The threat from 'sovereign citizens & pseudo law' adherents

[Lilith7]

These are people who think they can opt out of the legal system by using different interpretations of it...

https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/08/30/the-th...entsin-nz/

[Oh_hunnihunni]

I had a TM friend, she was lovely. A bit mad like me. We got on really well, despite the fact she believed in the sovereign citizen thing, that some kind of common law outweighed our legislated framework. Then came flu vax time and she told me if I got vaxed she couldn't be near me because I would be shedding virus... So I didn't tell her when I did get the jab. Then came March 15, and in the aftermath she posted a comment on my farcebook page that outraged some of my friends, a very anti Muslim comment, that could be read as being in support of the shooter.

And that was that, I messaged her and told her not to contact me again, unfriended and blocked her without further comment. Sad really, she was a really nice person, just lost in the rabbit hole...

[Praktica]

I remember when someone announced, on the TM messageboard, their discovery of the "sovereign citizen" thing, and how you just had to send a letter to the government to seceded from their jurisdiction. I'd been reading about this on an American forum, where there was a Canadian guy who was deep into the bullshit.

[harm_less]

A (past) friend went down the road of registering a copyright on his name which he believed would prevent IRD being able to tax him. It didn't end well 

[king1]

A (past) friend went down the road of registering a copyright on his name which he believed would prevent IRD being able to tax him. It didn't end well 

bit of an irony there, using the law to escape the law.

[harm_less]

A (past) friend went down the road of registering a copyright on his name which he believed would prevent IRD being able to tax him. It didn't end well 

bit of an irony there, using the law to escape the law.

The guy was a walking conspiracy theory. He went down a rabbit hole which he was convinced was proof of the whole tax collection structure in NZ was based on flawed legal foundations. Ended up with a huge long term tax bill for his efforts. It was a bit of a popular thing in some circles coming up 20 years ago.

[Praktica]

bit of an irony there, using the law to escape the law.

The guy was a walking conspiracy theory. He went down a rabbit hole which he was convinced was proof of the whole tax collection structure in NZ was based on flawed legal foundations. Ended up with a huge long term tax bill for his efforts. It was a bit of a popular thing in some circles coming up 20 years ago.

People like that fail to realise that if there were indeed flawed legal foundations, the government would legislate to validate them...you can't beat city hall...

[Oh_hunnihunni]

Well, you can... but boy, it is the most stressful battle out there...

Speaking as someone who has tilted at a few windmills. Occasionally successfully. But only occasionally, lol.

[Lilith7]

A friend of a friend went down the anti vax rabbit hole, & my friend seemed to be veering slightly towards it. But the anti vax woman recently died (unrelated cause) so hoping that friend will veer well away from it.

There really is NO limit to the daft stuff we humans can get ourselves to believe.....

[Praktica]

It's the good old Dunning-Kruger effect - people don't understand how ignorant they are.

[Oh_hunnihunni]

That is one of the benefits of education.

[Lilith7]

I still believe that humans as a species are at least slightly mad....

[zqwerty]

https://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/Be-Very...0473127510

"This book will make your blood boil. It is the almost unbelievable account of Christchurch businessman Dave Henderson's five year battle with the Inland Revenue Department. It tells of a government department that is out of control, with little respect for the law and common decency. What started as a routine GST tax return, seeking a sizeable refund, turned into a nightmare. The IRD assessed Mr Henderson's company for a million dollars, refused to explain the basis for the assessments and drove him into bankruptcy. Determined to resist the IRD's bullying tactics, Dave Henderson withstood its continued efforts to drive him further under. This book tells that story. It describes, in graphic detail, the actions, evasions and convolutions practised by a department with almost limitless resources and no-one to monitor its behaviour."


It wasn't this guy you were referring to was it, harm_less?

[harm_less]

https://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/Be-Very...0473127510

"This book will make your blood boil. It is the almost unbelievable account of Christchurch businessman Dave Henderson's five year battle with the Inland Revenue Department. It tells of a government department that is out of control, with little respect for the law and common decency. What started as a routine GST tax return, seeking a sizeable refund, turned into a nightmare. The IRD assessed Mr Henderson's company for a million dollars, refused to explain the basis for the assessments and drove him into bankruptcy. Determined to resist the IRD's bullying tactics, Dave Henderson withstood its continued efforts to drive him further under. This book tells that story. It describes, in graphic detail, the actions, evasions and convolutions practised by a department with almost limitless resources and no-one to monitor its behaviour."


It wasn't this guy you were referring to was it, harm_less?

No, not my associate. I do remember reading Dave's book when it was first released back in 2007. His libertarian philosophies and approach in pushing the norms in business probably put a target on his back so far as the IRD episode was concerned. Doesn't pay to poke a bear with a stick.