Texans Against Intrusive Government – Labeled a “hate site” by NRH Police?

by Ron West

I was recently informed that TAIG was listed as a “hate site” by the NRH Police Department during their academy training for citizens.

The website – www.taig.org – was created by one of my sons who lives in Decatur, Texas and whom I am very proud of. Without prior political experience he decided to fight a Texas state initiative – prior to 9/11, that he felt was intrusive and against the Constitution. The issue was the mandatory requirement for the use of the Social Security Number for securing a Texas Drivers License. At the time the issue came up, my company had a high speed connection to the internet and sufficient server capacity to allow him to create his website. He was joined in the fight by literally hundreds of Texans across the state. Through his efforts, the “organization” which was almost solely him, raised nearly $10,000 and hired an attorney to pursue the fight in the courts of Texas. His cause was lost in the courts and the reason for the creation of TAIG was ended.

During the time the website was active, a number of contributors to his cause asked to have their websites linked (advertised) on the TAIG site. I don’t know what those sites were or what they stood for nor do I know if my son knew. I do know that regardless of what they said or stood for, they had the legal right to do so under our rights of free speech as they currently exist. Based on what happened after, I do not take the right of free speech for granted because we are slowly giving up that right.

Texans Against Intrusive Government (TAIG) was never a hate site and never advocated he violent overthrow of government as Councilwoman JoAnn Johnson seemed to indicate in her slanderous letter during the campaign of May 2004. It was the work of a citizen of our country who stood up for what he believed was right and fought for it with all the legal means at his disposal. Contrary to Ms. Johnson’s letter, anything she found via the links from TAIG certainly did not relate to the May campaign in NRH.

I did support my son’s efforts, believed in his cause and I am very proud of his work and efforts to fight ever more intrusive government. The use of the Social Security Number for Drivers Licensing may even contribute to the problems we are having today with identity theft.

Maybe the willingness to fight wrongs by government runs in our family because the real fight here in North Richland Hills, Texas is still against “intrusive” “abusive” and “non-responsive” government. The www.taig.org website was converted during the May campaign in an attempt to fight back against the letter sent by Ms. Johnson to keep her place on the council. It is not a “hate” site but hopefully it now does expose the lack of ethics and the lack of limits that the incumbents on the NRH Council will go to in order to keep their “positions”.