ABC-TV Nightline on "sovereign citizens"

[Famspear]

There is an unconfirmed report (the source is Wackadooster and occasional Quatloos forum poster Bob Hurt) that ABC-TV will air a piece on "sovereign citizens." It's supposed to be on the ABC Nightline program for Wednesday, March 7, 2012. That would be at 10:30 pm central time.

[Demosthenes]

Should be fun. This episode has been in the works for months.

[grixit]

Will there be meloncat bobbleheads for sale?

[ashlynne39]

Was it on? I recorded Nightline and skimmed through it but didn't see anything.

[Famspear]

Was it on? I recorded Nightline and skimmed through it but didn't see anything.

I don't think it was on. I watched the "scope" at the beginning of the broadcast. They mentioned nothing about a segment on "sovereign citizens," so I went to bed.

[LurkerRob]

Bob seems to be spending his time growing a ludicrous beard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0iObngBqTs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWeeTmF34wU

[Demosthenes]

It's on tonight.

[webhick]

Nightline isn't available on HuluPlus.

I expect strings to be pulled.

[Famspear]

It's on tonight.

Maybe it was originaly scheduled for Wednesday night, but got bumped at the last minute by another segment that was considered more timely. That probably happens occasionally.

[Demosthenes]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/sovereign-citi ... 1ksg_EgeRs

[Demosthenes]

Part 1 of the ABC report aired on World News with Diane Sawyer:

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/secret- ... s-15881829

Part 2 will appear later tonight on Nightline.

[add2cart]

I hope Dan Harris is prepared for the aftermath. They will be on him like white on rice.

[wserra]

One of the other 2 last night was about brothel workers in Nevada dressing up as fictional characters like Princess Leia.

You mean that doesn't make them immune from federal law enforcement? Where's Han Solo when you need him?

Actually, you can probably find him in the brothel too. Hell, you can probably find Chewbacca.

[Demosthenes]

I hope Dan Harris is prepared for the aftermath. They will be on him like white on rice.

He is.

[Demosthenes]

Part 2 is now online.

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/

Click on "Sovereign Citizens: Radicals Next Door"

[Demosthenes]

Bob Hurt is unhappy.

Regarding the Sovereign Citizen story by Dan Lieberman and Dan Harris of ABC NEWS here:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/sovereign-citi ... 1n_qDHy8uA


You implied that the story would not be a hatchet job. It’s a mirror of the cbs story, Dan, a hatchet job.

Either you lied to me our your handlers lied to you. Even Diane Sawyer did a better job with the footage than you and Harris.

Regarding your centerpiece, a rerun of the cbs video on jerry kane, DO YOUR HOMEWORK:

• http://www.infowars.com/arkansas-cop-mu ... -movement/
• http://privateaudio.homestead.com/Jerry ... orial.html
• http://justiceforjerryandjoekane.com/Home.php

These show that the cops doctored the video.

As I told you and said at that meeting, I have worked to dispel the patriot myths of hotheads like William Crowley. You lumped me in with them and ignored everything I said. You tried to make us all look like radicals. You showed James Gray complaining about the handcuffs with no context, and Francis Knize with no context.

What planet are you from? You came down trying to prove we are a bunch of radicals, but never once hinted that OUR group wants to hold Government accountable for the crimes and malfeasance of its employees.

I feel SO disappointed in you and Harris and ABC. You people are idiots who did not fairly represent the story. I see you as operatives for the ADL and SPLC. You are such idiots.

[grixit]

Rather underwhelmed with the Nightline segment. Classic Nightline was a 30 minute panel discussion. Now it's 3 feature stories. One of the other 2 last night was about brothel workers in Nevada dressing up as fictional characters like Princess Leia.

Yeah i used to love watching Ted Koppel go one on one with some leader of a repressive regime and politely but firmly call them a liar. But by the mid 90's the show had been toned down to just another news magazine.

[ashlynne39]

Well, I think they made a mistake in how they presented the Diane Sawyer piece. The nightline piece was better. In the Sawyer piece, some of the terms they used to describe Sovereigns especially in the beginning made it seem like they are your average "patriotic" American - someone who wants limited government, thinks the government is out of control. In other words, I could see someone in the tea party person or conservative or maybe just middle of the road person who is tired of big government, sitting down and watching the Sawyer piece and saying "hey, I agree with that." Even when they were at the diner with the sovereigns (other than the woman talking about American concentration camps on google), they mostly sounded normal. The guy who said if someone came after him with a gun he would fight back didn't sound too over the top the way they presented him. So again, I could see people not getting what the fuss is about.

But I thought the real flaw was the point where they said that sovereigns rely on "obsure laws . . . the constitution and the Bible." The nightline piece was clearer in how they described this because they said "obscure laws, parts of the constitution." It wasn't phrased in such a way to imply that anyone who believes in the constitution is some sort of extremist nut.

Overall, I thought that both pieces lacked depth. Other than a few quick video clips there was nothing to really show how out there or dangerous these people can be or the damage they can do. Again, the nightline piece was better - especially toward the end with Paudert and the judges who had liens against them. But the Sawyer piece was pretty worthless. Had I not known what Sovereign Citizens are and all the nonsense they believe, I would have come away from the Sawyer piece and most of the nightline piece thinking that they are just pretty ordinary people who are tired of big government and not the nuts that they really are. I wish both pieces had done a better job.

[LPC]

Overall, I thought that both pieces lacked depth.

Nature of the beast. I thought that both pieces did a pretty good job, given the limitations of the medium.

My two quibbles:

1. Describing sovereign citizens as "educated" misses the mark considerably. "Not noticeably illiterate" would be closer to the truth.

2. The absence of the word "delusional" was a major deficiency.

[ashlynne39]

Overall, I thought that both pieces lacked depth.

Nature of the beast. I thought that both pieces did a pretty good job, given the limitations of the medium.

My two quibbles:

1. Describing sovereign citizens as "educated" misses the mark considerably. "Not noticeably illiterate" would be closer to the truth.
2. The absence of the word "delusional" was a major deficiency.

That was partly my point though. Using the descripters that both shows did, you could mostly come out thinking they were describing a tea party member or conservative. I don't mean they were trying to link the two but it was as if a sovereign citizen is the equivilant of someone who is normal, well educated, pays taxes but doesn't like it, and thinks the government is too big and overly involved. There wasn't a whole lot, until right at the end, that gave any indication that these people are in large part ignorant, delusional nuts who participate in a wide range of criminal acts from the relatively minor (driving without a license or tags) to the utterly violent. There was no real frame of reference for who these people are. I had planned to post both pieces on a conservative, tea party messageboard that I sometimes frequent but after viewing the pieces I don't think I can. My guess is that as soon as I post them the people there will take offense to the comment about sovereigns following obscure laws such as the constitution and Bible and that they will hear how sovereigns are described at the beginning and for most of the report and identify with alot of what was said even though they are nowhere close to what a real sovereign is. The nightline piece was better because it did talk about the violent episodes of Nichols, the Kanes and Stack and about the paper terrorism, but I wish it had gone farther in explaining the non-violent aspects of sovereign citizens and been clearer about who these people really are.