Irish Freeman-on-the-Land movement
Posted: Sun May 19, 2013 4:55 pm
It looks like the Freeman-on-the-Land phenomenon is now receiving some public commentary in Ireland (Republic of). The Law Society of Ireland indicates there are now over a hundred instances of Freeman-type arguments being employed in court, and advises against pursuit of this strategy:
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-an ... -1.1396641
Naturally, a large number of persons with an opposite belief promptly appear out of the woodwork, and allege broad conspiracies among the courts and legal practitioners, and various other curious things.
The Irish Times article identifies some very familiar memes:
or with suspended sentences, such as “Bobby of the Family Sludds”: http://www.newstalk.ie/Who-are-the-Freemen-on-the-Land
My attempts to identify any Freeman cases via the ‘BaiLII’ website were unsuccessful, though another article suggests this decision involved a Freeman argument:
Wellstead -v- Judge White & Anor [2011] IEHC 438: http://www.bailii.org/ie/cases/IEHC/2011/H438.html
[And what a horrible website – CanLII has spoiled me to a terminal degree.]
Poking around the Law Society Gazette (I gather this is an official publication of the Law Society of Ireland) turns up a few things (chronological order):
http://www.lawsociety.ie/Documents/Gaze ... ch2012.pdf
There’s a lot of chatter on the Irish Freeman movement that I spotted on various message boards. Here’s some links:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthre ... 2056353782
As a frivolous aside, I nominate "Bobby Sludds" as the ultimate Freeman-on-the-Land name. You don't have to add spurious punctuation. You don't have to make him "of the Family". Bobby Sludds ... it's enough. It's everything. Right there - Freeman, and don't you dare touch.
SMS Möwe
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-an ... -1.1396641
Naturally, a large number of persons with an opposite belief promptly appear out of the woodwork, and allege broad conspiracies among the courts and legal practitioners, and various other curious things.
The Irish Times article identifies some very familiar memes:
- all law is contract
state authority requires consent
that contract can emerge from apparently innocent activity
one can trademark your own name
dual identity of a ‘flesh and blood’ human, and a ‘something else’
variant and magical names
or with suspended sentences, such as “Bobby of the Family Sludds”: http://www.newstalk.ie/Who-are-the-Freemen-on-the-Land
My attempts to identify any Freeman cases via the ‘BaiLII’ website were unsuccessful, though another article suggests this decision involved a Freeman argument:
Wellstead -v- Judge White & Anor [2011] IEHC 438: http://www.bailii.org/ie/cases/IEHC/2011/H438.html
[And what a horrible website – CanLII has spoiled me to a terminal degree.]
Poking around the Law Society Gazette (I gather this is an official publication of the Law Society of Ireland) turns up a few things (chronological order):
http://www.lawsociety.ie/Documents/Gaze ... ch2012.pdf
- [a small notice from the McCann FitzGerald law firm stating that they are not the authors of a memo distributed in Freeman circles which says that statutes only operate if you feel like it – see p. 5]
- [a general commentary on the phenomenon - see p. 12-15]
- [this one is amusing - a letter to the Gazette from “Concerned Sovereign”, denouncing the April article as incorrect and propaganda. And that results in an Editor’s note:
It should be pointed out that Keith Rooney [author of the April 2012 article] is not a member of the Law Society but rather a member of the Law Library. Normally, the Gazette does not publish letters of an anonymous nature, but has made an exception in this case!
- Tir na Saor – Land of the Free: http://freemanireland.ning.com/
- Tir na Saor: Freeman Guidebook:
http://api.ning.com/files/6*q6jZnbo4CTr ... nFinal.doc
There’s a lot of chatter on the Irish Freeman movement that I spotted on various message boards. Here’s some links:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthre ... 2056353782
- [Three years of messages and debate…]
- [Another massive multi-year discussion of the phenomenon]
- [Extended and ongoing commentary on the fate of “Francis, of the family of Cullen”]
As a frivolous aside, I nominate "Bobby Sludds" as the ultimate Freeman-on-the-Land name. You don't have to add spurious punctuation. You don't have to make him "of the Family". Bobby Sludds ... it's enough. It's everything. Right there - Freeman, and don't you dare touch.
SMS Möwe