CEO - March 2010 - Honoring a dying man's wishes

by Arthur R. Thompson, CEO

What I am about to relate to you ranks high among the most important messages I have ever written as we continue working toward winning the war against the enemies of our country and our Society. It is also important to you if your wishes are to be carried out in the future.

In no way do I mean to write anything distasteful or discouraging. Some may find what follows to be almost unbelievable. But all of it occurred during the past 14 months.

The subject at hand focuses on a key ingredient we must have in order to win the incredible war in which we find ourselves. Perhaps it is the most important single ingredient and always has been ever since the Society was founded in 1958. Now, more than 50 years later, we have no doubt that what we see ahead confirms our assessment of its importance.

Let me begin by stating that we tend to be trusting of most people, especially regarding family, friends, and fellow church-goers. So when we think about passing on our life’s work, be it a business, an idea, or an estate, we often place our desires in the hands of people without a thought of being unable to trust them once we are gone.

Yet within the past 14 months, events have heightened our awareness about problems involving the type of greed that invades men’s hearts when “easy” money is available and the benefactor is no longer around. Unfortunately, this is a common failing of human nature and, for some, a temptation they cannot overcome. In the time span mentioned above, The John Birch Society did not receive well over three million dollars originally intended for our use. This is money that was supposed to come to our organization. These funds would have helped immeasurably toward beating back the conspiracy we face. But we never received what should have come to us.

We cannot go into detail for obvious legal reasons. Simply put, we have witnessed the “disappearance” of liquid assets meant to be ours by a generous benefactor whose intention was to help the Society. We have seen sons and daughters locking their own parents out of their homes while attempting to gain possession of an estate left by a parent. We have encountered hastily written and forged documents that resulted in prolonged litigation and eventual loss of funds. And on and on.

Usually, people can trust their survivors to act honorably. However, it is sad to say, we have seen that some parents mistakenly trusted their children to do what was right when ready cash became obtainable. We have even seen parents who did not trust their children make provisions in their estates to block their children’s ability to waste their inheritance.

Too often in the case of leaving assets either to The John Birch Society or American Opinion Foundation, we have found that if the children are not JBS supporters, and a substantial bequest is left to us, the children will contest the will.

We have also witnessed firsthand the heartache of mothers in their twilight years being dragged before a court to prove they are mentally competent simply because everything wasn’t being passed on to the children.

In one instance, an elderly lady was in a hospital at the same time as her husband. Unfortunately, he did not survive. But she did, and when she returned home to recuperate, she found the locks had been changed by the husband’s son so he could take possession of what was his stepmother’s residence. In this case, the deceased husband wanted to leave everything to The John Birch Society after his wife had died. She is in complete agreement with that. Obviously the man’s son is not. The couple felt that what they had worked for all of their lives was best put into saving our country rather than passing it on to the son. While the son may be in disagreement with that intent, he should have found a more humane way of addressing his grievance.

There are even worse examples we cannot discuss, reminding us to never underestimate the power that greed will have over some.

I am sure that most reading these words who have lived for a number of years know of stories of families irrevocably split over what was left in an estate.

It can be very difficult, for instance, when we witness a mother being forced to take sides among her children whose squabbling over an estate ends up being dragged into court. She loves them all, but she cannot escape the dilemma into which she has been placed.

These are all real-life instances happening within just the past 14 months. I bring them up to demonstrate that when it comes to estate planning, one has to make sure that he or she (or both) can absolutely trust the responsible parties who will settle an estate after the provider is gone.

I mean no insult to members of our Society who are attorneys because I certainly understand that, within this profession, there are some who are totally honest and completely ethical. But it will come as no surprise to anyone to realize that lawyers make money when squabbles over estates arise. We have even seen some lawyers disbarred because of fraud when dealing with an estate.

It was none other than Benjamin Franklin who stated: “A country man between two lawyers is like a fish between two cats.”

When it comes to estate planning, sound advice is worth whatever cost is required to obtain it. Without good planning and carefully drawn wills and related directives, the estate will likely be dissipated through attorneys’ fees and taxes, as well as through infighting among the surviving family members.

But let me get back to where I started. Greed that frequently arises in these situations has a terribly bad effect on families. This is well-documented.

