# SarahWitch, the premier expert on American law. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 26, 2017, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713 "2017-11-26T00:28:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/41 "2017-11-26T11:44:37Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Hey, it is all ok. Many of us here have already forgotten more than we ever knew. Damn. I used to know that! ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/42 "2017-11-26T12:07:05Z")
> [@Is there any legitimacy to the Sovereign Citizen argument?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-legitimacy-to-the-sovereign-citizen-argument/786097/251): > > > [@Is there any legitimacy to the Sovereign Citizen argument?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-legitimacy-to-the-sovereign-citizen-argument/786097/237): > > > > For the confederacy it was national sovereignty to continue slavery. > > Among other myths. And there you have it. Just another racist revisionist using the internet as a platform to spread her disease. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/43 "2017-11-26T14:37:45Z")
It’s truly not clear to me whether her big issue is defending the actual CSA as it was, or defending the theory (for lack of a better word) that the People, even today, are sovereign over the 50 states who in turn are sovereign over the Feds. I made what I thought was a clear & gently helpful post to draw her out. It was dismissed with a sentence saying in effect: “You don’t get it, goofball!” She then restated my thesis as agreeing with most of it. Either way she’s a monomaniacal wacko. I think the esteemed **Moriarty** nailed it here: > [@Is there any legitimacy to the Sovereign Citizen argument?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-legitimacy-to-the-sovereign-citizen-argument/786097/231): > > You know, this thread IS an interesting insight into the sovereign citizen mindset. > > Once something is written down in an official capacity - and especially if it contains useful phrasing (e.g. the treaty which ended the Revoluntionary War), it becomes LAW. Once deemed LAW, the person acquires the power to “enforce” it, because that’s what people do with law (jurisdiction - as it really exists - isn’t really a concern for sovereign citizens). > > A few mental gymnastics later, you’ve convinced yourself that the LAW exists which entitles you to all sorts of legal immunity, and it’s simply not being followed because people don’t know the rights they have. Much of American history has been en example of extra-judicial power grabs. As a philosophy, it’s very much the opposite of legal realism. IOW certain magic sentences must be incanted just so and enlightenment just poofs into existence. Recasting those sentences into other equivalent words neuters them utterly. I notice that as of now (~0930 eastern on Sunday) it’s been 34 hours since her first post. She’s up to 98 posts. I also note that she took a 6 hour break from ~5am eastern to noon eastern on Sat, so 7 hours of rest. Then she started back in full tilt and didn’t quit until she started her current break at about ~4am eastern Sun. She’s either quite the night owl, or lives in Hawaii, or both. Hawaii is an odd place for CSA enthusiast concerned with the 13 colonies’ original arrangements. Whatever else Hawaii was, it sure wasn’t an original signatory to the US constitution. More likely she lives in the South and so probably the eastern time zone. Where all the best craziness occurs between midnight and sunrise. I await her return around noon today. Fresh as a daisy and fully recharged. Perhaps fired by the Holy Spirit as well. Should be fun. For head-banging values of “fun”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/44 "2017-11-26T15:27:41Z")
[ol] [li] **SarahWitch** is clearly a fool.[/li][li]She severely overestimates her ability.[/li][li]Did I mention she’s a fool? I should have mentioned that.[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/45 "2017-11-26T15:34:09Z")
She sounds like a racist/troll undergraduate student to me, probably 3rd or 4th year. For some reason when undergrads hit their 3rd or 4th year, they suddenly think they’re an academic. So they start trying to sound like one. I call it “Scriptus Fancyus”, basically they try really hard to sound smart, but since they still don’t really know anything, they kind of fail. Now, I could be wrong about the Witch, but that’s what I think of when I read her posts. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/46 "2017-11-26T15:56:33Z")
