# Freemen on the land

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freemen-on-the-land/624164>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 5, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freemen-on-the-land/624164 "2012-06-05T15:51:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freemen-on-the-land/624164/41 "2012-10-03T01:08:55Z")

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It’s kind of sad in a way; the Freemen think that the Declaration of Independence actually established the libertarian minarchy that a lot of us wistfully dream of having.

Someone ought to point out to them that in fact there did used to be freemen on the land. They were called “Indians”. The US government took their land away, killed all the ones that objected too strenuously, and herded the survivors onto reservations, where they were effectively conquered subjects until belatedly granted US citizenship in 1924.

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**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freemen-on-the-land/624164/42 "2012-10-03T01:14:08Z")

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My favourite bit of Justice Rooke’s decision comes at the beginning of the Review section:

> [@Justice Rooke](#):
>
> Mr. Meads has advanced a remarkable cross-section of the litigation strategies and  
> arguments typical of the OPCA movement. All are invalid. I note with interest that Canadian  
> courts have previously issued written decisions on every last approach Mr. Meads has employed,  
> with perhaps one exception: I have not encountered a litigant or a reported case which involves  
> the ‘double outside colon’ or ‘triple outside colon / double inside colon’ variations of the  
> ‘dash-colon’ magical name format. To be explicit, adding one or two additional pair of colons  
> outside or inside one’s name has no legal effect. **I do not find, but strongly suspect, that even  
> more colons, within or without a name, will similarly be rejected by Canadian courts as an  
> operational and effective ‘magic hat’.** [emphasis added]

He only suspects it won’t work! Quintuple colons FTW!!

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**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freemen-on-the-land/624164/43 "2012-10-03T01:38:01Z")

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Here’s another bit I love:

> [@Judge](#):
>
> [480] A similar strategy was advanced by two members of CERI, “Carl-Wayne: Duchek” and “Judith-Patricia: Duchek”, who sent my office a unilateral foisted agreement that demanded I disprove the supremacy of the King James Bible:
> 
> We wish to know if you have any law that can induce me or intimidate us to violate our faith in practising the laws of the King James Bible of which such faith is founded upon?
> 
> [481] I had seven days to respond, and if not, I:
> 
> … consent to pay me 1 million Dollars $1,000,000.00 in Gold Maple Leaf coin for the damages to my ability to practice my faith unimpeded and that you will, once our agreement is witnessed and published, provide me the name and address of your liability insurance bond agent to pay me for damages due to your intimidation should you choose to break the laws and violate your oath.
> 
> I did not respond, and to date have not faced a demand for payment, in gold. I presume from no demand that Mr. and Ms. Duchek have been able to practice their faith without impediment.

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Must admit I still have sympathy in a way, in that I do not recognise that a state has any moral right whatsoever to boss you about. But that’s no excuse for pseudolegal nonsense. The correct response is to note that anarchism is the only tenable political philosophy, and also to note that it will never happen so you have to deal with things.

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**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\
**Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freemen-on-the-land/624164/44 "2012-10-03T02:50:38Z")

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It’s a bit like those cargo cult folks. Follow the rituals, use the magic words and riches will fall from the sky!

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