What Is A Sovereign Citizen
And Why I'm Not One of Them
People automatically assume I’m a sovereign citizen just because I don’t have a social security number. This assumption forces me to address this topic.
The idea behind being a sovereign citizen sounds good. It’s based on these words from Declaration of Independence.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." ~ Declaration Of Independence
Sovereign citizens believe we are all equal rulers of our own land, we authorize and pay the government to work for and serve us, and if they go against the will of the people (not just a specific person, but the majority of the good) we have the right and duty to remove and replace the government accordingly.
Because we, the people rule, not the government. We create their offices, we fill the offices, and we make sure that those offices run appropriately.
That sounds great to most Americans, but, things get a little murky for sovereign citizens after the basics. It is because of those heated vagueries that I and my family do not identify as citizens.
Sovereign citizens:
Have a reputation for being wacky, and for quoting the constitution as a deranged Christian might twist the Bible according to their own purposes.
Tend to be white supremacists or believe that we give permit other ethnic people’s liberties, not God.
Reject US Citizenship.
Oppose Illegal Immigrants instead of viewing them as allies.
Get too caught up in the details — they are HUGE into declaring that they are NOT a corporal entity and make a big deal about how their names are printed.
Believe that they aren't only a sovereign in and of themselves because of the constitution, but that they are free because they are some sort of small divinity.
Believe it’s a violation of their “ divine rights” to subject themselves to any man. When they are called to court, which they often are because they stick out like a sore thumb, they speak ridiculous rhetoric. They deny the authority of the courtroom and claim that they are above the law because they are the law. They don’t really believe in the biblical principals of submission or self-sacrifice.
I believe all men are equal, not just white men. No group of people grants anyone their humanity; they are born human. I believe that we form the government, but this doesn’t make the government subhuman (it’s just important to remind the government that we, too, aren’t subhuman).
I do agree that too many Americans are content with other, often immoral and degenerate, men ruling over them. Such Americans have grown lazy and do not remember their role as the people.
I’m more of a conscientious objector than a sovereign citizen, and in as much as these two political thoughts have some overlap, there are glimmer of similarities between how my family operates and how a sovereign citizen lives. Nevertheless, there are chasmic differences between us and sovereign citizens.
My Family
We are pacifists. We own guns, but do not condone violent militia-style protests.
We are allies with illegal immigrants and the Amish because we both use the same loopholes in order to live the American Dream
We have never rescinded our status as an American citizen. We are natural born American citizens with little to no documentation as ALL Americans WERE until the 70s
We are not opposed to taking government offices on occasion (this makes us not true conscientious objectors, too)
My family has a great reputation in our community
If sovereign citizens looked more like our family and less like militia-hungry, isolated old men I might be prone to accept the label. There are aspects of the “movement” that attract me. But mostly it’s an oxymoronic term that lacks any true power.
However they are a far cry from being a true terrorist organization — they are hardly organized. Not all sovereign citizens are deranged, either. It's never right to define any group by its radicals. Not all cops are evil. Not all blacks are democrats. Not all Muslims are ISIS. Not all Mexicans own cartels. Not all feminists are hateful and insane.
This is why I don’t like labels. While something might be true of an individual or even a majority, it's hardly ever true of everyone. And because of this, when searching for truth and freedom we need to always be extremely cautious in employing labels to judge individuals.
I do tend to agree that America should be a group of separate states composed of aware individuals who by their voice and support make a whole unit of strong, educated, free people. Sovereign citizens claim to want this, too. However, they are too disorganized, despite what the media would have you believe. They are hardly even a movement. They are too secretive, too isolated to ever do much harm or good.
My goal with this website is to bring together those few who are not crazy or violent, whether they call themselves a sovereign citizen or not. Change never comes from the mouth of a single fool, but through the words of a united force. My goal is to show that even if you have a social security number or other government documents, you aren't doomed. You are still America.
You are the people of the America. You are its government. You are the one who determines if your prayers to God are worth uttering. God has given us a country in which we may speak and govern ourselves. Will we forfeit the reins to another, or will we embrace our sovereignty under God?
Once humanity could shove the burden of a nation on the shoulders of their king and queen. But our forefathers took that burden, and it's now our inheritance through popular sovereignty.
It is our duty, our responsibility, and our privilege to protect and guide the future of our country. We are no longer mere citizens of a tyrant, but share-rulers of our home. Sovereign citizens are correct to point this out.
If we don't accept our American role, but submit to possible tyranny under the pretense of twisted scriptures and philosophies, we deserve the doom that awaits America. As long as we breathe, as long as our conscience beats, we have something to give to our country: ourselves.
The focus of American sovereignty needs to be redirected from individual rights to a desire to make sacrifices for each other. The true “sovereign citizen” would be more concerned to sacrifice himself for righteous causes out of a hope of the future.
Will you embrace your place, or will you allow another to stand and speak in your stead?
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