One of the least reported crimes in this country is the wrongful gaining of control over estates when people are in their twilight years. And, of course, the deceased have no rights whatsoever. They cannot come back to change a mistake in their estate planning.

In my experience, of all the wills, trusts, and bequests that include The John Birch Society as a partial or total beneficiary, we are lucky to see 25 percent of them carried out as written and intended.

The larger the estate and the more liquid the assets, the more likely it is that greed will rear its ugly head. This occurs not necessarily because the beneficiary is supposed to be The John Birch Society. On some occasions, a sour opinion about our organization may be a motivating factor. But greed is the most common reason why estates that should come to the Society are challenged.

We all know that the lust for power is a problem we deal with in our fight to save our country. About how to deal with this, Thomas Jefferson put it simply: “... let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”

Likewise, when dealing with the lure of easy money from estates, trust no one but bind all down from mischief with steps that ensure, as best as one can, that what you wish regarding your estate be carried out. In this regard, I strongly urge all to send for my free DVD entitled, Plan Your Estate. It discusses many of the pitfalls regarding estate planning. I recommend you review it no matter what your intentions are relative to your choice of beneficiaries.

In spite of all the above, there are wonderful people who do comply with the wishes of the departed despite whatever temptations may arise.

Some executors, trustees, and other beneficiaries may not care about The John Birch Society’s mission, which is why they are not members of the JBS. Couple this with the growing general loss of morality within society as a whole and we are not completely surprised when problems arise regarding estates.

The surprise comes, however, when parents think that their children who are not involved in the freedom fight will do the right thing under all circumstances.

I have heard on occasion from members that they do not need a will because they know that their children will do what they want done. Yet, everyone should have a will or a trust because it is the government that will decide what happens to your estate should you pass on without one. This is the law. So why not put everything in writing and discuss it with your children so they are aware of what your wishes are and will carry them out?

For anyone who may have set aside liquid assets in a sock, a mattress, or a bottom drawer, there is less than a 10 percent chance that those assets will go where intended. That is what we have seen over the years.

We are in a spiritual battle. And weaknesses existing in the hearts of some men and women frequently lead to preventing funds intended for JBS to reach the Society where they can be used to combat and defeat the evil that so dominates the world in which we live.

The monies we have not received because estates have gone awry in the last 14 months would have already put our work in the Single District Coordinator program and JBS TV into much higher gear. Those funds would have enabled us to undertake several other initiatives designed to win the war against collectivism and internationalism.

Worse, if The John Birch Society had received all the estates meant for us over the years, the war would likely have already been won. We would have had the financing to complete the job. This is the reality.

In spite of not receiving major infusions of financial assistance over the years from estates that would have propelled our mission forward in giant steps, we nonetheless have been able to accomplish a great deal. The various programs and measures we have been able to initiate, courtesy of the innovative minds and hard work of members and staff, have resulted in achieving many victories along the way — albeit more slowly than we all would prefer.

Finally, let us convey two additional important notes about estate planning. First, we wish that we will be remembered in many estates, but the family comes first. After loved ones have been provided for, please consider providing for the mission that you believe in by also remembering The John Birch Society or American Opinion Foundation in your estate.

Second, if we are included in your intentions, please let us know that this is the case with written communication. If we would have had more documentation of the intentions of some of our members, many of the problems mentioned above would never have arisen.

Next month, I will outline an impressive litany of victories that The John Birch Society has won over the years in spite of budgets that are far below what most of the pundits believe we have, and also in spite of the numerous groups and individuals who frequently claim credit for the work our members have done. We expect this will be a help to you in recruiting more Americans into our ranks.

We know that a few major benefactors can be instrumental in providing us with the wherewithal to save our country. Most, however, will have to do so in their lifetime to ensure that their wishes are met. For a dead man has no rights.

Again, please request my free DVD, Plan Your Estate, by calling 800-JBS-USA1, or go to the “Support Us” menu item under JBS.org and click on “Estate Planning DVD.” We will only charge postage/handling costs. To all who will consider naming JBS or AOF in their estate planning, we are most grateful. To all who have put so much of their resources into the fight for freedom and have little left, we are also sincerely thankful.