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Guest Post: Look What I Got For Three Hours, Six Security Checkpoints, And $82…
Submitted by Simon Black of Sovereign Man
Look What I Got For Three Hours, Six Security Checkpoints, And $82…
If you’ve followed this letter for any length of time, you know that I
tend to roam around the world with great frequency; we’ll typically
have these conversations across 40 to 60 countries in 6 continents over a
year’s time.
Lots of international travel means lots of silly stamps, seals, and
stickers to fill up the visa pages in my passports. Even though I have
multiple passports, they tend to fill up within 18-months or so given my
travel schedule.
My current US passport, for example, was issued last February while I
was in Thailand. By late summer, there was barely a single square inch
of space remaining, so today I had the unfortunate displeasure of
heading down to the US consulate in Cape Town to have them insert more
pages.
Each time I’m forced to demean myself in this way– sitting around
those sterile government waiting rooms and filling out useless paperwork
only to justify the salary of some bureaucrat– I have plenty of time to
reflect on the nature of this system.
You see, for hundreds, even thousands of years, people moved about
the earth without any bureaucracy whatsoever. Just like the African
elephants I encountered last week who roam freely between Botswana,
Zambia, and DR Congo, people too used to travel freely without worrying
too much about invisible lines on a map.
Even up until World War I when boundaries between empires were
clearly defined, people could still cross borders without the need of a
passport.
After the war, some do-gooders at the League of Nations decided that
we couldn’t have all those people traveling freely without government
intervention… so they sponsored a series of conferences aimed at
designing an international travel document, and worked to establish
global border checkpoint protocols that required having one.
Of course, all of this bureaucracy is dressed up to make it sound
like it’s for our protection. On the first page of my US passport, for
instance, it says:
“The Secretary of State of the United States of America hereby
requests all whom it may concern to permit the citizen/national of the
United States named herein to pass without delay or hindrance and in
case of need to give all lawful aid and protection.”
Sounds nice enough, right? It sure is great to know the government has our back to make sure we’re safe and sound.
What a total farce. The passport isn’t about the State Department
‘protecting’ us anymore than Homeland Security fondling 4-year old girls
at the airport. It’s about control.
Why else would they implant RFID chips inside passports, or require
biometric data like fingerprints and iris scans? These are all things
that have significant costs… but absolutely zero benefit to taxpayers.
What’s more, these days you can’t even leave most countries unless
you have a passport… ergo you’re forced to APPLY to the government and
give them a host of personal and biometric data just to be able to leave
the country when you want. Land of the free?
Oh, and speaking of free, it ain’t. I’ve had fresh pages inserted
into my passports so many times, I keep watchful eye on the
ever-increasing cost of doing so. Just over 2-years ago, it cost me
nothing at the consulate in Panama. Last year, around $40. Today in
Cape Town? $82.
Needless to say, this is pretty significant price inflation from a
government that pretends inflation doesn’t exist. And I’m pretty sure
everyone on the planet can think of better ways to spend three hours and
82 bucks than on furthering a pointless bureaucracy.
And so… after negotiating the -six- security checkpoints at the
consulate, I walked out of there with a fatter passport and a thinner
wallet, no better than when I had walked in.
This is all a slippery slope… and under the pretext of ‘jobs’ or
‘security’ or a number of other unrelated reasons, it’s likely that the
grip will tigthen. This means higher prices, higher hurdles, more data,
and more bureaucracy.
Imagine not being able to receive a passport until you obtain police clearance. Or perhaps a certificate of tax compliance. Or a DNA sample that ties in with your government medical record. Or simply paying an exorbitant fee.
Nothing is out of bounds for these people.
Ironically, one way that I’ve mitigated the constant encroachment on
my freedom is by obtaining multiple citizenships. Frankly I wish I could
have zero, but it’s nearly impossible to be stateless today.
Rather, having multiple citizenships keeps your options open. You can
always ‘opt out’ if/when I reach my breaking point… but before you can
do that, you have to at least have one alternative.
It’s not as hard or far-fetched as it seems; many people qualify for
dual nationality without even realizing it thanks to a distant relative
or marriage. We’ll talk about how to do that in a future letter. Stay
tuned.
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beward the NO Fly list
this blog is monitored by DHS
I too have had passports filled with stamps and pages added.
