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The Internal Revenue Service is remaining silent on the case of Cindy Sheehan, the so-called “Peace Mom” who has publicly vowed not to pay any federal income tax in connection with the Iraq War death of her son, Casey.
“We’re not going to comment,” IRS spokeswoman Nancy Mathis told WorldNetDaily. “We’re precluded by law from discussing any individual’s tax case.”
WND contacted the IRS after Sheehan yesterday reiterated previous statements about not paying her taxes, and she is daring the government to prosecute her.
 Cindy Sheehan |
“I wanted them to come after me [for back taxes] and I want to put this war on trial,” she told radio host Ed Schultz, who took his syndicated show to Crawford, Texas.
Sheehan said she has not paid her taxes for 2004, but has been setting aside some money in an escrow account.
“Is that legal?” Schultz asked.
“I haven’t hidden it,” Sheehan said, adding that everything she’s written in connection with her protest has been sent to the White House.
Her remarks echo previous resolve she expressed during a Dallas speech earlier this month.
“My son was killed in 2004. I am not paying my taxes for 2004,” Sheehan told an audience of Veterans for Peace. “You killed my son, George Bush, and I don’t owe you a penny.”
When asked about penalties for not paying taxes, the IRS referred WND to its website, which states:
Compliance with the tax laws in the United States relies heavily on self-assessments of what tax is owed. This is called voluntary compliance. When individuals and corporations make deliberate decisions to not comply with the law, they face the possibility of a civil audit or criminal investigation which could result in prosecution and possible jail time. Publicity of these convictions provides a deterrent effect that enhances voluntary compliance.
According to the solution-oriented site GotTrouble.com, sometimes citizens can have penalties waived if they convince the government the failure to file was due to “reasonable cause” rather than willful neglect or negligence.
“However, what the Internal Revenue Service considers to be ‘reasonable cause’ for failing to file on a timely basis is probably different from what you might guess,” the site says. “The IRS would most likely deem being in a coma, being kidnapped, or being abducted by aliens to be ‘reasonable cause’ – but not much more.”
Sheehan, who left Texas last night to attend to her mother who had a stroke in California, has also been making headlines for her foul-mouthed tirades against President Bush, publicized by the Drudge Report.
“They’re a bunch of f—ing hypocrites!” Sheehan said of the Bush administration on April 25.
If George Bush believes his rhetoric and his bullsh–, that this is a war for freedom and democracy, that he is spreading freedom and democracy, does he think every person he kills makes Iraq more free?
The whole world is damaged. Our humanity is damaged. If he thinks that it’s so important for Iraq to have a U.S.-imposed sense of freedom and democracy, then he needs to sign up his two little party-animal girls. They need to go to this war.
We want our country back and, if we have to impeach everybody from George Bush down to the person who picks up dog sh– in Washington, we will impeach all those people.
In response to the publicity of her vulgar attack, Sheehan has penned a “Memo to Drudge, et al,” saying: “Even after my repeated attempts to keep the focus of my protest on the war, the Drudge Report and others continue to try to make the issue about me. But I am not the issue. The issue is a disastrous war that’s killing our sons and daughters and making our country less secure. They attack me because they can no longer defend this war.
“I’ve come to Crawford to bring to the president’s doorstep the harsh realities of a war he’s been trying so hard to avoid. But no matter what they say or how many shotguns they fire or how many crosses they destroy, they’re not going to stop me from speaking out about a war that needlessly killed my son.”
Related story:
Hold your appaws: Dogs for Cindy
Previous stories:
Backlash! War moms attack Cindy Sheehan
Bush shown kissing Cindy in family pix
Cindy’s husband seeking divorce
Man defends firing shots near Bush protesters
Cindy Sheehan: I won’t pay tax