I have to give it to many of my fellow posters. Some of you actually tried to read, comprehend and respond to our legal expert’s inane rambling, cross-talk and insults. Everyone knows the Civil war never happened. It’s fake news. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/47 "2017-11-26T16:03:10Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Everyone knows the Civil war never happened. It’s fake news. And there was nothing “civil” about it. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/48 "2017-11-26T16:13:57Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > … > I await her return around noon today. Fresh as a daisy and fully recharged. Perhaps fired by the Holy Spirit as well. Should be fun. For head-banging values of “fun”. 🙂 Aaand … At 1050 after 7-1/2 hours rest she reappears. And promptly fires four back-atchas. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/49 "2017-11-26T16:14:41Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > She sounds like a racist/troll undergraduate student to me, probably 3rd or 4th year. For some reason when undergrads hit their 3rd or 4th year, they suddenly think they’re an academic. So they start trying to sound like one. I call it “Scriptus Fancyus”, basically they try really hard to sound smart, but since they still don’t really know anything, they kind of fail. Now, I could be wrong about the Witch, but that’s what I think of when I read her posts. Or just one of those types that has found that bluster and instults to anyone elses knowledge has gotten them far with their arguments in real-life and other boards (where they just don’t even want to bother). But here the preening feathers don’t exactly shine very well. The very facat that she avoids those quoting the constitution to go after those who reply in shorter quips and constantly repeats the mantra of “You haven’t beaten my argument” speaks volumes. The fact that her arguments are so pro-Confederacy also makes me think its someone edgelording after reading a copy of 'The South was Right". ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/50 "2017-11-26T16:22:42Z")
But I should also note that her repeated insistance that the US Constitution doesn’t “explicitly” say that were are a Nation over that of States smacks of FOL’ders tendency to read the letter of the law and not the spirit or intention of the law (and often get that wrong). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/51 "2017-11-26T16:24:33Z")
Not even 30 minutes into today’s trading session, Moderator \*\*Bone \*\*has pulled her circuit breaker for 3 days: > [@Is there any legitimacy to the Sovereign Citizen argument?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-legitimacy-to-the-sovereign-citizen-argument/786097/271): > > Perhaps you missed the above exchange. You must have, given this: > > This is a warning for failure to follow a moderator’s instructions. > > Given your short stint I’ve made an effort to use kid gloves here. With your seeming refusal to follow the rules of the forum that approach isn’t working so **I am going to suspend you for 3 days.** If you care to return, please remember when communicating in this forum a certain level of civility is required. > > [/moderating] It’ll be interesting to see if she returns on Wednesday in a frothing rage, or simply decides we’re hopeless and is never seen again. I bet 50 quatloos on Door #1. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/52 "2017-11-26T16:25:18Z")
…aaaaand 3 day suspension. Edit: ninja’ed. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/53 "2017-11-26T16:28:44Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Not even 30 minutes into today’s trading session, Moderator \*\*Bone \*\*has pulled her circuit breaker for 3 days: > > It’ll be interesting to see if she returns on Wednesday in a frothing rage, or simply decides we’re hopeless and ois never seen again. I bet 50 quatloos on Door #1. Neither-I’m betting she socks it. Ever see these SN idiots in court? They think they have the right and authority to ignore all rules and create their own. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/54 "2017-11-26T16:29:14Z")
Boned. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/55 "2017-11-26T16:31:28Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > She already gave her credentials. You must have missed it. > > They are, _“you shall know me by my works.”_ > > Be nice to her until she turns all the water to wine, they we can mock her. > Thank you. I can turn wine into urine. Just sayin’. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/56 "2017-11-26T16:32:12Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Neither-I’m betting she socks it. Ever see these SN idiots in court? They think they have the right and authority to ignore all rules and create their own. If you’re right neither identity will last but minutes. Her posting style is … distinctive. And her mental flexibility is non-existent. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/57 "2017-11-26T16:34:01Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Aaand … > > At 1050 after 7-1/2 hours rest she reappears. And promptly fires four back-atchas. Its like Fort Sumter all over again… ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/58 "2017-11-26T16:35:43Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > And there was nothing “civil” about it. “The recent unpleasantness”…and “bless your heart” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/59 "2017-11-26T16:41:31Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Neither-I’m betting she socks it. Ever see these SN idiots in court? They think they have the right and authority to ignore all rules and create their own. Hmm, my money would be on an abusive PM to the mods. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713/60 "2017-11-26T16:42:13Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I can turn wine into urine. > > Just sayin’. Coors can turn urine into beer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sarahwitch-the-premier-expert-on-american-law/802713.md?page=4)