# Anybody read or hear of this book ? "Fruit from a Poisonous Tree" by melvin stamper

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-read-or-hear-of-this-book-fruit-from-a-poisonous-tree-by-melvin-stamper/1007204>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** books-writing-myths\
**Created:** [September 13, 2024, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-read-or-hear-of-this-book-fruit-from-a-poisonous-tree-by-melvin-stamper/1007204 "2024-09-13T07:57:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-read-or-hear-of-this-book-fruit-from-a-poisonous-tree-by-melvin-stamper/1007204/1 "2024-09-13T07:57:41Z")

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I found this in my amazon book list and looking it over it sounds like a lot of legal and political nuttery

> **[Fruit from a Poisonous Tree](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7105961-fruit-from-a-poisonous-tree)**
>
> This book is a veritable powerhouse that shatters, in o…

here’s some posted reader reviews:  
“Although this book is already 10 years old, it remains an eye-opening exposé of the ongoing con game being played on all of us. Stamper reveals the monumental fraud going on right in front of our faces. The question is, what are we going to do about it?”

One of the best books I’ve read on the state of this nation and how we got here. Corruption from the top down. The book also offers a way to detach from it and become your own person once again. Worth the read."

I might read it just to see what kind of crazy it contains

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**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-read-or-hear-of-this-book-fruit-from-a-poisonous-tree-by-melvin-stamper/1007204/2 "2024-09-13T09:07:46Z")

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If you do, don’t give him money, **[read it for free](https://archive.org/details/fruit-from-a-poisonous-tree/page/4/mode/1up).** (Appears to be a legit link. This guy looks to be the kind of nutter who is more interested in spreading his ideas than in grifting for a buck.)

On a quick skim, it appears to be the usual anti-government nonsense. It’s kind of amazing how common it is for guys like this start with a legitimate observation (“big-money influences are corrupting the state!”) and skip over the obvious logical conclusion (“the solution is to limit the power of money so government can properly serve the public!”) and go straight into libertarian fantasyland (“the solution is to oppose government influence entirely!”).

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**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\
**Post date:** [September 13, 2024, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-read-or-hear-of-this-book-fruit-from-a-poisonous-tree-by-melvin-stamper/1007204/3 "2024-09-13T09:15:00Z")

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Out of curiosity, I did a text search for a couple of key terms I would expect to find in a book of nuttery.

Bingo.

> [@](#):
>
> Page 52
> 
> In fact, this establishes a system of law that is based on maritime principles. Unknown to Americans, all courts of the United States — state and federal — are being operated under the principles of such law. Hence, note that all the courts in the United States of America display military flags (regular flags with gold fringe). Civil flags are hung vertically and never on a pole.

Ground zero for sovcit horseapples.