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'''Aaron Russo''' is an [[United States|American]] entertainment businessman, film maker, [[United States Libertarian Party|Libertarian]] political figure.
'''Aaron Russo''' is an [[United States|American]] entertainment businessman, film maker, [[United States Libertarian Party|Libertarian]] political figure, and [[tax protester]].
[[Image:Aaron russo-cannes.jpg|250px|thumb|Aaron Russo promoting his latest film, ''[[America: Freedom to Fascism]]'' in [[Cannes, France]] during the [[Cannes Film Festival]] 2006.]]
[[Image:Aaron russo-cannes.jpg|250px|thumb|Aaron Russo promoting his latest film, ''[[America: Freedom to Fascism]]'' in [[Cannes, France]] during the [[Cannes Film Festival]] 2006.]]
==Entertainment Career==
==Entertainment Career==
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==America: Freedom To Fascism==
==America: Freedom To Fascism==


Russo directed, produced, and wrote America: Freedom to Fascism, a documentary that, among other claims, restates the arguments of the Tax Honesty Movement regarding the U.S. Federal income tax.
Russo directed, produced, and wrote ''[[America: Freedom to Fascism]]'', a documentary that, among other claims, restates the arguments of [[Tax protester arguments|tax protesters]] regarding the U.S. Federal income tax.


The New York Times notes that early in the film Mr. Russo, asserts that every president since Woodrow Wilson and every member of Congress has perpetrated a hoax to tax people’s wages and issue them dubious currency. This assertion is supported by the Texas Congressman, Ron Paul.
In a review, The ''[[New York Times]]'' notes that early in the film Mr. Russo, who has more than $2 million of tax liens filed against him by the [[Internal Revenue Service]] and various states, asserts that every president since [[Woodrow Wilson]] and every member of Congress has perpetrated a hoax to tax people’s wages and issue them dubious currency.


The documentary includes interviews with a host of people who are experts, scholars and whistle-blowers. All deny the legitimacy of the income-tax laws, including Irwin Schiff, who is now in jail because a judge refused to allow Irwin to read into the record the relevant statutes and regulations to defend himself. The judge stated that he would decide what the law was.  While this may be normal procedure in our courts of “just us”, it is the jury who is to decide the verdict based on the law.  The judge had promised to provide the jury with the law that required Irwin to file a tax return. When the jury asked for that law while in deliberations, the judge refused.  Even a former Commissioner of the IRS was unable to site the law that requires the average American working in the private sector to file a 1040.  A former Commissioner should be able to quote that law “off the top of their head”.
The documentary includes interviews with a host of people denying the legitimacy of the income-tax laws, including [[Irwin Schiff]], now serving his third prison term for tax crimes. The ''Times'' notes that Schiff introduced into his criminal case the notes of his psychiatrist, who concluded that Mr. Schiff is delusional, believing he alone could properly interpret the tax code, as a way to avoid acknowledging reality.
 
The movie had many people in tears. One of the most revolting parts, in terms of what has become of our country, was a woman who was shot with a Taser gun by two police officers who had pulled her over and discovered that her license was "expired". Once she was shot and screaming in pain they pulled her from the car and threw her on the ground. The cops kept yelling for her to put her hands behind her back. Because of the electrical current from the Taser she was unable to and kept telling the cops she couldn't. So the cops "tased" her again. It was sickening to see our law enforcement officers behaving as terrorists and basically torturing an American citizen. The lady, after being forcibly handcuffed, asked what she was being arrested for, "your license is expired" was the reply.


