• SuperDuper@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    did she break the law because the letter was for the eyes of the CEO only

    This may be my favorite thought process sovereign citizens go through.

    “I don’t have to follow laws as long as I make shit up. But everyone else is required to follow the law exactly as I assume it works for normal people.”

    • BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.worldOPM
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      11 months ago

      Back in mandatory masking days of COVID, one of them posted that he tried to shop in a store without a mask (they hate masks and literally think it’s against their religion), and was refused service so he just decided to shoplift instead, and came on the sovcit group asking for the law that said if money was refused that meant it was free. I have never laughed so hard.

      • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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        11 months ago

        New business idea: novelty “notary” stamps for sovereign citizens. Make sure they say “definitely not a real notary” on them so you don’t get sued by the state. Sovereign citizens who hate the state will love it.

        • Dkarma@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          A notary just checks your id. That’s what they’re confirming… That they checked who u say u are.

          • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
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            10 months ago

            They also are background checked by the state that issues their stamp. And they keep a log book of all their notarizations. And they testify in court that you did sign a document.

            If it was just “checking your ID” anyone could do it. That’s just called a “witness”.

    • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      I think they genuinely believe they are reading the law right and everyone else is just wrong or don’t know something they know etc. So from their pov they’re following all the laws that are lawful I suppose, so there’s no contradiction in their mind.

      • lars@lemmy.sdf.org
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        11 months ago

        They think the same thing about you.

        Unless they’re really fucking out there and believe you know they’re right but are acting in bad faith because you’re in on this whole thing. So gross.

        • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          Unless they’re really fucking out there and believe you know they’re right but are acting in bad faith because you’re in on this whole thing.

          I think that is a part of it. They certainly seem to think lawyers and judges and cops and anyone like that having to do with law is in on the conspiracy or what you’d call it. They probably think that normal people are just chumps who don’t know any better and are getting fooled by the “system” or something and the “system” knows they’re wrong but are just manipulating everyone etc.

          • Chadus_Maximus@lemm.ee
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            11 months ago

            But wouldn’t they like …see the lack of enforcement in action? If a law forbids me from wearing Crocs on public but I don’t get fined or detained for wearing them, that law might as well not exist.

            Something must have gone wrong as they grew up that makes them believe in some almighty entity forcing others to follow the law as they imagine. It’s like these people got law and religion tangled up. They think breaking the law is going to lead to damnation and nobody of sound mind would take that route. That not being the case pisses them off very much.

            Treat these people as what they are, a cult. Absolute delusion.

            • zea@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              9 months ago

              They probably think about it as much as they question parents, religious leaders, or any other perceived authority: they don’t. You listen to authority as if it’s divine law, and you don’t question it.

              At least, that’s how I thought when I was in that mode of thinking (not a sovciv, just the conservative authority mindset).

        • stoly@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          In my experience, those that go with these sorts of theories tend to be antagonistic towards those who don’t follow them instead of being kind and trying to convince others. They really believe that people are genuinely knowers of the truth but acting evilly for their own reasons.

      • stoly@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        These are basically the same people who will click the ads that say something like “this quick trick your doctor doesn’t want you to know will save your thousands and keep you healthy for life”.

  • athos77@kbin.social
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    11 months ago

    Given the level of general literacy in the post, I’m not surprised she doesn’t understand things.

    • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Sovereign citizens believe that there is a difference between JOHN Q. PUBLIC and John Q. Public. Like your name in all caps is a “corporation” that the US government controls, which has money that you can access with the right combination of magic words. It’s very cargo cult.

    • BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.worldOPM
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      11 months ago

      Literally exactly what it is. The “coupon” they refer to is the little payment remittance slip on the bottom of bills, they think if they sign it and send it back without money that it pays their debt. It’s WILD.

