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RWSGFY
2015 Aug 26, 10:37am
A study has found that the average American inadvertently commits three felonies a day.
I call BS on this one. Examples? Link to the study?
MisdemeanorRebel
2015 Aug 26, 7:22pm
Let's think about this.
Joe Blow, born in LA in 1970, has a Cypriot (or whatever) Passport. The Obamacommies take over the US Government, and begin to restrict exit, especially those who were ever members of the Doug Casey Website or the Libertarian Party.
Joe Blow goes to LAX, and to board the plane, the TSA demands ID. He shows them his Cypriot Passport. It shows his place of birth as LA.
Since the US is a citizenship-by-birth country, if the TSA is interested, they'll ask if he has a US Passport or is a US Citizen. If he lies, he's committed a felony. How will they know? They'll search the database to see if he has a US Passport. Even if he doesn't (and he had to have one at one point to get out of the US to Cyprus in the first place to get a Cypriot Passport), they'll demand the paperwork that confirms he eschewed his US Citizenship.
You know what the best method is to guarantee getting out of the country?
Unlike AMTRAK, Cars, or Planes, there's no security to go through, just get in and go. Even arriving into the US is only "voluntary" customs inspection, which usually amounts to dropping off a form in a box. The Coast Guard could not possibly stop each and every pleasure boat.
A study has found that the average American inadvertently commits three felonies a day.
I call BS on this one. Examples? Link to the study?
It's the name of a book that supposedly documents this. I doubt anyone commits 3 felonies a day. But the fact is the laws are so vaguely written that almost anyone can be charged with a felony for what should be small errors if a prosecutor decides to. There is no longer any requirement of intent to commit a crime. This is a basis for english common law and was the basis of the US legal system until the 1970's when rico, civil forfeiture, and the war on drugs eliminated it.
Joe Blow goes to LAX, and to board the plane, the TSA demands ID. He shows them his Cypriot Passport. It shows his place of birth as LA.
Since the US is a citizenship-by-birth country, if the TSA is interested, they'll ask if he has a US Passport or is a US Citizen. If he lies, he's committed a felony. How will they know? They'll search the database to see if he has a US Passport. Even if he doesn't (and he had to have one at one point to get out of the US to Cyprus in the first place to get a Cypriot Passport), they'll demand the paperwork that confirms he eschewed his US Citizenship.
So show TSA your DL. I always do since I secure my passport(s) in my carry on after check in and just take my DL out of my wallet for TSA. I've never had TSA demand my passport to get through security even with an international ticket. I just looked it up and it's not required for the TSA security checkpoint. The airline asks for the passport and visa. The odds of the average airline employee asking about your place of birth are pretty much zero. Never happened to me and I always fly out on one of my non US passports.
Anyway the article is a little bit of over the top hysteria at this point. I don't think the US will be restricting citizens from travelling en masse any time in the foreseeable future. But it's sure handy to have multiple passports for lots of other reasons than getting out of dodge if you piss off the government.
RWSGFY
2015 Aug 26, 10:19pm
A study has found that the average American inadvertently commits three felonies a day.
I call BS on this one. Examples? Link to the study?
It's the name of a book that supposedly documents this. I doubt anyone commits 3 felonies a day. But the fact is the laws are so vaguely written that almost anyone can be charged with a felony for what should be small errors if a prosecutor decides to.
Right, but these are mostly corner cases, like "possession of a short lobster" nonsense often given as an example of unknowingly committing a felony w/o intent to do so. The authors of that book deliberately exaggerate in order to sell mo' copies.
Right, but these are mostly corner cases, like "possession of a short lobster" nonsense often given as an example of unknowingly committing a felony w/o intent to do so. The authors of that book deliberately exaggerate in order to sell mo' copies.