== Stances ==
== Stances ==
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* Opposes the [[income tax]].
* Opposes the [[income tax]].
* Supports [[medical marijuana]].
* Supports [[medical marijuana]].
* Supports weakening the control of the [[Internal Revenue Service]] and the [[Federal Reserve System]] over the economy.
* Supports weakening the influence and control of the [[Internal Revenue Service]] and the [[Federal Reserve System]] over the economy.
* Strongly opposes [[gun control]].
* Strongly opposes [[gun control]].
* Opposes [[globalization]].
* Opposes [[globalization]].
* Unlike many Libertarians, he does not support allowing oil drilling in the [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]].
* Unlike many Libertarians, he does not support allowing oil drilling in the [[Arctic National Wildlife Refuge]].
* Demands that the IRS "in a public forum, reveal the law that requires Americans to pay" the federal income tax. The "IRS refuses to say what law makes U.S. citizens liable for income tax" argument.
* Demands that the IRS "in a public forum, reveal the law that requires Americans to pay" the [[Income tax in the United States|federal income tax]]. See also [[Tax protester statutory arguments#The "IRS refuses to say what law makes U.S. citizens liable for income tax" argument|tax protester arguments]].
* Supports a [[gold standard]].
* Supports a [[gold standard]].
* Opposes computerized voting.
* Opposes computerized voting.
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* Believes [[abortion]] is a state and not a federal issue.
* Believes [[abortion]] is a state and not a federal issue.


 
==Sources==
*{{cite news
  | first=David Cay
  | last=Johnston
  | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/movies/31russ.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
  | title=Facts Refute Filmmaker’s Assertions on Income Tax in ‘America’
  | work=[[New York Times]]
  | date=[[2006-07-31]]
  | accessdate=2006-07-31
}}


==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 15:08, 16 August 2006

Aaron Russo is an American entertainment businessman, film maker, Libertarian political figure, and tax protester.

Aaron Russo promoting his latest film, America: Freedom to Fascism in Cannes, France during the Cannes Film Festival 2006.

Entertainment Career

During his career in the entertainment industry, Russo was manager for Bette Midler from 1972 to 1979 [1] and The Manhattan Transfer, and the producer of the films The Rose and Trading Places. He also produced Wise Guys. Russo has stated that he was the first person to book Led Zeppelin in a United States venue, (the "Electric Circus," Chicago,1968, later named the "Kinetic Playground").

He was awarded an Emmy for a Bette Midler TV special, and a gold record for producing the Soundtrack to The Rose.

Russo also took one shot at directing with 1989's Rude Awakening.

Russo's films, which include Trading Places (starring Eddie Murphy) and The Rose (starring Bette Midler), have received six academy award nominations. Russo has personally won both an Emmy and a Tony award and his films have also won a number of Golden Globe awards.

Political career

Russo became political in the early 1990s when he produced and starred in a video entitled Mad As Hell in which he criticized NAFTA, The War on Drugs, the concept of a National Identity Card, and government regulation of alternative medicine.

Russo ran in the Republican primary for governor of Nevada in 1998, placing second with 26% of the vote. He then endorsed the Democratic candidate, Las Vegas mayor Jan Laverty Jones, who lost to Republican Kenny Guinn. Russo subsequently planned to run for governor in 2002 as an independent or a Libertarian, but he was temporarily sidelined by cancer.

In January 2004, he declared his candidacy for the President of the United States as an independent, then decided to run for Libertarian Party's nomination. While some considered Russo's style crude and even insulting [2], others argued his media experience would enable him to pose a serious threat to incumbent President George W. Bush, pulling enough votes from otherwise likely Bush voters to affect the outcome in battleground states, in the same way that Ralph Nader was considered to be in relation to Democrat John Kerry.[3][4][5]

At the Libertarian National Convention in May 2004, Russo received 258 votes, as opposed to 256 for Michael Badnarik and 246 for Gary Nolan, a majority being required to receive the presidential nomination. Russo went on to be defeated on the third and final ballot by nominee Badnarik by a vote of 423-344.

America: Freedom To Fascism

Russo directed, produced, and wrote America: Freedom to Fascism, a documentary that, among other claims, restates the arguments of tax protesters regarding the U.S. Federal income tax.

In a review, The New York Times notes that early in the film Mr. Russo, who has more than $2 million of tax liens filed against him by the Internal Revenue Service and various states, asserts that every president since Woodrow Wilson and every member of Congress has perpetrated a hoax to tax people’s wages and issue them dubious currency.

The documentary includes interviews with a host of people denying the legitimacy of the income-tax laws, including Irwin Schiff, now serving his third prison term for tax crimes. The Times notes that Schiff introduced into his criminal case the notes of his psychiatrist, who concluded that Mr. Schiff is delusional, believing he alone could properly interpret the tax code, as a way to avoid acknowledging reality.

Stances

Sources

External links

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