        • frickineh@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Please no. I work in a city hall. I don’t need that in my life. We already had a guy hit an artery while shooting up in the bathroom and spray blood everywhere, and someone plugged up one of the sinks on a Friday night and flooded the lower level over the weekend, and they had to do a cleanup because there were traces of meth all over like every city building except the PD from people smoking it in the bathrooms, and I really cannot take one more bathroom-related incident.

            • frickineh@lemmy.world
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              11 months ago

              I actually don’t know and it makes me sad. He took off but if he didn’t get medical care pretty quick, I’m not sure what his odds are. We’re not too far from an ER so I hope he made it.

            • frickineh@lemmy.world
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              11 months ago

              Lol you’re getting downvoted but you’re right. Adjacent. I should be clear that I don’t feel unsafe at work or anything, I’d just like if people quit getting up to nonsense in the bathrooms, and I’d really prefer to avoid sovcits all together.

              • pezmaker @sh.itjust.works
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                11 months ago

                I live within the city of Denver and all the meth remediations the last year or two just seemed like it had to be around here lol. I’m glad for the fact you don’t feel unsafe. I like living here, it’s just… What it is.

        • Silic0n_Alph4@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          How about…

          The state has the monopoly on violence. To assert your sovereignty over the state you need to make that monopoly your own. Walk into a police station with a gun and wave it around. You will promptly be freed from the tyranny of the law!

          (Note: this only works in the USA because of the laws, if you try this in Europe we won’t know what to do and you might end up with mental health support and therapy instead of sovereignty.)

          Think it would work? 😈

      • mateomaui@reddthat.com
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        11 months ago

        Do you have a link to more of this? One serving isn’t enough. What FB group is this?

          • lars@lemmy.sdf.org
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            11 months ago

            Unlike the disgust I feel when I learned someone used to give tourists incorrect directions on purpose — like who does that?! — the feelings I have for those who mislead SOVEREIgN CITIZENs is love and admiration. Lemme pour some gasoline on your fire, friend.

            • BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.worldOPM
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              11 months ago

              I’m telling them that they have to use a particular set of US postage stamps on their nutjob documents, that it’s the seal of admiralty of alloidial titles or some such garbage, and I’m starting to see them do it and it’s so funny.

          • mateomaui@reddthat.com
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            11 months ago

            Oh ok, I thought that was a username. Clearly I haven’t been on FB in a while.

            edit: I just realized you blanked out the actual username. I’m slow today.

              • andros_rex@lemmy.world
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                11 months ago

                Be chaotic good and trick them into doing good things. “The government adds $10k to your child’s internal treasury account when they’re assigned a SSN or vaccinated.” “Picking up trash off the sidewalk every day gives you ownership by common law.”

                • BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.worldOPM
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                  11 months ago

                  I’m trying to convince them to give the post office money by buying a particular set of stamps, saying that using those stamps is the seal of the great councillor of alloidial titles, and is the only way to get their nutjob documents approved.

                • BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.worldOPM
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                  11 months ago

                  You should join, it’s hilarious. I’m in about two dozen sovcit groups for the lulz and they’re all stupider than the next.

  • inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Soverign citizens are so cute, they are like kids. Whenever they want something you gotta go “say the magic word!” and instead of please it’s a twenty minute run on sentance about 1600s treaties, colonial maritime law and how capital letters don’t count.

    If a 4 year old went off like that for a cookie I’d lose it. Kinda sad that these are dorks in their 40s but somehow that also makes it even funnier?

  • mateomaui@reddthat.com
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    11 months ago

    did she break the law because the letter was for the eyes of the CEO only

    States before this that the CEO handed it to the person replying, so how could it be law breaking if the CEO delegated this nonsense to someone else.

    • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      I’m guessing they thought their “instructions” were some binding contract or something?

      • indepndnt@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        If you read this comment, you are legally bound to whatever requirements I imagine it carries with it.

