I’m sick of myself today as I missed an opportunity to speak up to a micro-tyrant. Not only that, but it took me weeks to realize how badly I blew it.
On January 4, I went in to the Fremont County motor vehicle department to register a car I bought. That was the first work day after New Year’s Day weekend, and the deadline for registering the car. I would have incurred a late fee had I not registered the car that day.
Fremont County offices are closed on Friday. They started doing that a few years ago to save money. Since Friday was January 1, they decided to close on Thursday December 31 for New Year’s Day. The end of the month is a deadline for registrations to be renewed.
The guy sitting at the desk next to mine was going to be charged a non-nominal (though I don’t remember how much, maybe $20) late fee for having missed his December deadline. He explained that he had come on Thursday, and their offices were closed. He complained to the clerk, and she called over a higher-up to explain.
The higher-up said she had to charge a late fee to several people in his situation that day, and told them to take it up with the county commissioners for having declared December 31st a day off.
Here’s what I should have said:
Hey man, she’s just doing her job. Just like the Nazis who shoved the Jews into the ovens were just doing their job. She checks her conscience at the door every day and thinks that having a government job entitles her to rob people.
Ma’am, you can’t push the blame for your willingness to steal off on the county commissioners. Your job consists of forcing people to run the bureaucratic gauntlet of an evil, antichrist government. You produce nothing of value. You will stand before the Lord and give an account some day for every penny you’ve stolen.
None of the theft this government commits is possible without regular people like you making it happen. The Nazi guards didn’t get away with killing Jews by blaming their superiors. Neither will you get away with stealing by blaming your superiors. So at least be honest and say that YOU are enforcing these wicked rules and evil registration fees. You can’t blame anyone but yourself, and it’s not happening without you or someone like you.
If the commissioners had chosen to take Monday off rather than Thursday, I would have been in that guy’s position. We need to stand up for each other, and speak up for each other. There is no other weapon we have at this point other than to boldly speak the truth. Lord, give me the words to say and the courage to say them. Help me to not be so self-absorbed as to not think of others when they’re facing injustice.
This guy is paying $7 grand in property taxes for the school district in $1 bills. At 2:40 he gives a little speech, and the tax collector interrupts him and says the school board are the ones who voted to tax real estate, not her.
So what?
What if a band of thieves voted to rob me. When the guy they send to stick me up says, “Sorry, dude, the band of thieves voted to rob you.”
Stealing is stealing, even if it’s the government. The tax collector lady and the school district are no better than the band of thieves.
One way a regular guy can contribute to the thievery is by buying municipal bonds. Muni bonds are a way for government entities to raise money, by having people lend them money and paying back the money with interest later. Of course, the only significant source of income most government has is taxation. So by buying muni bonds, you’re relying that the government will continue stealing from people efficiently enough to pay you back. It’s lending money to the band of thieves. We need to stop cooperating with them in any way we can.
Folks, don’t make foolish mistakes. If you think that a sheriff who supports private gun ownership is “pro-Second-Amendment” because “people should be safe,” you don’t understand reality, and you don’t understand the Second Amendment.
Reality check: The purpose of the Second Amendment was NOT to give safety to individual citizens against criminals. That has never been the point, and has never even crossed the mind of the Framers to establish that as a special right. The purpose of the Second Amendment was to DENY SAFETY TO GOVERNMENT AGENTS against individual citizens, when those government agents cross the line.
Thus, when a sheriff says you should have a gun to defend yourself against criminals, he is still not “pro-Second Amendment.” He will be “pro-Second-Amendment” only when he says that YOU SHOULD HAVE A GUN TO SHOOT COPS WHEN THEY BREAK THE LAW. This was the specific purpose of the Second Amendment, and if a Sheriff doesn’t say it explicitly, he is NOT “pro-Second-Amendment.”
So be wise and informed, and don’t fall for statist propaganda, even if it comes from your local beloved Sheriff.
In yesterday’s post, I showed that the only valid government is a government that acknowledges Jesus Christ as Lord and submits to His law. Here’s a possible conversation with a bureacrat along those lines.
Me: Why do your laws apply to me?
Bureaucrat: Well, maybe I can find the statute here, give me a second.
Me: That’s circular. The law can’t apply just because the law says it applies. That isn’t a valid answer.
Bureaucrat: I’m sorry that’s just the way it is.
Me: I agree that’s the way it is, though I certainly don’t like it. You are willing to kill me or lock me up to get your way. However, might does not make right.
Bureaucrat: You get a lot of benefits from government.
Me: Yes, I get some I like and a lot I don’t like, but I don’t agree that it’s acceptable for you to provide those benefits by holding a gun to my head and forcing me to pay for them. That is stealing. It’s not acceptable for government to protect my rights by taking away my rights.