But now I've placed my self on my own no fly list.
I have drawn a line in the sand.
F Big Bro
Watch your mouth citizen, or shall I call you suspected domestic terrorist perhaps.
If you see something, say something, got it? Good, now lick my jackboot.
Your only as free as the size of your wallet!
I made my FOIA request for the video from my encounter with the TSA Freedom PatDown prior to my flight last week. I wore this T-shirt http://t.co/9BcpmEAj while extending both middle-finger during my FreedomTap/GateRape. It was fun. Fuck the gestapo.
If it wasn't for GateRape I'd never get laid.
Love that.
A friend likes to wear his stars and stripes boxers on such occasions.
I have my shielded shorts, but haven't been on a plane yet to try them out ...
http://www.rockyflatsgear.com/
these also look interesting:
http://www.lessemf.com/personal.html (EMF safety pants)
Fight the Tyranny!
Does Simon Black actually have a job of some sort? Or does he get writer's cramp if he stays in one place for too long?
Learn your sovereign nature and become your own nation, issue your own passports:
http://1215.org
I am Chumbawamba.
Could we say then that some countries are run on security checks?
BEWARE OF WHORES WHO SAY THEY DON'T WANT MONEY; THE HELL THEY DON'T: WHAT THEY MEAN IS THAT THEY WANT MORE MONEY, MUCH MORE.
That's not very fair to the oldest profession in the world. Real whores are at least conducting an honest transaction.
Yep. As compared to most anywhere else you can get laid. At least the whores are honest about their price. There's always a price. Better to know what it is up front.
I'm not quite sure why calling someone "whore" is considered derogatory. Should be a badge of pride.
+1 Vast Dom for quoting William S. Burroughs. Sadly most people don't realize that :)
Yes. And I quoted earlier today here "The Last Words" Burroughs poem. Some deemed it too long. Oh well. The above is quite short.
PRISONERS OF THE EARTH COME OUT
From the movie Primal Fear:
"If you want justice, go to a whorehouse. If you wanna get fucked, go to court.
14th Amendment citizens have no rights, only privileges. Ergo, justice is at the whim of the judge.
Sovereign people have all the rights. Justice is at the whim of the sovereign.
http://1215.org
I am Chumbawamba.
As I've been saying for while here now: don't cheapen whores comparing them to politicians and banksters due to their uniquely honest transactions. But what we're describing above is the bit more modern (de)evolved worse-than-a-whore whore that does NOT state her terms up front and feigns indifference to monetary compensation: a dangerous GOLD DIGGER. Beware the type!
Beware even more. This blog is being monitored by ME!!!
I always get those little flyers in my baggage that state "The TSA has check this baggage for your security." On my return flight home I unzipped my fly and placed the flyer into the opening. The TSA already checked my baggage, so no need to do it again right?
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! AttackWatch will be notified of your violations in 60 seconds.
was the money worth it? was justice done? probably not..........
http://expose2.wordpress.com
I think I only went through 4 security checks in Dubai.
Simon, come back to the USA your wife and kids miss you.
Your crumbling country needs you!
hahahaha
Of course the USA needs him. Homeland Security and many other government agencies need to show a reason for their sucking down tax dollars while invading one's privacy. The USA also needs him because...
The ability to TAX YOU TO DEATH is what "the full faith and credit" of the USA is all about.
So next time you hear full faith and... remember it based on taxing your income. As such, reduce your tax exposure as much as possible PLUS barter as often as you can.
....."TAX YOU TO DEATH "
THEY STILL TAX YOU AFTER DEATH.....
Yo MaRKetTruth: please define income. As it appears in the 16th Amendment if you please. Tunga checked the definitions in 26 USC but the bare naked term is not there. What gives?
i think i'll stay and defend those amendments that no other country has. u know the ones, #1 - 10.
Like I mentioned in another thread, Peru is looking better each day, but I would miss so much of America...
globalists all setting up shop down in south america though... so you can bet what lies ahead in the near future... spread a little NWO love to south america as well.
I'd go to Chile before Peru, but unfortunately I think it's futile trying to escape the globalist reach.
And of course it's one thing if you're single and wealthy and can be flexible to try to escape their grip. It's quite another when you have a family and every move would be a massive disruption to their lives.
