A very similar claim was repeatedly made by the guy that started the club down in OC in the early '80's to avoid paying state & federal income taxes. Guess where he's at now.
Yup...clink!
Driving on public road ways is a privilege you need a license for to do legally...not a right...
Back 20 or so years ago, I sat on a jury for a guy named Philip P. Marshal.
I'll never forget Philip P. Marshal...I'm sure he's RIP by now....or at least dead....
Philip was a crrrrrrrrrazy old hunched over angry white guy who had one eye that would look straight at you and the other would look at the Juror 2 chairs down and up in the back row.
Philip used to go to the San Jose flea market swap meet on weekends in his old beat up wagon and buy and sell stuff.
One weekend he was driving in the gates and the cop who was there working OT and parking and gate control at the flea market noticed that Philips license plates were made of card board and hand written. Naturally the po-po was curious....so he stopped Philip and pulled him to the side to talk to him about his fancy plates and hoopty.
He asked Philip for his license and registration....and Philip begrudgingly pulled a folded up stack of papers from his shirt pocket and handed it to him while calling him a "Highway Nazi".
Well....Mr. Po-Po didn't appreciate that one bit so he asked Philip to get out of the vehicle so he could check it out...as he did this...he opened up the stack of papers and what those were were hand written manifesto of sorts that explained why Philip felt that Philip P Marshal had the right to drive and didn't need to have a license or registration...or pay taxes....or etc. etc. etc. and how the government had no authority....really good stuff....he was well ahead of the Occupy movement....
As Mr. Po-Po read this facinating story...Philip climbed back into his car, hollered "Hey Naxi get out of my way!" and tried driving away....
Now it was on...
Philip ended up arrested for a variety of charges including resisting arrest, assault of a Po-Po, driving without license and registration....other creative things that Po-Po and The Man could slam him with for being such a chucklehead....
Months later it came to trial in the Santa Clara County court and I was put on the Jury.
I did not want to be on a jury, but once I saw Philip and his Craaaaaaazy eye....I knew this was going to be fun....so I waited patiently as the Jury selection process carried on.
Philip decided to defend himself...so he was selecting his own jury...
Philip was firing Jurors left and right because they knew the pledge of alegence...or either were themselves or had relatives in the military or law inforcement. I was sad becasue I was all of the above. I knew and loved the pledge of alegence....my brother was a Sherriff Deputy...and I was a Veteran. I was doomed to miss the show.
The judge finally stopped allowing Philip to toss people for knowing the pledge or being a veteran...tho' he could still ask....but still allowed the tossing of po-po and their family....still no joy for me...but I finally got my turn in the box for selection.
Philip looked at me with his eye....and the guy 2 seats over and up in the back row with his other eye...and he asked me the questions...
Him: Are you in law enforcement or do you have any family in law inforcement?
Me: [trying not to giggle at his crazy eye's] Yes.
Him: Are you a Veteran?
Me: [gawd that eye is nutz! is he really talking to me?] Yes
Him: Do you know the Pledge of Alegence?
Me: [make it stop I can't stand it!] Yes.
I was sure I was about to get tossed...but...he deferred me to the Prosecution and accepted me...
Oh happy day!!!
Philip likes me!!!
It's got to be becasue I'm such a ray of sunshine...
The Prosecuter quized me and kept me too....I felt validated...
So for 4 days...Philip P Marshal demonstrated his mastery of the Law...he actually knew it as well as any lawyer and had obviously studied law...but to no avail...he was guilty as sin and we hung him high...he new we would...in fact in his closing arguments he made it a point to brag that his only purpose in letting it go to trial and fighting it was to drag it out as long as he could so that the daily court costs would be realized ($10K per day at the time) by the government.
The trial itself was very amusing...but that will make this an even longer story...
Here's to Philip P Marshal!