frameworks for the process.  For instance, since pretty nearly all the state versions of the "frivolous" statute that I have seen are identical in substance, merely plugging references to your state's section numbers into the appropriate places in either of these discussions (or replacing the Maryland section references), and then laying the results out line by line, will immediately provide a working argument.  Going forward will be a matter of refining that initial product, and making the additions and modifications that the idiosyncrasies of each state's structure might require.  In a very short time, a highly usable argument will emerge.

As this proceeds, I will post each group's results on a webpage dedicated to this purpose so that all will be able to borrow ideas of wording and organization from each other.  Before long, there will be an exquisitely honed legal weapon in the hands of every group member, varying from state group to state group in statutory citations only, for the most part.

Please give this project prompt, serious consideration at your very next meeting.  If you are inclined to participate, forward your initial results to me as quickly as you can.

Warm Regards,

-Pete