Bureaucrat: Then maybe you should consider moving to Somalia.
Me: I assure you there are government thiefs there as well. My continued residency here doesn’t make your theft any less sinful. Your theft is between you and the Lord, and you won’t stand before Him and be judged by Colorado law. You’ll be judged by His law.
Bureaucrat: Well, uh…
Me: I will let you off the hook, and tell you the only possible reason why government laws might be valid and apply. The only possible reason is that the Bible defines the proper role for government and says that people ought to obey proper government.
Bureaucrat: Great, there you go. Now your amount due is nine hundred and…
Me: Whoa! I said, the Bible says that people ought to obey PROPER government–biblical government. Do you think Colorado is a biblical government?
Bureaucrat: Yes, we do a lot of good things. We give poor people money, we educate children, we protect wildlife, and build roads just to name a few.
Me: But are those things biblical? Is that the role God has given government? I assure you that none of those things are on the list. It is unconstitutional for the government to even consider doing what the Bible says. They have long since rejected Jesus as Lord.
Bureaucrat: True. This isn’t a Christian country.
Me: Exactly. Exactly! Maybe it was at one point, but it certainly isn’t anymore. Therefore, it is the government that has rejected the only valid reason why the laws it makes might apply to me. All that’s left is rule by force. And since you’re holding that gun to my head, I’ll pay the amount due. But do you see that just as in every other area of life, government must choose between Jesus Christ and absurdity. Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “If you’re not with me, you’re against me.” You’re working for those who have not only not chosen to be with Christ, but have openly rejected Christ.
Bureaucrat: That’s it sir. I’m calling the sheriff.
Me: Yes, the guys with the guns who are willing to kill me. You’re only doubling down on your rejection of Christ, and your worship of the beast. I pray that you’ll think about what we’ve talked about.
Hopefully, that is a conversation I will get to have at some point, and reinforce to people that we must choose Christ or absurdity.
Protest in Oregon that led to the takeover of national wildlife refuge building.
I absolutely think the Hammonds have been wronged by the federal government. Whether they intentionally or accidentally lit the fire that has led to their charges and imprisonment, biblically, they should only have to pay restitution for the damage they caused. Furthermore, I agree that the government ought not own vast swaths of land.
What puzzles me about the protest and the takeover of the federal building is that they are all waving the American flag. This is the flag of the government that is oppressing them, stealing from them and treating them wickedly. Why wave the flag of an evil entity at all?
This is a video of the unjust arrest of Tatsuo Akamine in February 2015 in Torrance California. Seeing the arrest is shocking. What is even more shocking is the warped commentary on this video from Tony Miano, which you can read in full here. Tony is a retired LA Sheriff’s deputy and a street preacher. Brevity is not the soul of wit in Tony’s world, so here are the highlights of his article along with my own comments.
Tony says,
“The moment Tatsuo refused to show his identification to the officer, he was subject to arrest. The officer was not required to ask Tatsuo more than once for his identification. The officer was under no obligation whatsoever to negotiate with Tatsuo.”
Apparently that’s the garbage that police are taught, and it appears that Tony never thought to ask whether it’s biblical or not. If an officer walks up to someone, he can make up something about disturbing the peace (which Tony later acknowledges is well-known as a catch-all accusation) and then the cop’s victim is “lawfully” (U.S. law–not God’s law) subject to all kinds of arbitrary orders and searches.
I have a question: What does Tatsuo’s name and address have to do with whether he was disturbing the peace?
As far as Tony is concerned, there is no room for disobeying a man-god wearing a badge. You must submit, regardless of whether the accusations have any basis in reality.
After this, the officer says that Tatsuo isn’t under arrest, but he wants to search him for weapons.
Tony says,
“The moment Tatsuo refused to comply with the officer’s lawful orders to turn around and place his hands over his head…he was subject to arrest. The officer, at that moment, could use whatever amount of force he deemed both reasonable and necessary to overcome Tatsuo’s resistance.”
“The way Tatsuo locked up his body and clenched his hands together, which are behaviors that are obvious to even the untrained eye watching the video, were aggressive acts, which could lead a reasonable officer to believe a physical altercation was imminent.”
To Tony, it’s obvious that Tatsuo resisting a cop having him put his hands over his head is an aggressive act. This is because Tony thinks the cop is a man-god who must be obeyed. Disobeying a man-god is justification for a “reasonable” officer to believe this is a prelude to fisticuffs. What tender egos they must have! The truth is Tatsuo wasn’t aggressive in any way whatsoever, and a child could see it.
Tony says,
“Even though Tatsuo was resisting, the officer shows commendable restraint by trying to deescalate the situation through conversation–explaining his “plan” to Tatsuo.”
