The Doctrine
of Personal Sovereignty
Sam Aurelius Milam III
The
presumption today is that all human beings are inherently subject to the
jurisdiction of some government. However, I believe that every human
being is, at least potentially, a free and sovereign individual, equal
in status to a government. Such a free and sovereign individual doesn't
have any inherent obligation to any government. He cannot be legitimately
compelled by any court or legislature. Since his status is equal
to that of a government, the only way that a government can legitimately
deal with him is through its institutions of diplomacy.
A
free and sovereign individual is free to enter into any contract and even
to voluntarily submit himself to the jurisdiction of a government, if that
is his wish. As a contracting sovereign, he's responsible for disclosure
and performance in his contracts. He can deal honestly with honest
parties and seek redress from those who deal dishonestly with him.
He's responsible for the consequences of his behavior and he can expect
action against him if he's hostile or dishonest. He's free to meet
force with force and kindness with kindness. He's free to try to
defend himself or anything else or anyone else in whom he has an interest.
He must manage his own survival and well-being. To successfully coexist
with other sovereign governments or other sovereign individuals, his behavior
should best be guided by courtesy, humility, and integrity. Beyond
that, the regulation of his behavior by any government is neither necessary,
appropriate, nor even tolerable.
It's
been about 20 years since I began to formally divest myself of obligations
to government. For the most part, I had to invent the process as
I went along. I rescinded my driver's license, canceled my Social
Security number, allowed my voter's registration to expire, and canceled
or avoided any and every other document or association that might be construed
as transferring to me some obligation to government. Having declared
myself to not be a citizen, I am therefore not a citizen. If citizenship
isn't voluntary, then it's identical to slavery.
As
I proceeded with my divestment of obligations to government, and as the
powers of government grew through the years, my life became increasingly
inconvenient. Today, I cannot own any certificated property, travel
on any public transportation, own or operate a business, buy medical insurance,
open a bank account, have a job, or do any of the other things that have
been restricted to only people who have the government's permission and
who can prove it with valid government ID. That kind of pervasive
control of the people, more than anything else, is an indictment of the
present government and a validation of my doctrine of personal sovereignty.
That is, a government should never have the power to force an honest, healthy,
and competent individual into a position of dependence upon and subservience
to its institutions. It should never have the power to preemptively
restrict any honest, healthy, and competent person from consensual participation
in any kind of relationship or activity. Whenever a government is
found to have such powers, then that government should be destroyed.
The
fact is that, today, I couldn't live as a free and sovereign individual
without the support of sympathetic family members, friends, and associates.
I've sometimes doubted the advisability of the status that I've achieved.
I've even doubted its viability. However, I've never regretted having
achieved it. As a consequence of my status, I don't have any obligations
whatsoever to any government. I'm not owned by any government.
I own myself.![10x5 Page Background GIF Image](../../Images/10x5_Page_Background.gif)
August 2005 |
Frontiersman,
1510 North 22nd Drive, Show Low, Arizona 85901
frontiersman@pharos.websiteallies.com
Also see Pharos at http://pharos.websiteallies.com/ |
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