Esther Muncaster
Esther Muncaster, of Montgomery, Alabama, a former U.S. political prisoner known for her protests against the un-declared Vietnam War as well as the collective control via the United Nations succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Jan 12th, 1989. She was best known for her outgoing personality.[1][2] She had little more than a High School education, having married her husband Robert shortly after graduating from Redondo High School.
She claimed to be an authority on the statutes, codes and Charters of the United Nations, Muncaster felt that the United Nations was an agency which was being used to corrupt the basic constitutional foundations of the United States. She also felt that the United Nations was controlling the Vietnam undeclared war, further that the U.S. military was subordinated to the United Nations. She also voiced opinions on local issues, especially the government-run (i.e. public) education system and was among the earliest to recognize its role in indoctrinating children.
Esther was well known for speaking out on the local Montgomery, AL radio talk shows, especially the popular "Don Markwell's Viewpoint" which first aired on WCOV and later on WQTY/WFMI.
Mrs. Muncaster was an architectural draftsman, married to an architect, Robert Muncaster. Her father, Walter Swindell Davis who graduated from MIT, was a famous architect with a practice in the Los Angeles area. Her son Charles is also an architect. Mrs. Muncaster was a self-taught expert in federal law as she was allowed by a Federal Judge to prepare her own brief challenging the constitutionality of the federal commitment statutes.[3]
Mrs. Muncaster believed that the legal tender of the United States could only be gold or silver coins.[4] Mr. Robert Muncaster (her husband ) and Charles Muncaster (her son) appeared on the CBS program The Reasoner Report discussing the gold and silver issues and the question of the Federal Reserve Bank issuing currency not backed by gold or silver.
Footnotes
References
- From USA today Jan 13th, 1989: Esther Muncaster, 62, activist; gained national attention in 1974 by calling paper money worthless and suing in federal court for a tax refund in gold or silver(2). Cancer, Saturday in Montgomery Alabama.
- Clips from the New York Times, Feb 6th, 1972: “When Federal marshals took him (Robert into custody two weeks ago, his wife, Esther, allegedly attacked the arresting offices at the Muncaster home, which is next door to Gov. George C. Wallace’s executive mansion. In court showed scars on his leg that he said had been inflicted by Mrs. Muncaster’s kicking”.
- (2) “A few months ago Mrs. Muncaster refused to accept a $10.29 tax refund from the State of Alabama unless it was paid in gold or silver, which she maintained was the only legal currency”.
- (3)“Like her husband and son, Mrs. Muncaster refused to accept a court-appointed counsel and defend herself. After a five-hour hearing on Tuesday, Judge Varner granted her a week to prepare a brief attacking the constitutionality of the Federal committal statute. He said he would allow her to use his own law library.”
- Montgomery Advertiser, Feb 2nd 1972:
(4) "I have thought that you were an intelligent woman and a Christian woman" Broward Segrest, U.S. Attorney quoted.
- Montgomery Advertiser, Feb 9th 1972:
(5) "we would laugh and ask her what section of the U.N. Charter had we been enslaved by this time. She would cite chapter and verse and we pleaded guilty".