Fed's raid secess hangout, treats them like secessionists.

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**Frazzled**

HAHAHAHAHAHA

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Feds-raid-Texas-secessionist-meeting-6096637.php

Feds raid secessionist movement

It seemed like a typical congressional meeting for the Republic of Texas. Senators and the president gathered in the center of a Bryan, Texas, meeting hall, surrounded by public onlookers, to debate issues of the national currency, develop international relations and celebrate the birthday of one of their oldest members.

But this wasn't 1836, and this would be no ordinary legislative conference. Minutes into the meeting a man among the onlookers stood and moved to open the hall door, letting in an armed and armored force of the Bryan Police Department, the Brazos County Sheriff's Office, the Kerr County Sheriff's Office, Agents of the Texas District Attorney, the Texas Rangers and the FBI.

In the end, at least 20 officers corralled, searched and fingerprinted all 60 meeting attendees, before seizing all cellphones and recording equipment in a Valentine's Day 2015 raid on the Texas separatist group.

RELATED: "Republic of Texas wants its day in court"

"We had no idea what was going on," said John Jarnecke, president of the Republic of Texas. "We knew of nothing that would warrant such an action."
(FRAZZLED NOTE-MAYBE PROCLAIMING YOUR SECESSION AND IMITATING US OFFICERS OF THE COURT MIGHT JUST BE IT...)

The raid was a response to legal summons sent by Republic of Texas members to a Kerr County judge and bank employee, demanding they appear in the Republic's court at the Veterans and Foreign Wars building in Bryan the day the officers stormed in. Jarnecke's group, the subject of a half-hour YouTube documentary, maintains a small working government, including official currency, congress and courts.

"You can't just let people go around filing false documents to judges trying to make them appear in front of courts that aren't even real courts," said Kerr County sheriff Rusty Hierholzer, who led the operation.

He acknowledged he used a "show of force," grouping officers from city, county state and federal law enforcement to serve a search warrant for suspicions of a misdemeanor crime. He said he had worries that some extremists in the group could become violent, citing a 1997 incident when 300 state troopers surrounded an armed Republic leader for a weeklong standoff.

RELATED: "Today in Texas History: Long live Republic of Texas! Separatist group standoff in mountains begins"

"We've had years of bad press, but we're not those people," said Jarnecke of the '97 incident. "But yes, we are still making every attempt to get independence for Texas and we're doing it in a lawful international manner."

The Republic has a lengthy list of qualms with the federal government, among them that Texas was illegally annexed in 1845. But most of their complaints have to do with the behavior of the American legislature and executive. Robert Wilson, a senator in the Republic, equated politicians in Washington D.C. to the "kings and emperors" of the past, and sees Texas independence as part of a worldwide movement for local control.

"This is the century for colonialist ambitions to be reversed," the 78-year-old pastor said. "I've watched a lot of things happen, and the people of the world are fed up. The spirit of the world right now is: make things smaller, move governments closer to home, take back self-rule."

RELATED: "Texas Nationalist group rallies for secession in Austin"

Jarnecke said he was being taxed by a foreign government that he feels doesn't represent him, and protested having to fund bank bailouts and foreign wars.

"According to the U.S. Constitution, the only place any army should be is guarding our own borders, not invading and trying to impose their will on every other country of the world," Jarnecke said.

Still, he and Wilson said their group would not resort to violence, but is working through world courts to get international recognition of an independent Texas. They said their methods are legal, but Sheriff Hierholzer contests that.

"We've had a lot of dealings with Republic of Texas members in the past here, too, flooding the court with simulated documents," he said. "I don't have any problem with them going back to the Republic of Texas but they need to do it through the proper legal channels."

The judge and banker summoned to the Republic's court had been involved in the foreclosure of a member's Kerr County house. The invalid court summon was signed by Susan Cammak, the Kerr County homeowner, and David Kroupa, a Republic of Texas judge from Harris County.

