It just never stops where I live, we go around wondering, what next?
http://www.nbc-2.com/Global/story.asp?S=13481013NBC2 Investigates: Sovereign citizensPosted: Nov 10, 2010 5:49 PM
Updated: Nov 10, 2010 6:32 PM
NBC2 Investigates: Sovereign citizens 2:55
LEE COUNTY: A small, but growing number of people are calling themselves sovereign citizens. They refuse to pay taxes, claim their homes as embassies and use ID cards that show they are members of Indian tribes. It has been a 6 year battle. What Robert Sumner considers his life's work, Charlotte County Code Enforcement calls a mess. "If he comes into compliance with the county then there is no problem," said Tom Gravagna of Charlotte County Code Enforcement. They've been trying to get Sumner to clean it up, but he says he doesn't have to. "There's only one law. God's law," said Sumner.
Sumner's a sovereign citizen, part of a growing movement of people who are anti-government, anti-tax and who don't believe the law applies to them."They can't take your god given unalienable rights," said Sumner. "It's a very bizarre movement," said Mark Potok, Southern Poverty Law Center.
Potok says many in the movement have declared their sovereignty by becoming members of a Indian tribe. Sumner showed us his tribal ID card, saying it makes him a member of the Little Shell Pembina Band. The tribe, based in North Dakota, is not recognized by the federal government.
The NBC2 investigators found anyone can join Little Shell by paying $150 on the internet. John McCombs is also a member of the tribe. He's on trial for misdemeanor traffic violations in Punta Gorda. It has taken months for his case to come to trial. "We have judges that are railroading our rights," said McCombs. He filed several motions to delay the process, tying up the courts and costing taxpayers thousands of dollars. "What the sovereign citizens do is often called paper terrorism," said Potok. While most rebel with paper, FBI Special Agent Michael McPherson says some are becoming increasingly violent. "Within the domestic terrorism program, it is our number one threat," said McPherson.
The most recent incident was in West Memphis, Arkansas where a Clearwater man and his son, both members of the sovereign citizens movement, murdered two police officers during a routine traffic stop. The most infamous is Timothy McVeigh; the Oklahoma City bomber. "They believe they are being persecuted by the U.S. government which in our world can create a lot of lone wolf type terrorists," said McPherson. While McCombs and Sumner aren't extreme, both vow to fight for what they believe are their God-given sovereign rights.
Herald Tribune Article:http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100725/ARTICLE/7251034?p=1&tc=pgAnti Defamation League articlehttp://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/little_shell.asp?learn_cat=extremism&learn_subcat=extremism_in_america&xpicked=3&item=little_shell
