In the summer of 2005 I was introduced to the idea that the government is not what I thought it was.  I was raised with the idea that the government is there to protect us and look after our best interests.  My whole world came crashing down over a period of six months.  It took me that long to process the anger that I felt about what I was learning about.  However, once that was done, I realized that the next step was to confront myself and figure out what I'm going to do about it rather than being a victim.  Keep in mind that at this point I was still a citizen of CANADA.

So I started to study hard and decided to test my new found skills and knowledge.  I wanted to pick a fight with the state and went out to get a parking ticket on purpose so that I could teach them a lesson or two!  I put my skills to the test, wrote my letters and went to court.  My ignorance showed as the first appearance was to enter a plea.  Who knew that? Imagine how embarrassed I was toting all my books and papers with me to a plea appearance.   Well, now I know.  After talking to the prosecutor, we set a date at the desk.  Except something strange happened.  I was in St. Albert and it was a municipal ticket from St. Albert and they set the date in Westlock for February 27, 2007.  It seemed very odd to me, but I went anyway.

I showed up in Westlock on the day and the court is closed.  Turns out court is actually in St. Albert.  Clerk in Westlock told me I had grounds for a dismissal as she called the St. Albert court to inform them I was on my way back.  So I traveled all the way back to St. Albert.  Outside the court house I again talked to the crown prosecutor and argued with her for a good 5 minutes.  I was in the mood to fight and I let her have it with all my intellect.  She then gave up and we went into the court to resolve it there.  

Here is where things got really interesting.  When the judged asked me who I was, I refused to answer.  The clerk then yelled at me, which surprised me a lot as I never expected a clerk to be so aggressive.  I was asked by the judge what name is on my Birth Certificate.  I stood there pondering how to answer the question without getting me tied in with the court.  While I was pondering the question the judge then said something very interesting.  

The Supreme Court has ruled that I cannot hear the case if there is no Birth Certificate

I decided to give him the name on the birth certificate without realizing what he was telling me.  Then I asked the judge if he would protect my rights.  His response:

No.  If you want your rights protected, you need to take this to provincial court.

He asked me if I wanted to move the matter to the higher court and I said no.  I'm here to argue and that I am ready to proceed.  He said okay and we proceeded with court.  Every argument I made the crown had a counter argument and in the end the judge ruled against me and ordered that I pay the $60 fine.  But then he said something else.  He complimented me on my efforts to stand up for my rights and encouraged me to keep up the good work.  

I left the court room frustrated and sad that I lost.  It took me days to calm down and reflect on what happened in the court room.  Then I learned my biggest lessons when I evaluated what REALLY happened in court.  

Be peaceful

I went into court looking for a fight and I got it.  I was so busy concentrating on the fight that I did not hear a word the judge was saying.  This guy was trying to help me and I was so stubborn and pig headed that I did not see the TWO olive branches he gave to me.  That is when I decided to declare peace and forever change how I govern myself.  I learned a big lesson that day.

Introduction to Birth Certificates

The judge also gave me a wake up call to the power and significance of a Birth Certificate.  If I would have told him that I have no Birth Certificate then he would be forced to dismiss the case as he did not have the authority to hear it.  All I had to do was shut up and it would have been done right there and then.  But because I was at war I missed his first give to me on how to get out of the court room.  I'll write another post to explain the Birth Certificate in much more detail.  

Introduction to protecting rights

I was astounded that he refused to protect my rights when he answered 'no' to my question.  But then he gave me another out when he offered to take the matter to provincial court.  I'm sure if I accepted that offer that I suspect the crown may actually drop the case, or at least I would have had another opportunity to protect my rights.  Because I was at war I completely dismissed the opportunity and hung myself in court.  I did not hear the judge trying to help me.  

Don't talk to the Crown Prosecutor

I did not know it at the time, but the Crown Prosecutor is an agent of the court and when I talk to them I am creating joinder and giving them all my defense arguments.  So when we got into court, she knew every argument I was going to make and had a counter for every single one of them.  So I swore that I would never talk to those guys again.  

There are good people in the system

I know I often rebuke the system, but there are good people in the system that want to help people.  All that is required is an individual to be open to the help.  However, it takes a calm, peaceful mind to hear and see the help when it is offered.  This judge was one of those people and he tried his best to help me but I refused to let him.  Peace really would have served me well if I went to court with a completely different attitude.  Not that I was yelling or violent but I was there to argue and that did not serve me well.  

When Judges complement you, listen

I was stunned that the judge complemented me and it took me days before it really sank in.  It was the encouragement of this judge that helped me keep going on my studies and work on a much different approach to freedom.  

Applying what I learned to the next case

Moving lessons forward, I took a much different approach when I went to court for driving without a drivers license in June 2008, just a few months after I declared my independence from the state in April.  This time I refused to argue or identify myself with the crown prosecutor prior to court.  When he pointed to the ticket and asked if this was me, I said 'that is not me'.  He said that I would have to identify myself with the court and I smiled and said 'yes, I know'.  About half way through the docket, he asked for a recess to go to the bathroom.  After 30 minutes they resumed.  Note:  It does not take half an hour to go to the bathroom.  I think they were talking in chambers about my case.  When court resumed they went through the whole rest of the docket and when my case came up, I stood in front of the the judge when she said:

Case dismissed due to a lack of evidence.

I did not have to say a word to her.  No argument.  Case done.  I turned around and left, absolutely stunned over the results.  I did not create joinder with the Crown Prosecutor, I did not identify myself and I did not make any errors.  I know the letters that I used also helped.  I remained in peace and was not dragged into war by making any arguments.  

I share this for educational purposes only.  I AM not a lawyer and as such I cannot provide any legal advice.  Rather I share my experiences as I explored my relationship with the state.  You are 100% responsible and accountable or your own actions or inaction.  This information should not be used as legal or financial advice.