[robonerd]

Governments doing stupid shit like this only encourages "sovereign citizens" to think similar word games and semantics will work for them too. They're naive of course; they seem to think the system is a machine indifferent to class or social standing, which simply isn't the case.

[whatshisface]

Class or social standing aren't the right lens for this, I don't think Warren Buffet vs. Three Dollars would fly in court.

[robonerd]

Warren Buffet could do it if he wanted, using his wealth to earn the favor of the right government officials. He could even buy himself a private police force to do the seizing. A real police force, licensed by the state but employed and paid by himself. This sort of thing is already a reality in America.

Anyway, my point is sovereign citizens seem to see the system as a machine, the function of which can be manipulated by giving it cleverly formulated inputs. They have a hacker mindset. They see lawyers and politicians doing this sort of thing all the time, and believe they can do the same if only they find the right incantation. It's as though somebody witnesses the Fonz hit a jukebox to make it work, then figure they can do the same trick if they hit that jukebox in the same way. Except it will never work for them, the jukebox only behaves that way for the Fonz.

[t-3]

Certainly some sovereign citizens see the system as a rigid machine, but many simply believe it should be and act accordingly. They are idealists, not necessarily deluded about reality or trying to hack the system (although those types definitely do exist, I won't deny that). It's almost like a way of turning your life into a demonstrative protest against the "big lie" that is the law and refusing to fall in line.

[pas]

> not necessarily deluded about reality

but the reality is that law was never this, and their life of protest is led against a straw man, and it's completely ineffective in bringing reality closer to that principle.

[t-3]

So, we should never try to be better, because the past and present suck? Your logic is extremely cynical and self-defeating. No change would ever occur with such a mindset.

[Mountain_Skies]

It could be argued that Buffet already has such power, as there are all kinds of weirdness around the police forces belonging to the railroad industry in which he is heavily invested through BNSF. I've never heard of him abusing this power but the potential certainly is there.

[jessaustin]

That would totally fly in the courts of e.g. Judges Kaplan or Preska.