A search warrant, photographed and emailed by a Republic of Texas member before her phone was confiscated, accuses the two of "simulating legal process." It also authorizes the seizure of all computers, media storage, software, cell phones and paper documents. Hierholzer said the seized devices will be downloaded and reviewed to determine if others conspired in the creation and issuance of false court documents.

Police searched and fingerprinted each person at the meeting, but they did not perform cheek-swab DNA testing as the warrant allowed.

No arrests were made in the raid, but the case is still under investigation, Hierholzer said. The FBI and Texas Rangers would not comment.

Jarnecke acknowledged that legislation and court summons issues by the Republic have no real effect, but said the group was close to taking their case to an international court—they haven't yet selected which. He hopes that will be the first step in rallying for Texas independence.

RELATED: "Texas separatist still thinks cause will succeed"

"I'm positive we will get out independence back at some point in time," he said. "Now we're just trying to nip things in the bud ahead of time to make sure the people are the ones that have the power when it happens, not the government."

**LordofHats**

Are these guys those same sovereign citizen idiots or is this some other form of stupidity?

**sirlynchmob**

I would have thought Fraz would be a member or founder of that group

**Frazzled**

LordofHats wrote:
Are these guys those same sovereign citizen idiots or is this some other form of stupidity?

Very similar I think. In the real world we call them tax dodger fraudsters, typically with an overabundance of body hair.

Automatically Appended Next Post:

sirlynchmob wrote:
I would have thought Fraz would be a member or founder of that group

Quite the opposite. Since Texas graciously allowed the other states to join it we've never looked back. Indeed, time for expand the franchise a little.

Canada, Mexico, viva TEXAS!

**timetowaste85**

Can we give them a proper Texas judgement? I don't presume there will be survivors.

**Frazzled**

Send in Judge Roy Bean and his favorite rope.

**Jihadin**

Frazzled wrote:
Send in Judge Roy Bean and his favorite Hemp ropes.

Fixed
Might as well get Texans use to allowing MJ recreational smoke

Now Texas would really be flush in cash

**juraigamer**

All of this happening in the glorious state of denial... sorry I meant Texas.

**Crazy_Carnifex**

Frazzled wrote:

Automatically Appended Next Post:

sirlynchmob wrote:
I would have thought Fraz would be a member or founder of that group

Quite the opposite. Since Texas graciously allowed the other states to join it we've never looked back. Indeed, time for expand the franchise a little.

Canada, Mexico, viva TEXAS!

Wiener Dogs never struck me as being all that good in the snow.

**LordofHats**

To the contrary;

Due to their small stature, the wiener doggy is in fact a most deadly alpine combatant. Able to sneak up and yap to death an opposing force before it can even realize it is under attack

**Jihadin**

Dog does not look happy. Seems to be a male with balls still attach. Snow depth seems just the right height to make even grown men cringe

**sebster**

Yeah, as I first started reading I thought 'why not let these idiots play their games?' But then as I read about the entirely illegal legal summons this group was sending out... well it just seems like they were poking the bear, and deserve no sympathy when they finally get the reaction they were after.

**Inquisitor Lord Bane**

Maybe they will work it in reverse this time, calling for freedom fighters from Mexico to fight off the US...

**Jihadin**

They might have gotten their start from the ten counties on New York that want to succeed from NY to PA

**Inquisitor Lord Bane**

We don't want New Yorkers here. PA is peaceful and fun loving for the most part, and we get enough contamination from NY and NJ as it is...

**chaos0xomega**

Funny, NJ feels the same about contamination from PA and NY.

**Inquisitor Lord Bane**

Well now that we have gambling, and access to the beach via Delaware and Maryland, we can all just stay in our respective corners. Except for when we need to fly, Newark beats the pants off of Philly as far as airports.

**Frazzled**

juraigamer wrote:
All of this happening in the glorious state of denial... sorry I meant Texas.

Of course it is. We have something called an economy. Virginia has dirt and government vampires (er lobbyists).

