Death & Taxes

I was working as a police officer many miles from this incident, and stood a road block for a day and a half before it was called off. Later I transferred to a nearby city, where I became friends with many of the Law Enforcement Officers who were involved in the build up to this incident.

What many do not know, months before this incident, a teletype was issued that Gordon Kahl was wanted by the US Marshall's Service. Gordon crashed his small aircraft, and was hospitalized in a nearby town. This was a county seat, the Sheriff of Foster County at that time notified the Marshall Service that Gordon was in hospital and could easily be taken into custody with no chance of gunfire. The Sheriff was told to mind his own damn business and leave Federal Law to the professionals. Had the Marshall acted on this information, this gunfight would probably never have happened. The wife of one of the Marshall's who was killed at the scene reviled that there was a political fight, and the recent election of a new president lead to the demotion of the Republican Marshall, and appointment of his deputy, who hated his boss, this also had a lot to do with the shootout, the killed Marshall had told his former deputy, now US Marshall that there would be big trouble if you try to arrest them at the meeting, or on their way home because they were known to be heavily armed when traveling to these meetings. The cop from Medina was at the meeting, and tipped off the Kahal's that there may be trouble.

I remember as a child, watching the nightly news reports unfold as the search for Gordon Kahl commenced. I remember asking my father if Kahl was crazy. "No!", he said. "He's just a man that they pushed too far!!"

Anyone who grew up in the early to mid 1980s can remember the drastic plight of the farmers of the Midwest. Many farms were being foreclosed on by government subsidized loans that could not be repaid due to crop failures and high interest rates. Many American farmers lost family farms and years of toil and hard work gone down the tubes.

Gordon Kahl, a decorated WW2 veteran, came home and started farming on one of the government grants. When Kahl determined that he couldn't make any money with "government assistance", he withdrew himself from the program...and the Federal Income Tax!!!!!!

After many years harassment and a stint in Club Fed for failing to file income tax, Kahl said that he just wanted to be left alone to farm and live.

But, the IRS, with the help of the US Marshals service, had other plans!!!!!

After a bloody ambush by some US Marshals, Kahl escaped and went on the run, until he was cornered on a farm in Arkansas and burned to death by FBI agents(see any of the Waco films to compare this m.o. of the FBI).

This film interviews the players in this saga. Kahl's wife, Joan, son Yori (who is doing time in Club Fed for "murders" that Gordon ADMITTED he committed), some of the officers involved, investigators, friends, business associates, etc. It answers a lot of questions that still remain some 20+ years after the initial case. It interviews jurors and prosecutors and exposes some pretty shady practices that the prosecution used to convict the persons they had in custody( ie ,Yori and Scott Faul).

This film is a real eye opener on a case that I followed for a long time, and that left a definite impression on me as a child.

Anyone interested in the attacks on Ruby Ridge or Waco will definitely find this film entertaining and enlightening.

A must see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!