I haven't read the book. Reviews say that it exaggerates. But that doesn't change the fact there are literally thousands of ways you can run afoul of the law if someone wants to pursue it. Many are far from corner cases. Simply forgetting to file certain documents is a felony, even if there is no liability at all. See fbar form 114. Intent has been eliminated in the US justice system. That's a major problem.
lostand confused
2015 Aug 27, 4:48am
Yeah, the way we are going, I wouldn't be surprised if we end up like the soviet union or worse. Rome was a democracy before they became a dictatorship.
Unfortunately both parties are responsible, the repubs beat the war drums and manage to implement anti freedom policies and then the dems pretend to oppose them, ride into power and expand these policies.
2nd p[assports may not help much if from smaller pushover countries. The only reason Snowden is safe, is because he is in Russia and they are not pushovers. the normal person from say Greece or Belgium-their bank accounts would be frozen and they would be destitute. FATCA was Obozo's lovechild.
MisdemeanorRebel
2015 Aug 27, 7:44am
So show TSA your DL. I always do since I secure my passport(s) in my carry on after check in and just take my DL out of my wallet for TSA. I've never had TSA demand my passport to get through security even with an international ticket. I just looked it up and it's not required for the TSA security checkpoint. The airline asks for the passport and visa. The odds of the average airline employee asking about your place of birth are pretty much zero. Never happened to me and I always fly out on one of my non US passports.
That's a good tactic for the way it is now, but, in my hypothetical scenario, the TSA is looking for "Patriots".
MisdemeanorRebel
2015 Aug 27, 7:50am
2nd p[assports may not help much if from smaller pushover countries. The only reason Snowden is safe, is because he is in Russia and they are not pushovers. the normal person from say Greece or Belgium-their bank accounts would be frozen and they would be destitute. FATCA was Obozo's lovechild.
Exactly, the whole reason Sweden won't send somebody to interview him, like they do in many cases each year. The goal is to get him over to Sweden, go through the motions of investigating him, then release him into US Custody. Any US buttkisser country like Guatemala, Columbia, etc. would have handed him over long ago, on some kind of overstay pretext.
Panama certainly would have handed him right over, which is why I scratch my head when people talk about Panama as some kind of safe haven from the aggressive hand of the Hegemon.
Exactly, the whole reason Sweden won't send somebody to interview him, like they do in many cases each year. The goal is to get him over to Sweden, go through the motions of investigating him, then release him into US Custody. Any US buttkisser country like Guatemala, Columbia, etc. would have handed him over long ago, on some kind of overstay pretext.
I think you are confusing snowden with assange. Assange would actually be pretty safe from extradition to the US in sweden. The laws are very much in his favour (no extraditions for political crimes including espionage) and swedish courts are very strict with other countries playing games. If britain were to extradite him to sweden he couldn't be extradited to a third country no matter what, he would have to be returned to britain for a separate extradition. Handing him over on any kind of shaky pretext would be political suicide for the current ruling coalition. Whether he would be pretty safe on the rape charge is another story. Only assange knows about that.
But a cia snatch operation is a different issue. The cia did it about 10 years ago with a couple egyptians in sweden. Assange has to know that.
You guys have the concepts of extradition, 2nd passports, offshore bank accounts, and freezing bank accounts all muddled up together. They are totally separate unrelated issues.
Citizenship as a Weapon: Travel Controls and What You Can Do About It
by Nick Giambruno, Senior Editor | August 26, 2015
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It's an extremely potent weapon, yet most are not even aware of its existence.
That is, unless they have been unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of it.
The weapon I'm referring to is travel controls, also known as people controls. It's the power any government has to limit the ability of its citizens to travel. They do this by restricting the issuance of travel documents like passports.
Any government can use this weapon can at a moment's notice. It just needs to find a convenient pretext.
Many countries in the past have notoriously turned to people controls. For example, the Soviet Union would routinely revoke the citizenship of its perceived internal enemies.
Recently, look at how the Dominican Republic stripped tens of thousands of people of their citizenship with no due process. Or how the Syrian government previously refused to renew the passports of Syrians abroad whom it suspected of being associated with the opposition. Or how the US government revoked Edward Snowden's passport with the stroke of a pen. These are but a few of countless examples.