And of course it's one thing if you're single and wealthy and can be flexible to try to escape their grip. It's quite another when you have a family and every move would be a massive disruption to their lives.
We did it... Best move we ever made. Sold the house, car, pretty much everything we owned, resigned a lucrative partnership, and moved overseas with a 4 year old and a 2 year old. That's not to say that there weren't moments where we weren't scared out of our wits, wondering what in the hell we were doing, or second guessing the decision. But it's now 5 years later, and the quality of life difference is off-the-charts.
Yes, it may be impossible to escape the globalist reach, and yes, it's not for everyone... You're also never going to find perfection. We deal with annoyances all the time - the electricity goes out; service stinks; Internet doesn't work, etc. etc.
But it's not as difficult as you think, and we run into new expat families on an almost weekly basis now who are doing the same thing we did.
Here's a quick, off-the-cuff snapshot of what life is like: http://www.theresilientfamily.com/2011/09/life-in-panama/
Blah blah blah I'm cooler then Indiana jones blah blah blah haven't been laid in 30 years blah blah blah ecodome Chile blah. Puke!
What a total farce. The passport isn’t about the State Department
‘protecting’ us anymore than Homeland Security fondling 4-year old girls
at the airport. It’s about control.
the only farce is the bullshit spewed out of mr. blacks mouth. hey simon, i laugh at the day you get caught up in a massive violent coup in one of the shitball countries you are traveling in, and you run for cover in the u.s. embassy, and the marine protecting the u.s. embassy tells you to go fuck yourself because you have nothing on you.
You two fucking trolls are obviously gov't bureaucrats.
Everything that is said about leaving the country, is immediately followed up by you guys with complete bullshit about how great the US is, and how shitty other countries are. Not that I think you two guys are anything but propaganda agents, but if you truly think you will be much safer here in the end, then anywhere else, good luck. Wait until Americans go feral because they haven't eaten in three days...
To dignify your post. Fuck you. It's Black that is a trust fund baby hack not me. I could write that post in a hotel in Chinatown San Francisco and make the same naive point.
What does his money situation have to do with what he says? Try to stay on point.
yes im a troll AND a bureaucrat. i just raised the toll 50 percent to cross my bridge.
obtaining multiple citizenships
How the hell do you do that on the cheap when you're an American?
welcome to the hotel mexifornia
If i remember Craigslist from 2006, when i left the states, perhaps a more appropriate name is:
Kaliwhorenia
ORI
My Maul Visit and Gandhian Tales
Craigslist has since buckled to political pressure and made it much more difficult for whores to advertise honestly.
http://www.globalfreeenterprises.com
What a great observation. Eighty two bucks for a few pages not to mention that your taxes should have already paid for the bureaucrats and the paper. Passports, like everything else government runs, has become quite a scam. I just got one for 151.0 dollars. Outright thievery.
So, a man that wants zero citizenships obtains as many as possible while legitimizing the entire process.
Meanwhile I've spent exactly zero time, and zero dollars worshiping this criminal syndicate.
The only way to beat the system is to play it against it self, ever watched (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Tasks_of_Asterix) #8 ???
You don't need a passport to travel here in the EU. :) And no border checkpoints that I've encountered, though, there is "border control" when traveling from France to the UK & back.
NWO is gonna be sweet, just give it more time; lots more blood needs to be spilled, before we can have a border-less society on the face of this Earth.
You mean like the borderless society we had before morons started saying they were sent by God to lead mankind?
OH PRAISE THE LORD FOR SENDING US HIS STATISM TO WORSHIP SO THAT WE CAN TRAVEL FREELY WITHOUT THE USE OF PAPERS!! Oh wait that's right you still need papers to get any sort of service in any of those countries, and forget trying to rent a car or get on a train ;) .
one world govt, one passport, bitchez
I learned recently that I qualify for dual UK-US citizenship. A second passport might be a good thing to have in the near future. I'm hearing good things about Uruguay. Might have to brush up on my 6th-grade Spanish, though. Chile is another possibility, if only for the wine.
Live the NAZI way in Switzerland or the uS of A.