Well, by golly, let’s pin a medal on the man-god’s chest. It doesn’t matter whether that cop is there for a valid reason, or whether his accusation is completely preposterous. He has sauntered on to the scene and has given his orders and the mere humans must humbly obey. He showed tremendous restraint in not blowing everyone away, right then and there.
Tony says,
“Tatsuo then refuses to spread his legs and resists, multiple times, the officer’s efforts to move his legs so he could safely conduct a search of Tatsuo’s person, incident to a lawful arrest.”
First of all, at 4:10 in the video, after the cop tries to move Tatsuo’s legs, he says that Tatsuo isn’t under arrest, but being detained. Second, Tony will later acknowledge, and explain that Tatsuo wasn’t disturbing the peace. So where is the lawful arrest? Tony must be saying that it’s lawful to be arrested solely for disobeying a cop. That is un-American, and much more importantly unbiblical.
Where in the Bible are civil magistrates given the right to search people to see if they have weapons? They’re so special that they can only talk to people who have no weapons? They certainly are a timid bunch.
Tony says,
“Then, Tatsuo and his friends begin to make a scene by shouting. Any officer–any reasonable officer–would experience myriad of emotions as a result of recognizing he or she was in real and present danger…I cannot get into the officer’s head to ascertain to what degree he was in fear for his safety.”
At this point, it crossed my mind that Tony was making all of this up as a joke. This is the most preposterous thing I’ve read in some time. Tony thinks that reasonable officers experience a myriad of emotions when they hear shouting. Really? If shouting can upset someone, I’d think they must be an emotionally tender person.
But, what exactly is it that Tony calls shouting that he thinks might cause the officer to suffer fear and a virtual panoply of emotion? Are they cussing the cop out? Are they referring to him as various cuts of pork? Are they threatening him? No. They raise their voices to say, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake”, “Hallelujah!”, “Thank you Lord Jesus”. Tony actually says that such words could strike fear in the heart of a reasonable officer. I’m sure his life flashed before his eyes!
No wonder Tony isn’t a pentecostal where they shout such things in church. He would probably wilt in fear.
Maybe if these cops are so sensitive, emotional and fearful they could find a more suitable line of work. But, I imagine it would be hard for them to give up the rush of a good power trip that comes from knowing that you have the ability to lock up everyone who doesn’t hang on your every word.
Tony says,
“Tatsuo then foolishly asks his friend with the camera to follow him, now putting his friend in potential danger and maybe even making him subject to arrest.”
“For reasons of officer safety, the officer’s order to Tatsuo’s friend not to follow him was reasonable and appropriate, considering the circumstances. The officer even told Tatsuo’s friend, “You’re violating my officer safety!” But foolishly, the person behind the camera argues with the officer.”
Just when you think Tony couldn’t get any more ridiculous, he starts calling Tatsuo and his friends fools. These people aren’t crackheads, gang bangers or bikers, (as if that would be justification for the tyrannical behavior of this cop). They’re Christians. But this cop is afraid to have a Christian with a video camera walking behind him. It is a violation of his officer safety. He is a god walking among us and his safety takes precedence over any American’s right to walk through a parking lot, right?
Not only that, but Tony thinks Tatsuo is a fool for asking his friend to follow. According to Tony, only through the mind of a fool could a thought of someone freely walking across a strip mall parking lot cross. And Tatsuo isn’t the only one behaving foolishly. The cameraman also foolishly dares to question the orders of this man-god. I’m surprised the cop didn’t obliterate the petulant cameraman where he stood for daring to question a government official of the almighty state of California. One day that foolish man will run out of mercy and receive his full cup of wrath.
Tony says,
“While I do not believe Tatsuo was in violation of California Penal Code section 415 (disturbing the peace), I also do not believe Tatsuo was persecuted for his faith. I believe he simply suffered the consequences for his unlawful behavior. And, sadly, that same behavior brought a reproach upon Christ and His gospel.”
This is an amazing paragraph. Tony doesn’t believe that Tatsuo broke a law, but believes that he suffered the consequences for his unlawful behavior. Tatsuo’s only unlawful behavior, according to Tony, was disobeying the arbitrary, unjust orders of a government employee. Hello? I wish every Christian went out and disobeyed at least one arbitrary, unjust order every day. The world would be a better place.
Tony then goes on to explain how the officer was mistaken about pretty much everything he said about sound amplification, loud preaching and disturbing the peace.
At this point, Tony, like an unending number of American Christians, twists Romans 13 into a pretzel to teach that Christians must blindly obey the arbitrary orders of a cop. Tatsuo took pains to obey the law as written, but this isn’t enough. Tony accuses him of sin for disobeying a cop’s arbitrary and unjust orders!
I’ve been faced with this situation in the past, and I handled it differently than Tatsuo. I think that there is little justice in the American justice system and to put one’s life into the hands of a wicked judge is something I want to avoid. However, I certainly don’t think that what Tatsuo did was a sin. We are to stand for righteousness, and resist tyranny. If that’s the way Tatsuo wants to do it, then God bless him.
