A long time ago I watched an episode of the TV series The Mentalist. There was a short dialogue between an FBI agent and a potential witness of a crime that got my attention. Here it is:

Agent Kimball Cho, FBI: I understand you were working security here last night.
You mind answering a few questions?

Witness: Agent Kimball Cho of the FBI, know that I am a sovereign citizen of the state of Texas and do not recognize the legitimacy of the federal government or any police authority you may claim to possess. Nonetheless, I will answer your questions voluntarily.

Agent Kimball Cho, FBI: Great.

(season 7, episode 1)

The witness was trying to say that as a sovereign (free) human being he refuses to accept the authority of the police or in this case the FBI. How is that even possible? Allow me to explain.

The mainstream brain says that the police and its branches have the right to enforce the laws of a specific state. Therefore, they have the freedom to do many things that normal citizen cannot get away with.

Let’s say that you decide to implement the police’s methods to catch a bad guy on your own. Most people will refuse to give you answers because you are not a copper or a detective. However, when a real police officer does the same thing, it is expected of you to answer all questions. Isn’t that what all civilians do in the movies? The cops just flash the badge, and everybody starts singing.

In this world there are two main types of laws – man made and natural laws. Obviously, many of the laws that the police follows are man made. In Amsterdam, you can smoke weed whereas in other countries you are sent to jail for it. This and many other examples prove that the system is subjective. In similar situations we are talking about man made laws which are subject to questioning if you are a sovereign human being.

As a free man, you have the right to reject the authority of the police. I know that it may sound funny to you, but this is exactly what the guy in the video did.

I remember the look on the face of the FBI agent. It was basically saying, “Nice try smart head.” That attitude made the witness appear naive and stupid. You can see the scene for yourself if you want.

I know very well that if you refuse to obey, you could suffer terrible consequences. However, that does not change the fact that you have the right to reject the police’s authority as a free human being. It can go pretty bad for you, but you have the right to do so.

Many say that if we refuse to follow the man made laws, we will return to the Wild Wild West when people were shooting each other for cheating at cards. Well, the truth is that during those times, people were actually more sovereign than we are today.

Sadly, the authorities love to use and abuse their power. I’ve had similar experiences in my past.

One time I was passing through a local skating spot and heard somebody screaming. He said, “Police. Come here, NOW!

There were three people – two men and one woman. One of them showed his police identification and asked me for an ID. They weren’t wearing uniforms, though. I felt that something weird was going on. Why were detectives after me?

I gave him my ID card, and he started the usual small talk. Who are you? How old are you? Where are you going?…etc.

They asked me to empty my pockets and show them the contents of my backpack. According to the law, they didn’t have the right to do that without an explanation because I had a legal ID.

“Why do you want to pocket me? I showed you my ID.”

“Do you want me to detain you for 24 hours,” said one of the men and scared the hell out of me.

“No. You have no right to do such things. I am not a criminal,” I replied.

The detective grabbed one of my non-existing traps and squeezed me so hard that I performed a quarter squat because my knees got weak. Then he took my backpack and started going through it. It was full of old books that I was trying to sell to second-hand stores.

“What are those books for,” asked the woman.

“I am selling some old books. Those are the ones they didn’t buy”

One of the titles was Captain Nemo. She grabbed it and asked me with a very suspicious voice:

“You are telling me they didn’t buy this classic? Are you sure that’s what you are doing”, she said.

At that moment, I felt like a driver transporting Trinitrotoluene in a truck without breaks.

“I don’t know why they didn’t take it. Maybe they had too many copies already,” I replied.

They went through every single book, my pockets and even my shoes. I was 100% clean. Then, they contacted somebody, checked my name and finally let me go. I felt kinda sorry for those guys and humiliated at the same time. Three cops against a sixteen-year-old weighing 135 pounds.

Years later I learned that this location was used by cops to train their ability to question people. Skinny weaklings like me were a mark.

I can only imagine what would have happened if I had played the sovereign card. Not that I knew about similar ideas at the time. They don’t teach you stuff like that in school, at least not in mine. Ironically, I was a good student. Never been high, drugged or drunk to this very day.

The police propaganda in movies is basically endless. During the last few weeks, I watched episodes of another police TV show called Rookie Blue. As always the police officers are presented as good guys who want to help you and risk their lives every single day for you.

What I hate the most about cop movies is that normal people are portrayed as defenseless little insects that should always lean on the police. This projects the idea that we have given our right to defend ourselves to somebody else. We have outsourced it to the police.

In the particular movie, all officers and detectives are good, honest and pretty angels who can do no wrong. This makes for a great movie, but the reality is much different. First, most female officers are not as pretty as the actresses in Rookie Blue. Second, the accumulation of positive elements creates unrealistic expectations which harm both – the ordinary person and the police.

People who accept similar movies as 100% truth expect way too much of the police, which is harmful to the officers as well. They are humans like us, not batmen. Many ordinary people believe that cops are ninjas who can arrive in 3 minutes out of nowhere and protect the hell out of you. This is obviously impossible. It happens only in the movies.

One of the popular phrases in those PR films is – “I am just doing my job.” The officers rely on this idea to rationalize their actions. This simple phrase contains so much that I could potentially write 5 more pages about it.

Individuals relying on this statement to explain their actions are giving up responsibility and playing the victim card.

Just because something is a part of your job, it does not make it right. Criminals are also “just doing their job” when they get paid to do something illegal. “Just doing your job” is not really the brightest excuse.

Bottom line: Be careful when you are watching TV.