Jared Loughner's grammar obsession closely echoes "sovereign citizen" philosophy

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What was going on in Jared Loughner's mind? ... Many of his seemingly random statements—on "grammar," "the ratifications," "the new currency," and more—echo the teachings of the "sovereign citizen" movement, a ... school of thought alleging that Americans have been surreptitiously stripped of their God-given rights.

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In multiple instances, he uses the precise talking points sovereign-citizen theorists teach via a thriving cottage industry of books, websites, bogus legal companies, and seminars; one popular theorist, David Wynn Miller, told the New York Times that Loughner has "probably been on my website." ... A few cases in point, taken from a video Loughner posted on December 15, 2010.

"The government is implying mind control and brainwash on the people by controlling grammar." (3:34)

This is the basic premise of the sovereign-citizen argument, which posits that government has used linguistic devices in certain laws to strip us of our rights. "This is an extraordinary freaking word game," says Alfred Adask, a guru of the sovereign movement and former publisher of the sovereign-citizen magazine AntiShyster, told me. "Not many people know how to do it or even understand it. The government has ensnared us with the sophisticated use of words and put us back into bondage. You have to master the definitions and start working out with a law dictionary."

"I can't trust the current government because of the ratifications." (3:34)

To theorists like Robert Kelly, publisher of The American's Sovereign Bulletin, the leading publication in the sovereign-citizen world, it all started with the Constitution's Reconstruction Amendments—the 13th, 14th, and 15th—which established a secondary class of citizens under the control of the government. This was done by cleverly deploying phrases such as "citizens subject to the jurisdiction thereof" and "inalienable rights" (supposedly denoting rights that can be surrendered, as opposed to "unalienable rights" that can never be taken away). People in the sovereign citizens' movement believe that these subterfuges were originally used to limit African Americans' rights, but have been expanded over time to make all of us second-class citizens with limited rights.

"You don't have to accept the federalist laws. Nonetheless, read the United States of America's Constitution to apprehend all of the current treasonous laws." (3:10)

The sovereign citizen movement argues that if you closely study the Constitution, you can prove that federal laws are illegitimate—leaving you free to choose not to, say, pay taxes or follow traffic laws. In their view, the minute you get a Social Security number or driver's license, you enter into a contract giving up your sovereignty. To become a sovereign citizen, you retroactively withdraw from this contract.

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People identifying as sovereign citizens have also on occasion fired on police officers trying to enforce laws, and there are rare cases of extreme violence—most notably Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols, who identified as a sovereign citizen.

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Brent Johnson, host of the "Global Freedom Report" online radio show ... espouses nonviolence, but says the IRS and cops know not to mess with him: "If you look like you are prepared to fight back, you will be left alone."

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"No, I won't pay debt with a currency that's not backed by gold and silver!" (3:34)

A core sovereign-citizen belief is that when the United States went off the gold standard, the government started using citizens as economic collateral—using our future earnings to secure foreign debt in a sort of giant Ponzi scheme.

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If all this sounds confusing, that's because it is, even for sovereign citizens themselves. "I have a hard time believing it, but you keep seeing examples again and again," says Adask. "As fantastic as it might sound, they [the government] have literally created an alternative reality." Likewise, Johnson says "we have been living in a matrix world." It follows that sovereign citizens, unlike the tea party movement, don't believe in working to change the government; they insist that all of it is an illegitimate scam we must simply reject.

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/01/sovereign-citizens-jared-lee-loughner

Edited January 13, 2011 by \

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Sounds more likely that he had a major psychiatric disorder involving paranoid drlusions

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Sounds more likely that he had a major psychiatric disorder involving paranoid drlusions

I would suggest that you have to have a major psychiatric disorder (or two) to buy into this sovereign citizen nonsense.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I wonder if his parents abused hallucinogens before he was born.

For a more serious observation, the desert does seem to attract "unique" thinkers. I think the low humidity mummifies their brains.

