# Sovereign Scientologists? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 24, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sovereign-scientologists/667023 "2013-08-24T02:59:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sovereign-scientologists/667023/1 "2013-08-24T02:59:53Z")
This is one of those articles that you think must be from the Onion, but it’s not. [http://gawker.com/scientology-flack-arrested-in-plot-to-kill-cop-1188941437](http://gawker.com/scientology-flack-arrested-in-plot-to-kill-cop-1188941437) > [@](#): > > Las Vegas police officers have arrested a high-ranking Scientologist in a bizarre plot—allegedly inspired by right-wing “Sovereign Citizen” beliefs—to kidnap and kill a local law enforcement officer. > … > As a result of a police investigation that began in April, on Tuesday Newman and a six-time felon and registered sex offender named David Allen Brutsche, 42, were arrested for planning what police are calling a bizarre plot to kidnap and kill a random local police officer in a macabre publicity stunt to promote their “sovereign citizen” views. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sovereign-scientologists/667023/2 "2013-08-24T03:21:38Z")
“Sovereign citizens” are pretty dangerous I understand. Kind of like the Freemen-on-the-Land types, but with an extra dose of aggression mixed in with the lunacy. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sovereign-scientologists/667023/3 "2013-08-24T03:27:49Z")
Yes. Now combine that with a wealthy organization like the COS and you could have big trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sovereign-scientologists/667023/4 "2013-08-24T03:37:49Z")
Seems kind of silly for a person who’s voluntarily surrendered himself over to a cult to then go around claiming his sovereignty. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sovereign-scientologists/667023/5 "2013-08-24T03:40:08Z")
_Her_ sovereignty, but yeah. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sovereign-scientologists/667023/6 "2013-08-24T03:51:07Z")
Your body thetans are refused for cause without dishonor. Dianetics p. 566. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sovereign-scientologists/667023/7 "2013-08-24T15:07:48Z")
If you read the whole article, you see that it is hard to associate Scientology, for all its flaws, with the sovereign citizen movement. That, I think, has more to do with out-of-control cops and government agents then with Scientology. But I loved the photo at the end about “Making Mormons look sane since 1952”. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sovereign-scientologists/667023/8 "2013-08-27T12:49:15Z")
“Sovereign citizens” has more to do with out of control cops and government agents? Well, maybe they believe so, but actually they have more to do with out of control nutcases.