I have searched and searched for what has come of Tatsuo and this case. I can’t find anything on it, and he keeps a very low profile; he has no website, Facebook or Twitter that I can find. I hope that this is an indication that the charges were dropped. Another possibility is that Tatsuo was never actually arrested.
I can see cops thinking that they’re gods and their orders must be obeyed. I can see government passing laws that give such favors to their collection agents. What I can’t see is a Christian like Tony actually defending this wicked system, or saying that Tatsuo is sinning when he resists.
As we bemoan the pitiful condition of our country and our eroding liberties, we have Christian men like Tony to thank. Christians are supposed to be salt and light–to preserve society–maintain godliness and truth. Truth leads to freedom (John 8:32). When Christians warp Romans 13 to defend tyrants, they’ve abandoned the truth, and they might as well just beg for more tyranny.
Whose law you obey reveals who your god is. If you dutifully obey the laws of the state, even when the laws of the state and the law of God contradict each other, then the state is your god.
Tony is wrong, and his article is reprehensible. We need to fear God–not men.
I’m glad these people are doing something to stand against the lies that have been told about them. But, the problem isn’t the New York Times. They only started the problem. Their real problem is the state. The auditors are coming. The auditors probably don’t carry guns, but men with guns, employed by the state are just a phone call away.
What is the biblical penalty for paying a worker less than minimum wage, assuming the worker agreed to work for that? There is no biblical penalty.
What is the biblical penalty for paying a worker with cash, and not keeping adequate records? There is no biblical penalty.
If a Christian government employee tries to impose a penalty for a “crime” that the Bible says is no crime, they should be placed under church discipline.
That is new tactic number 1. Churches need to place Christian government agents imposing unjust laws on people under church discipline.
New Tactic number 2: Refuse to purchase the bonds the state is requiring. We must obey God rather than men.
New Tactic number 3: These nail salon people have at least dozens of people willing to protest. The next step is for each nail salon to refuse to be audited, and to call on these protesters to block the doors if necessary. Hopefully other citizens who care about liberty will join them.
We no longer live in a capitalist or free country. The tactics we’ve employed thus far have not worked. Suing the government in government courts with tyrannical judges doesn’t work. We need new tactics. We need to sweat the small stuff. I care about the liberty of Chinese immigrants in New York who don’t speak a lick of English. I want liberty for them, and I will stand with them given the opportunity.
The purpose of this website is to promote the idea that a county or city or some other small group of people could secede from the union, or as an alternative to formally seceding just ignore whatever the federal or state government tells them to do that they don’t like.
Sanctuary cities are in the news and the republican presidential candidates are shocked and confused that cities are ignoring laws they don’t like, and have been doing so for decades in some cases. Of course sanctuary cities are resisting federal tyranny in the form of immigration laws. Where a county clerk makes a sanctuary county to resist same-sex “marriage” they make campaign appearances. So they’ve revealed themselves to be hypocrites with a double standard.
The GOP candidates aren’t against locals flouting federal tyranny. They’re against allowing “illegal” immigrants to stay in the country.
This nation was founded on the idea that there is a law superior to the laws of men. Where the laws of men contradict God’s laws, it is the duty of the people to resist those laws, for they are no laws at all. That is the whole point of this website and what I’ve been saying for quite a while now.
And that concept is a concept that works, and is in force in over 300 cities and counties. Here’s more on sanctuary cities:
A Whataburger employee near Dallas refused service to two cops. I wouldn’t recommend doing that. You’ll probably end up being sued in today’s evil age. However, I certainly believe that any business that doesn’t want to do business with someone ought to be able to refuse service to anyone they want, for any reason they want.
And, I can see why someone wouldn’t want to do business with cops. They are the agents of a government and a country under God’s wrath, who enforce evil, pagan, unjust laws.
Where to operate a restaurant, you have to:
Do business with people you don’t want to do business with.
Prohibit people from smoking on your own property.
Get all kinds of permits to start a business.
Get permits to remodel your building.
Pay exorbitant property taxes.
Pay exorbitant income taxes.
Jump though tons of hoops when hiring employees.
Collect sales tax on every sale and send it in.
Whatever you’re angry about the government doing, you can thank a cop for forcing people to do it.
For example, try remodeling or operating a restaurant without government permits. Initially a bureaucrat will show up. This guy doesn’t carry a gun, and doesn’t force anyone to do anything. But if you don’t cooperate with him, rest assured the cops will be close behind, and they will force you to do what the bureaucrat says.
So I’m completely understanding of the Whataburger guy not wanting to serve cops. I hope more businesses stop serving cops.
Working for the Secession of Fremont County from the Union