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I wonder if his parents abused hallucinogens before he was born.

For a more serious observation, the desert does seem to attract "unique" thinkers. I think the low humidity mummifies their brains.

that's what passes for a serious observation? it seems to be that the possibility of (relative) proximity to the desert mummifying your brain can not be ruled out.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

that's what passes for a serious observation? it seems to be that the possibility of (relative) proximity to the desert mummifying your brain can not be ruled out.

I live in a rain forest, and commune with all the woodland creatures. Excuse me while I wring out my socks and put on a dry pair.

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Brent Johnson, host of the "Global Freedom Report" online radio show ... espouses nonviolence, but says the IRS and cops know not to mess with him: "If you look like you are prepared to fight back, you will be left alone."

I know which VJer this sounds like. I wonder if he is also a follower of the sovereign citizen philosophy.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

It's anti-government rhetoric - there's no question. An illogical and conspiratorial distrust of government played into his already paranoid state of mind.

Edited January 13, 2011 by 8TBVBN

[Peikko 1,575]

It's not anti-government rhetoric specifically, it's the rambling nonsense of a disturbed mind.

I think it's really sad that some people want to cast aspersions on the parents without any foundation in fact. Assuming (as is normally the case) the parent's are normal people, they are in a horrible position at this time. They have a son who has done something heinous and they were not able to prevent it, they probably had no idea that he was capable of it, certainly none of his friends and acquaintances suspected that he was violent or likely to commit murder, suicide crossed a few minds (and it's quite possible that he envisioned his own death during the course of the events on Saturday, it's not unusual for cops to kill people in these situations) but not murder.

There is no changing it now and the media circus will go on. Rather a sad indictment of the current state of affairs of those who suffer from mental disturbances in the US.

[chri'stina 190]

It's anti-government rhetoric - there's no question. An illogical and conspiratorial distrust of government played into his already paranoid state of mind.

I agree, but of course none of us should trust the government 100% anyway...*signal twilight zone music*. Some only trust it when their preferred political party is in power, otherwise, boo to this tricksy government!!

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I agree, but of course none of us should trust the government 100% anyway...*signal twilight zone music*. Some only trust it when their preferred political party is in power, otherwise, boo to this tricksy government!!

Steven is conflating the anti-government rhetoric of the political right and political left with the anti-government rhetoric of the sovereign citizen movement. I believe that's a mistake because the sovereign citizen types have no intention at all of being part of the political process. There may be some borrowed phraseology here and there, but at its core the SC movement is completely out of the mainstream and not of the political right or left.

[chri'stina 190]

Steven is conflating the anti-government rhetoric of the political right and political left with the anti-government rhetoric of the sovereign citizen movement. I believe that's a mistake because the sovereign citizen types have no intention at all of being part of the political process. There may be some borrowed phraseology here and there, but at its core the SC movement is completely out of the mainstream and not of the political right or left.

I don't think I have ever heard of the sovereign citizens before.(But I also had never heard of garbage island in the pacific ocean until I saw it on VJ.) I wouldn't label them right or left either. People shouldn't.

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I don't think I have ever heard of the sovereign citizens before.(But I also had never heard of garbage island in the pacific ocean until I saw it on VJ.) I wouldn't label them right or left either. People shouldn't.

I only heard about them when I was watching that documentary a few months ago about Timothy McVeigh.

[Amby 490]

Sounds more likely that he had a major psychiatric disorder involving paranoid drlusions

He sounds like a paranoid schizophrenic. Symptoms usually show up In the late teens and early 20s so it's possible he hadn't been diagnosed.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

He sounds like a paranoid schizophrenic. Symptoms usually show up In the late teens and early 20s so it's possible he hadn't been diagnosed.

The campus police had a 51 page report on the guy documenting all his antisocial behavior, with the recommendation that he be evaluated by a mental health professional. I would say that somebody had a strong suspicion that he was a bit off center.