We received a question from a supporter recently which may be something others encounter as well. This supporter attended a meeting held by a proponent so the ‘sovereign citizen’ movement and asked us how the speaker’s position was different from that of our organization.
Are you, or anyone else, a sovereign person? In order to answer that logically we should start with definitions. A person is an individual with his or her own free will. You choose what you will do and say, and ideally you will learn that every action has consequences. Sovereign implies the absence of a superior power within a domain or sphere.
The citizens of the United States of America are sovereign over its government but we are not sovereign over its laws. Our Constitution was created because our predecessors understood that a certain amount of power must be relegated to designated authorities for the common good and the protection of the whole country.
As individuals, we live subject to the Natural Law which originates with Nature's God. These are immutable rights that every human has as a result of their birth. No man can justly encroach upon those rights or violate Natural Law.
The balance between our God-given rights and our rights of sovereignty is one which must be understood and defended. And, it must be taught to upcoming generations or the end result will be the upset of that balance known generally as ‘tyranny.’
The Convention of States Action (COSA) and the Convention of States Foundation (COSF) are operational entities of an organization called Citizens for Self-Governance (CSG.) COSA lobbies for changes in our Constitution using Article V and for local changes where our help is deemed appropriate and possible. COSF focuses on education of all people with regard to their rights and responsibilities as self-governing individuals.
For Americans self-governance does not mean no governance by outside authorities as long as those authorities operate within the laws of the nation, state or a subordinate entity. Therein lies the difference between the missions of the three entities described above and the numerous groups and organizations claiming that they are exempt from our laws. These are generally categorized under the term ‘Sovereign Citizens Movement’ (SCM.)
Each group claims different rights of exemption from the laws of this nation and many claim that only the states are allowed to enforce laws upon the people. Ironically, many of these same individuals refuse to license vehicles or obtain driver’s licenses which are in fact actions of limitation and/or taxation imposed by their own states.
The first 13 states developed and supported the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution (the first of its kind and currently the oldest still in use today.) With few exceptions, each territory which subsequently joined the union was granted an enabling act by Congress which gave the territory the right to develop a constitution and a plan of process towards becoming a full-fledged state of the union. Within each of these adopted constitutions there is a proviso that guarantees that the state will uphold and protect federal laws and jurisdictions. In order to join the union the territories willingly gave up a certain amount of power for the common good and the protection of their state and the union as a whole.
As Americans become more worried about the direction of our nation many are reaching out to various organizations for direction. If you are in that group and happen to meet individuals who support the SCM way of looking at our government, please keep in mind that they are very different from the CSG, COSA and COSP. We are trying to change the laws and they deny the rightful existence of the laws
Editor's Note: Brett will be back at his computer next week.
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