[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 16, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO JOHN W. ``RED'' LARSEN BY HIS WIFE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. VAN HILLEARY

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 1998

  Mr. HILLEARY. Mr. Speaker, please enter into the Record today the 
enclosed material written by Mrs. Betty Larsen and sent to me by Mrs. 
June Griffin of Dayton, Tennessee.

       John W. ``Red'' Larsen was born in Charleston, South 
     Carolina, on September 13, 1927 to George Oliver and 
     Marguerite Hochslander Larsen. He spent part of his childhood 
     in Sommerville, South Carolina. His great-grandfather, whom 
     he knew while a child, was a shipwright, which may have had 
     some influence on his choice of the Navy for his military 
     service.
       His parents separated, and his mother took Red and his two 
     older brothers, Herman and George, to New York City. Red 
     spent his teen years in what was known as ``Hell's Kitchen'' 
     and became big city street-wise. This area has since been 
     torn down and replaced with what we know today as Lincoln 
     Center for the Performing Arts.
       Red enlisted in the Navy near the end of World War II. He 
     worked in communications as a signalman, worked for some time 
     as a submariner, and was trained in underwater demolition. He 
     eventually gained the rank of CPO. He was in the Navy for 13 
     years, traveling to many different places throughout the 
     world, and also saw service in the Korean War.
       In the early 1970's, Red became concerned with the 
     legitimacy of several aspects of our government's actions, 
     especially pertaining to the federal income tax. He spent 
     considerable time and effort studying, researching and 
     talking with various sources. He also assisted several 
     persons with tax difficulties. One of the results of his 
     studies was an 83 page book, written in the late 1980's, 
     Slavery, American Style. The book discusses in some detail 
     the unconstitutional nature of our current income tax system.
       Another interest was our individual rights and freedoms as 
     American citizens, including property rights. Red also made a 
     significant contribution to several communities in 
     demonstrating the unconstitutionality of zoning laws.
       In 1944, Red moved to Tennessee for its warmer weather and 
     excellent state constitution. The first article in the 
     Tennessee State Constitution is its Bill of Rights. He 
     continued his studies and contacts with other patriots, and 
     was starting to publish a series of newsletters entitled 
     ``Truth Bird Reports.'' Only one report had been published at 
     the time of his death on July 7, 1998.
       A memorial library which will contain many of Red's books 
     and papers will be established in Altamont, New York, at the 
     home of a long time friend.

     

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