Wellaware1 shows how it's done.
http://youtu.be/iU_ReUQVPmU
@Coast Watcher - hope it goes well, but be careful about that if you're a UK citizen extending their nationality to the US.
The US govt.'s become desperate to tax US nationals abroad, even if they've never before set foot in the USA, and only inherited citizenship through a parent. They never used to be so draconian, it's the budget shortfall that's driving them.
I was reading about a Canadian lady who recently got her US passport because she discovered her mother was originally American, and she ended up getting a back-dated tax bill for $100s of k.
You may have a totally cool experience, but best search online for the exact status of the law as it affects you. Only a small % of expats actually pay up, but the penalties can be harsh if they get hold of you.
If you get caught out, we have an extradition treaty with the US where they don't have to present prima facie cases in an extradition court - they just demand we hand a UK citizen over, and our balls-out NWO government does it.
Now, Swiss nationality? I might take that ;o)
Good luck, anyhow.
Sounds to me like you have a pretty good life roaming around the world. If the worst thing that happens to you is that you "demean yourself" while waiting for your passport you won't get much sympathy here. I'm sure that $82 will really make a dent in the wallet as well. Get a life. Or rather, enjoy the apparently nice life you have and maybe complain a little less.
OT: Greece out of ink, can't collect taxes. (roflol, WTF?!?!?!?)
From FT:
Just default, this ain't even funny anymore...
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3b4d9d4e-e8ed-11e0-adbf-00144feab49a.html...
no shortage of ink here in the good ole usa
I can solve your problem asshole. Try not leaving the United States for the shit holes you travel to,... like Chile, where they just experienced another rolling blackout for no good reason. Sucker, you've got too much time and money on your hands. Tell me, you didn't come from a poor background, pulling yourself up from your bootstraps in a Horatio Algers tribute, did you?
Stop F'n Whinning !!!!!
Good God you're a spoiled brat.
Simon Black
I assumed he was English. At 11 sec is Simon 1st T.V. spot.
'Their I was in the Congo, looking for more passport pages, and elephants without boarder or as we say in prep-school; Elephant san frontiers'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syQTCtvaaTs
Classic commercial!!
Ha, I just got my entire US passport replaced in Scotland, in 5 days, only one metal detector at the US consulate there. Took 2 minutes to drop off & pick up.
I have to admit, I am starting to tire of these S.Black missives....
I don't suppose one sovereign man could roam all over the world, travel to 40-60 countries a year without infrastructual support and diplomatic backing of an empire, in a time hundreds to thousands years ago when there's little globalization...
+1 yes, difficult
Perhaps Marco Polo as an exception
I hope you kill youself slowly with Malaria pills.
most useless ZH post i've ever seen. naturally, this is the most useless comment i've ever made. fitting.
The Fed prints money at the expense of the next generation, this is increasingly "catching up".
The youth will up and emmigrate, while leaving the tab/bill to those that stay, when eventually they too try to escape the system due to the rediculously high taxes, they will not be able to afford to emmigrate
trapped bitchez
What exactly does "Sovereign Man" do for money? Do newsletter subscribers pay for all this world travel? I don't get it.
He writes fiction.
Simon.
What is your wife doing when you are away..??
Cheers, mate...
The irony here in the US is that all that control is only for lawfull citizens who play by the rules. Meanwhile, jump the border from Mexico with no ID at all and we give you free medical, free school for your kids, food stamps, a housing subsidy and and a job that American citizens can nolonger get all wrapped up in political protection from politicians who hope you'll support them once they pass some kind of amnesty.
The term coined by Sam Francis "Anarcho-Tyranny"
"We refuse to control real criminals (that's the anarchy) so we control the innocent (that's the tyranny)."
Mission, Ricky,
Spot on guys!
It's worse than that. It is anarcho/welfare-tyranny. They are paying the real criminals. The welfare state predicates a police state.
Basically if you have US citizenship dual or otherwise (even if you have never been on US soil) you should read this as the long arm of the IRS wants to know a bit more about you and also requires you to file
Even more reason to own physical gold.
Yes. + 1
Yet another reason to sink this ship. Do they ever stop?
And how much does it cost to run this new international Gestapo?
What's next, NYPD can shoot down airplanes?
pods
The sentiment definitely has changed, few years back guys like Sovereign Man would have been treated like heros in the comment sections, especially by Americans. Now it is "fuck off, you spoiled brat".
