[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 148 (Friday, October 16, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2221-E2222]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




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

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. VAN HILLEARY

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 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.
  Gordon 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 a 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

[[Page E2222]]

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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