Sovereign "Extremists"

Marvellous.

We are now known by the FBI as extremists. Check out this report from yesterdays Chicago Tribune

Shall we fisk it? I think we should.

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Anti-government extremists opposed to taxes and regulations pose a growing threat to local law enforcement officers in the United States, the FBI warned on Monday."

-So, we are a threat are we? For daring to ask if these thugs have any authority over us?

"These extremists, sometimes known as "sovereign citizens," believe they can live outside any type of government authority, FBI agents said at a news conference."

-Not so much of a belief, it's more of a fact.

"The extremists may refuse to pay taxes, defy government environmental regulations and believe the United States went bankrupt by going off the gold standard."

-We "extremists" refuse to pay taxes because there is no law that says we must. Stealing our money, often with force, or threats of imprisonment, is as far from democratic as you can get. The US is trading in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As is the UK, and just about every other first world country that operates on fiat currency.

"Routine encounters with police can turn violent "at the drop of a hat," said Stuart McArthur, deputy assistant director in the FBI's counterterrorism division."

-I have heard of many accounts of police being violent. No hats were involved. Just tasers, batons, pepper spray.....

"We thought it was important to increase the visibility of the threat with state and local law enforcement," he said."

-"We thought it was important to increase the clampdown on the awakening cash cows who have had quite enough of the bullying by state and local law enforcement," he said. Fixed that statement for you.

"In May 2010, two West Memphis, Arkansas, police officers were shot and killed in an argument that developed after they pulled over a "sovereign citizen" in traffic."

-My sympathies to the families of the officers who died. The two men that were pulled over were violent nutters and were going to shoot someone whatever group they belonged to. True sovereigns and freemen are peaceful at all times. Unless they are attacked and need to defend themselves.

"Last year, an extremist in Texas opened fire on a police officer during a traffic stop. The officer was not hit."

-Is there any evidence that he was a Freeman? Either way, a nutter.

"Legal convictions of such extremists, mostly for white-collar crimes such as fraud, have increased from 10 in 2009 to 18 each in 2010 and 2011, FBI agents said."

-Legal convictions. There's a brand new oxymoron for you. Without knowing the nature of the fraud I cannot comment, but every movement has its charlatans. Ours is no different in that regard.

"We are being inundated right now with requests for training from state and local law enforcement on sovereign-related matters," said Casey Carty, an FBI supervisory special agent."

-I hear the same is being done here but with less noise. The UK police need to treat us differently because we are, erm, different.

"FBI agents said they do not have a tally of people who consider themselves "sovereign citizens."

-It is a very large number, and it grows weekly. Just what are you going to do when many millions are awakened? Shoot them all?

"J.J. MacNab, a former tax and insurance expert who is an analyst covering the sovereign movement, has estimated that it has about 100,000 members."

-Only 100,000? I seriously doubt that this particular expert got the numbers right. Perhaps they are playing it down deliberately?

"Sovereign members often express particular outrage at tax collection, putting Internal Revenue Service employees at risk."

-Outrage used as a weapon of terror? I suppose mild anger is used to merely alarm people? Maybe they should colour code it? Red for "outrage", yellow for "mild anger", blue for "quite upset", and green for "happily pays everything with a smile"

In the last four years I have come into direct contact with the police twice. On both occasions they came to me, and while they were here they were treated with courtesy. No-one got hurt because, like adults, we held a conversation. They were doing their job and I was doing mine. If any violence was to come about, my money was on it being them that instigated it. It's what they do.

Their side of the "argument" is all too predictable. It would be interesting to sit in on one of those training sessions just to hear the justification for the actions of the police. Like us, they are sovereign too, but once they dress up in their little outfits they must have to throw a mental switch. I have a good friend in the Grampian Police. He said to me once "Look, you've all done something wrong at some point, we just haven't caught you yet".

If they all have that attitude, it will end badly.

Tip of the beret to Coz for the link.

CR.