I think he jumped the shark about when he was rolling through eastern europe speaking of setting up businesses.
It became less about how to protect your sovereignty and more like the travel channel.
pods
Totally agree. He had some insightful writing about the concept of citizenship and expatriation. Now it's just pithy bullshit about how he travels all over the place.
He isn't always in the country he says he is, but when he is, he uses American Express.
Simon Black is... the least interesting man in the world.
"Stay douchey my friend...."
I suggest you travel to Afghanistan. Not much passport checking on the borders there. Make sure to check out Iran. Just skip the border checkpoints as they don't expect soverign men to go through such rigamarole
How about North Korea?
"Imagine not being able to receive a passport...."
Imagine not having to read this douchebag drivel....
There are two kinds of people ! The super elite Socialist Serf Masters Society at 1 billion strong AND the rest of us at 6 billion weak and disorganized, confused and monitored ! The 6 billion serfs are controlled with the promise of gaining full Socialist Serf Master Status if they play the game and lick enough hole ! Monedas 2011 Oh, the humanity of so many underpaid teachers, librarians and bridge inspectors !
I'm sure he is able to write of travel expenses vs. Newsletter income and I doubt he makes much money. However selling Chilean dirt for $500k I'm sure IS profitable if he finds enough suckers. One born every minute. Jonestown
I am in Canada. It's funny to watch the Americans act like everyone wants to sneak accross the border to get in because they love your "freedom" or some shit. NO THEY DON'T!!
Most Canadians I speak to just look at crossing the border as one big f*cking hassle now and the currencies being pretty much equal combined with high gasoline prices take away any Target/Costco arbitrage!
From what I understand, even job seeking, fence-hopping Mexican's, Guatemalans, etc are saying "what's the point?" packing up and going home.
Yeah, that post just tell's me that you really haven't got a clue what you are talking about. While I was in New York right on the border I ran into Canadians all the time headed to Syracuse for Mall shopping. Now in Arizona I still meet Hispanics that barely speak english and are not US citizens.
Unless I see pictures of this guy in the locations with newspapers identifying the day, I just assume he's making this shit up
Sovereign-man or bullshitters-scam.....
make up your own mind
http://forum.worldfreemansociety.org/viewtopic.php?p=65176
Good Find,
so shall we start calling Simon Black Ragini?
Ragini are you there???? Are you reading this Ragini? Are you friends with ORI?
Ron Paul 2012
on Borders:
"Every time you think about the fence, think about the fences being used against us, keeping us in.”
I live in Medellin Colombia......good to go....great country...beautiful women....
It only takes a couple of bad incidents to put you off of international living. My wife and I got invited to Manila to watch an Ali fight (thrillah in Manila) and by the time we got home, our friendly neighbors had robbed the house. Even when you think you're ok with the locals, they can pull something that makes you revise your attitude regarding them.
Just know that you will always be the outsider.
if labor were allowed to move about the world as freely as capital then how is anyone suppose to take advantage of labor arbitrage? freely mobile labor would have john lennon imagining(except for maybe the religionuts)
Until 1920 the US took advantage of uncontrolled immigration to staff factories, mines, construction etc at cheap rates. Then they decided there were enough workers in the US and shut the gates.
Starting in the 70s it made better sense to move the factories to the workers than the workers to the factories. Illegal immigrants still welcome as household servants and stoop labor.
What a pile of crap story. Even chimps control their land.
Chimp Patrol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z33WiXGiWo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBUaAx0Duqg
"The Secretary of State of the United States of America hereby requests all whom it may concern to permit the citizen/national of the Untied States named herein to pass without delay or hindrance and in case of need to give all lawful aid and protection." - Passport preamble
Two things to think about here; one what is a national but not a citizen of the United States (See 8 USC Section 1101 aA (21) (22) and 1408 4 (A) (B) for the clues that can set you free).
Second what is the difference between "lawful aid" an "privileges and immunities"?
Tunga; the freeborn American national who is seriously messing up the entire world wide financial system on purpose and quite deliberately. For your benefit.
Try to get a driver's license renewed in New Jersey! It takes more time, costs more money and has just as many security checks even with an existing driver's license and passport as ID.