(Stillwater, Okla.) — In a remarkably rapid verdict, a Payne County jury took only 35 minutes to convict a man, who considers himself a sovereign citizen and represented himself at his trial last week, of child stealing, possessing guns illegally, and obstructing an officer in rural Stillwater.
The thing that annoys me about “Sovereign Citizens” representing themselves in court/thinking that they somehow aren’t beholden to US law because of some stupid declaration on their part is that the law and the court are there for their sake. Having a trial, being presumed innocent until proven guilty, and entire idea of due process is afforded to citizens of the United States. If “Sovereign Citizens” truly weren’t US citizens, there wouldn’t be a need to go through all of this. The government could just seize them and do whatever they wanted with them. They wouldn’t have any government to go to bat for them.
It’s all just so stupidly short sighed
If “Sovereign Citizens” truly weren’t US citizens, there wouldn’t be a need to go through all of this.
I agree with your post in general, but this is not true. It’s not only citizens who are guaranteed rights to trials, etc.
It’s true, we give trials and similar protections to citizens of other nations, but if someone weren’t part of a nation at all, why bother? There wouldn’t be a larger body of organization that would be interested in protecting them.
And we have suspended that right to non-citizens before. That was a major issue with Gitmo (in addition to the cruel and unusual punishment)
That was a major issue with Gitmo (in addition to the cruel and unusual punishment)
That was (arguably) different since it wasn’t on american soil
If you can suspend a right it isn’t a right.
Sounds like Jim Dykes in Alabama. He boarded a school bus, killed the driver, kidnapped a child, and hid himself in a bunker for days demanding to speak to the media. Eventually, the FBI raided the bunker, killing Dykes and rescuing the child. This piece of crap was very, very lucky indeed that he did not meet the same fate.
