The news that Robert Beale had been found guilty of tax evasion last week was cause for celebration among lefty bloggers. Robert is the father of Theodore Beale, better known as Vox Day and no doubt many were happy to use the sins of the father against the son, especially those who had oft felt the sting of the back of Vox's virtual hand in the past. The fact that Robert Beale was an outspoken Christian also contributed to the joy they felt as his downfall.
But I also believe part of the reason for their exuberant reaction and the level of opprobrium they directed at the elder Beale was that in their eyes he committed the ultimate crime against the state by refusing to pay his taxes. In no way am I defending Robert Beale's actions--it's pretty clear that he broke the law and should pay an appropriate penalty for it--but when it comes to heinous crimes against society, not paying your taxes isn't high on my list. If instead of refusing to pay his taxes because of fervently held beliefs, Beale had been a leftist radical whose revolutionary ideals lead him to try to blow up the Pentagon or plant bombs under police cars, he would have received a much more sympathetic ear in the media and among the left.
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