        • Kusimulkku@lemm.ee
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          11 months ago

          Nice try but I have the flag upside down in my room which means I’m under maritime jurisdiction of Principality of Sealand

      • mateomaui@reddthat.com
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        11 months ago

        That’s one reason it’s so fascinating. I have yet to read of one sovcit effort that ever worked, and they just keep trying like it works every time.

        • Hildegarde@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          I’m aware of one case. Driver was pulled over in Canada for not using a turn signal. The driver does the sovereign citizen thing and gets arrested. He goes to court saying the officer didn’t have the authority to pull him over because of all the sovereign citizen nonsense.

          The judge rules in his favor because, by a coincidence, he was right, but for the wrong reasons. Under the canadian highway code failing to signal alone is insufficient cause to pull someone over. The officer in fact did not have the authority to pull him over.

          Source: Paraphrasing my memory of a video from Leonard French several years ago.

            • Hildegarde@lemmy.world
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              11 months ago

              Most of the judge’s opinion was a diatribe about sovereign citizens being wrong, including the fact that none of his arguments even claimed to be applicable to Canadian law.

          • mateomaui@reddthat.com
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            11 months ago

            That makes sense, which is why it’s even more baffling for me, knowing a number of seemingly reasonably intelligent people without legal troubles, who think you can sovcit your way out of paying taxes. (Which, of course, creates legal troubles.)

        • SynAcker@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          I saw one “win”. They tried presenting that their international drivers license allowed them to drive as well as their strange passport. The DA essentially dismissed the case because the cost of trying the guy was more that the cost of fines and other stuff the county would get out of it. This was in Judge Middleton’s court in South West Michigan.

          • ChonkyOwlbear@lemmy.world
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            11 months ago

            I have no evidence to back this up, but I feel like there have to be a lot of cops that say “fuck no, I’m not dealing with this today” and just tell the sov-cits to get lost.

          • mateomaui@reddthat.com
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            11 months ago

            Huh, never heard of a foreigner trying sovcit tactics in a US court. It’s funny how so many of these cases seem to rely on “if you can’t beat em, confuse em.” I guess congrats to that guy. I’m curious to know more about the strange passport.

            • SynAcker@lemmy.world
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              11 months ago

              Lol… This wasn’t a foreigner. This was a guy that relinquished their drivers license, social security number and US citizenship. He was pulled over and charged with no drivers license and providing false documents. I think the video of his case was deleted since the courts aren’t obligated to keep them long term.

              • mateomaui@reddthat.com
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                11 months ago

                Oh, that’s even weirder. So he relinquished all that and then got citizenship for another country? Or had no official citizenship anywhere and was still here? Just made up his own passport? Confused about how he would manage to travel abroad or do anything official like that.

                • grue@lemmy.world
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                  11 months ago

                  Nah, he probably just “declared” (in the Michael Scott from The Office sense) himself to be a citizen of Madethefuckupistan. Or he doesn’t believe “countries” are real things that exist, or something. You’re vastly underestimating how batshit insane the chucklefucks really are.

                • SynAcker@lemmy.world
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                  11 months ago

                  This guy seemed like a true believer. I tried digging up some of the videos that were later in the proceedings where he explains his documentation but I could only find the arrangement. This is the guy. . All I could find is a reaction video, so I’m sorry about the commentary.

  • Red_October@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    I just really wanna know how they thought this was going to work. Like what could make someone think they could mail a thing to someone, and that somehow saddles that person with their debt. It’s wild, it reads like some kind of magic spell. You complete some incomprehensible ritual, scribble some meaningless symbols on a paper, get your enemy to accept this “gift” and now the curse has been passed on to them.

  • rekabis@lemmy.ca
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    11 months ago

    Never underestimate the power of magical thinking to rob people of their critical thinking faculties… assuming they ever had any in the first place.

  • Blackmist@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    I do love them so.

    It’s like a MAGA hat, or a swastika tattoo. A big early warning sign that somebody is proud enough to display, but lets you know they are well worth ignoring.