# Where is the law!(tax protestor inspired question) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2011, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-tax-protestor-inspired-question/595703 "2011-09-09T06:23:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-tax-protestor-inspired-question/595703/21 "2011-09-10T00:12:35Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Do these people believe that if a terrorist attack destroyed the Constitution in the National Archives that the US would cease to exist? Some of these people believe that both such events have already happened, figuratively if not literally. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-tax-protestor-inspired-question/595703/22 "2011-09-10T00:16:38Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Do these people believe that if a terrorist attack destroyed the Constitution in the National Archives that the US would cease to exist? If it serves their purposes at the moment, yes. We are talking about the same people who think that placing a [yellow-fringed flag](http://www.unexplainable.net/artman/publish/article_8921.shtml) in a room suspends the Constitution in that room. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-tax-protestor-inspired-question/595703/23 "2011-09-10T00:47:00Z")
> [@I\_Know\_Nothing](#): > > …That’s the ridiculousness that all tax protestor arguments come back to, that an Amendment to the Constitution was ratified that meant nothing and did nothing. I always asked these guys what was the purpose of the 16th amendment. They never could give me an answer. A friend of mine is a lawyer who once had a tax protestor client, who happened to be black, who insisted that _none_ of the amendments to the Constitution were valid. My friend said, “You might want to read the 13th Amendment and then reconsider that point of view…” ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-tax-protestor-inspired-question/595703/24 "2011-09-10T00:48:32Z")
> [@I\_Know\_Nothing](#): > > That’s the ridiculousness that all tax protestor arguments come back to, that an Amendment to the Constitution was ratified that meant nothing and did nothing. But was it really ratified? [I think not.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1115/is-u-s-income-tax-invalid-because-ohio-wasnt-legally-a-state-when-the-16th-amendment-was-ratified) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-tax-protestor-inspired-question/595703/25 "2011-09-10T01:26:02Z")
> [@SmithCommaJohn](#): > > Basically, they believe (or desperately _want_ to believe) that real life has cheat codes. In past threads, I compared their use of pseudo-legal mumbo-jumbo to magical incantations, but I like your analogy better. ---
**Author:** ![SmithCommaJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@SmithCommaJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmithCommaJohn)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-tax-protestor-inspired-question/595703/26 "2011-09-10T03:16:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Do these people believe that if a terrorist attack destroyed the Constitution in the National Archives that the US would cease to exist? If they thought it might help them get out of paying taxes, yes. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-tax-protestor-inspired-question/595703/27 "2011-09-10T06:13:48Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Do these people believe that if a terrorist attack destroyed the Constitution in the National Archives that the US would cease to exist? You are making the mistake in believing that people are stating their sincere beliefs instead of making bullshit arguments out of self interest. The world is full of people who will say the most outlandish things for personal gain. Add in the fact that thinking through all the consequences of arguments is hard work it is easier and to a large extent more productive to keep repeating yourself until the other party gives up and goes home than being right. With those two idea you have covered 75% of conflicts between people. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-tax-protestor-inspired-question/595703/28 "2011-09-10T15:01:52Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > Thats my understanding. Your ownership of the patent is conveyed by ownership of the physical “ribbon copy” of the patent document. If a patent is invalidated you must give up the ribbon copy I’ll apologize if you can provide a cite, but otherwise I say that’s baloney. The ribboned copy of a patent is a ceremonial representation, and one can get a duplicate or replacement copy of that document. You can’t assign ownership of the patent simply by handing over that piece of paper. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-tax-protestor-inspired-question/595703/29 "2011-09-10T15:22:07Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > You are making the mistake in believing that people are stating their sincere beliefs instead of making bullshit arguments out of self interest. The world is full of people who will say the most outlandish things for personal gain… “Some people believe with great fervor preposterous things that just happen to coincide with their self-interest.” _Coleman v. CIR_ (7th Cir. 1986), 791 F.2d 68, 69. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-law-tax-protestor-inspired-question/595703.md?page=1)