Automatically Appended Next Post:

LordofHats wrote:
To the contrary;

Due to their small stature, the wiener doggy is in fact a most deadly alpine combatant. Able to sneak up and yap to death an opposing force before it can even realize it is under attack

Exactly! To quote War of the Worlds: "This time We'll be the ones coming up from underneath!"

**Forar**

Frazzled wrote:
Quite the opposite. Since Texas graciously allowed the other states to join it we've never looked back. Indeed, time for expand the franchise a little.

Canada, Mexico, viva TEXAS!

Bring the heat and you'll be hailed as liberators.

Or, y'know, bundle up. -40 is a bit brisk.

**curran12**

Here we see wiener dog snow training and maneuvers.

**hotsauceman1**

Yale insane, we know the ultimate snow canines

**gorgon**

chaos0xomega wrote:
Funny, NJ feels the same about contamination from PA and NY.

Well, sure.

**NuggzTheNinja**

chaos0xomega wrote:
Funny, NJ feels the same about contamination from PA and NY.

Is this meant to be irony? It's like Dirty Dee telling Pootie Tang that he needs to shower.

**Easy E**

In all seriousness, did we really need to come in all militarized? It kind of seems like police over reaction again. I'm not a fan of that type of response for separatists, occupy protesters, or Tea Party groups.

**d-usa**

Easy E wrote:
In all seriousness, did we really need to come in all militarized? It kind of seems like police over reaction again. I'm not a fan of that type of response for separatists, occupy protesters, or Tea Party groups.

I am a huge critic of police militarization and all that jazz. But folks like this have a track record of being flying rodent gak crazy and have a history of violence (look at the sovereign citizen idiots).

**Frazzled**

d-usa wrote:
Easy E wrote:
In all seriousness, did we really need to come in all militarized? It kind of seems like police over reaction again. I'm not a fan of that type of response for separatists, occupy protesters, or Tea Party groups.

I am a huge critic of police militarization and all that jazz. But folks like this have a track record of being flying rodent gak crazy and have a history of violence (look at the sovereign citizen idiots).

We are in agreement. There have been several instances where these guys have gone off the deepend. Indeed in Florida there was a shootout in the last 30 days with one of these guys who was armed to the teeth.

Frankly if you declare you're in rebellion, you should be treated like it. As in call an airstrike first, or at least arm a regiment of union reenactors with full load Springfields and sound the charge.

**Easy E**

Really? I guess I missed that.

I know they referenced the guy in 2007 in the article, but that recent. I have bin learned.

**sebster**

Easy E wrote:
In all seriousness, did we really need to come in all militarized? It kind of seems like police over reaction again. I'm not a fan of that type of response for separatists, occupy protesters, or Tea Party groups.

I guess it's because government often doesn't really know what's going on with these groups. Given the option between risking excessive use of force, or risking losing multiple officers because they went in with too few guys, armed too lightly, government will choose the former almost every time.

One of the ironies of life is that crazies like this fear a militant government, but one of the biggest reasons government is increasingly militarizing is because of crazies like this.

**Frazzled**

sebster wrote:
Easy E wrote:
In all seriousness, did we really need to come in all militarized? It kind of seems like police over reaction again. I'm not a fan of that type of response for separatists, occupy protesters, or Tea Party groups.

I guess it's because government often doesn't really know what's going on with these groups. Given the option between risking excessive use of force, or risking losing multiple officers because they went in with too few guys, armed too lightly, government will choose the former almost every time.

One of the ironies of life is that crazies like this fear a militant government, but one of the biggest reasons government is increasingly militarizing is because of crazies like this.

I prefer taking people at the word. If you say you've seceded than either you are a hostile alien or a traitor. Either way I'm fine sending in the Marines, or at least ticked off soccer moms who've been denied their mocha venti lattes.

**Dreadwinter**

I feel like this is a great time for Texas to finally build that border wall they have always wanted.