The point here is not to pick good guys and bad guys. The point is that there are many instances throughout history and modern times that prove that you don't own your own passport or citizenship… the government does. And they use them as a weapon.
If you hold political views that your government doesn't like, don't be surprised if they restrict your travel options.
Unfortunately, the situation is getting worse. Over the last couple of years, there have been several attempts to pass a bill that would make it easier for the US government to cancel the passport of anyone accused of owing $50,000 or more in taxes. I suspect that sooner or later Congress will pass this bill.
Fortunately, there is a way to protect yourself from these repressive measures. More on that in a bit, but first let's look at the most common forms of travel controls.
Different Shapes and Colors
Desperate governments always seek to control money with capital controls and people with travel controls.
Here are the three most common forms of the latter:
1. Soft Travel Controls
These include arbitrary fees and burdensome bureaucratic procedures. These measures amount to unofficial travel controls.
It's similar to how FATCA works with money. FATCA doesn't make it illegal to move capital outside of the US. But it achieves the same effect by imposing onerous regulations that can make it impractical.
In the same sense, the government could achieve de facto people controls through deliberately excessive rules and regulations.
2. Migration Controls
Migration controls are official restrictions on the movement of a country's citizens.
Sometimes governments will put restrictions on certain citizens from leaving the country. This is especially true during times of crisis and for those who have accumulated some savings.
Many people feel that they can simply wait till things get bad and then exit. But it's likely the politicians will have slammed the door shut by then.
For example, after Castro came to power in Cuba, the government used to make its citizens apply for an exit visa to leave the island. They did not grant it easily.
3. Revoking Citizenship and Passport
This is the most severe form of people and travel controls.
Preventing people from leaving has always been the hallmark of an authoritarian regime. Unfortunately the practice is growing in so-called liberal democracies for ever more trivial offenses.
In the US, for example, the government can cancel your passport if they accuse you of a felony.
Many people think felonies only consist of major crimes like robbery and murder.
But that isn't true.
The ever-expanding mountain of laws and regulations has criminalized even the most mundane activities. A felony is not as hard to commit as you might think. Many victimless “crimes” are felonies.
A study has found that the average American inadvertently commits three felonies a day.
So, if the US government really wants to cancel your US passport, it can find some technicality to do so… for anyone.
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Second Passports - An Antidote to Travel Controls
Here's what my colleague and the always insightful Jeff Thomas has to say about travel controls:
As a country approaches an economic collapse, a crystal ball is not necessary to predict that, amongst the actions of the government, will be increased currency controls, travel controls, tariffs, and a host of other last-ditch efforts to keep the sheep penned in - to assure their presence for a final shearing.
What remains for the reader to determine, if he is a resident of one of the nations that is presently in decline, is whether he: a) believes that, in the future, his ability to travel internationally may be either restricted or prohibited; and b) whether he should take steps to assure his liberty for the future. If so, it might be wise to do so before he actually has lost his ability to travel.
If you have only one passport, you're vulnerable to travel controls.
I think it's absolutely essential to obtain the political diversification benefits of having a second passport. You'll protect yourself against travel controls. You'll give yourself peace of mind knowing that you will always have options.
Among other things, having a second passport allows you to invest, bank, travel, reside, and do business in places that you could not before.
More options mean more freedom and opportunity.
I believe obtaining a second passport makes sense no matter what happens.
Unfortunately, getting one isn't easy. There are no solutions that are at the same time cheap, easy, fast, and legitimate. Worse, there's a lot of misinformation and bad advice out there that could cause you big problems. It's essential to have a trusted resource to guide you through the process. That's where International Man comes in.
You need to know the best countries to obtain a second passport in and exactly how to do it. We cover that in great actionable detail in our Going Global publication. Normally, this book retails for $99. But we believe this book is so important, especially right now, that we've arranged a way for US residents to get a free copy. Click here to secure your copy.