• ricecake@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      76
      ·
      9 months ago

      It’s magical thinking. They believe they found a legal loophole that means they’re obeying the law, because they don’t actually need things like license plates or a drivers license.

      For example, they commonly believe that the law actually defines “driving” as a commercial activity, as in “to drive a herd of cattle”. So they insist that they aren’t “driving a motor vehicle”, they’re just “traveling in their conveyance”.

      It’s why the poster made a point of saying they were privately traveling.

  • saltesc@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    73
    ·
    9 months ago

    Well, they may have a point. Was the sovereign citizen travelling on their own road or someone else’s road whom gave them permission to? If so, that’s totally fine and the police officer shouldn’t be policing stuff owned by other people, only the government’s stuff.

    Oh, what’s that? It was the government’s stuff? Well, what a surprise. A person using roads that aren’t their’s and are in no position to pay for breaking anything or anyone while on them. It’s like a stranger walking in your house and just using your shit, “It’s okay, I’m a sovereign citizen and the law says I don’t have to follow the law.”

    • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      9 months ago

      Nah it’s not like that… I can just go into your house because I spell my name with lowercase letters and put a lot of weird semicolons and shit in there. See when I do that it’s just me the person in your house and not the legal entity that the courts think I am that’s there. They’re two separate entities! So legally I’m not in your house.

      BTW, you’re out of beer, when are you gonna get some more? I didn’t legally drink your beer, but… you’re out of beer.

  • Ptsf@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    49
    ·
    9 months ago

    Just the idea that you can force yourself onto another countries road and tell them you don’t need a license/etc is so narcissistic it’s crazy lol.

    • Ashyr@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      38
      ·
      9 months ago

      They don’t understand that private means use on private property.

      Like, it doesn’t have to be licensed, I assume, if you have an old truck you use to get around on the farm or ranch or whatever.

      Which makes a certain amount of sense.

      But the moment you’re on the public roads, you can’t be driving a private vehicle, that’s not how any of this works.

      • Infynis@midwest.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        19
        ·
        9 months ago

        This is correct. Lots of farms have children drive trucks around, and places like resorts often have shuttle drivers without CDLs drive their busses, which they could not do on public roads

        • BarrelAgedBoredom@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          9 months ago

          Depending on the weight of the vehicle and whether or not they have air brakes, you don’t need a CDL. You can rent a 26ft box truck from U-Haul that is almost certainly bigger than most resort buses without a CDL. Even if you’ve only ever driven smart cars before that

          • BottleOfAlkahest@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            7
            ·
            9 months ago

            Even if you’d normally need a CDL you might not need one on private property. Lots of manufacturing sites have “yard hostlers” that are not road legal and do not require a CDL to operate (in the US).

  • xantoxis@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    44
    ·
    9 months ago

    Maybe the cop was a sovereign citizen too, what makes you so sure he has a constitution to uphold?

  • recapitated@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    44
    ·
    9 months ago

    Imagine hating government so much that you dedicate your life to making your own whole government by way of amateur arts and crafts

    • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      9 months ago

      Sounds like a lot of work. Easier just to order all of the arts and crafts needed for your own government from the internet.

  • BradleyUffner@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    40
    ·
    9 months ago

    What’s the origin of this “traveling doesn’t require a license” thing? Usually the sovereign citizens end up grossly misinterpreting some real statute or law. “Traveling” seems to show up consistently. I’m just curious where it came from.

      • Car@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        17
        ·
        9 months ago

        I’m imagining a scenario where the driver gets one ticket and becomes irate. The police officer decides to issue another and the cycle continues until the driver shuts up.

  • tryptaminev 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 🇪🇺@feddit.de
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    24
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    9 months ago

    DAE have an idea, what the 9 violations might be?

    I am not from the US, but i would assume sth. like operating an unregistered vehicle, driving w.o. licencse and maybe one violation he got pulled over for in the first place.

    What could the other six violations be?

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    ·
    9 months ago

    Because a private individual will have the resources to take on a police department. As though they wouldn’t defend their officer. How much money do you have for this case? It’s definitely not going to be enough. But I’d love to see it play out.

  • afraid_of_zombies@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    9 months ago

    I wonder why they are obsessed with all things vehicle. I am pretty sure they could make a big show out of not doing jury duty or not answering the complete census without much happening to them.