There were a few bank robbers and counterfeiters. But more than anything, Thompson took on the state’s moonshiners and a local culture, rooted in Tennessee’s hills and hollows, that celebrated the independent whiskey maker’s battle against the government’s revenue agents. ~The Los Angeles Times

Via Alex Massie

In a just and fair world, this would be the death blow to Thompson’s campaign.  Running down still operators and home-made brew to get the government more revenue is a perfect symbol of the kind of petty government intrusiveness that Thompson supposedly opposes.  Who actually prosecutes moonshiners?  What is wrong with the man?

There was also this item from the story:

“It was a game,” said Merritt, the former U.S. attorney. “Gray [the judge] didn’t like these cases. He thought they were a waste of time, and he was right.”

I know just the man to tackle Thompson the Revenuer, and he’s almost as lazy as Thompson is: