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Feds raid Texas secessionist meeting
Houston Chronicle ^ | February 23, 2015 | Dylan Baddour

Posted on 02/25/2015 2:22:52 PM PST by Dacula

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.

"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."

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.

"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."

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.

"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."


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: texassecessionist
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They did file false legal documents, but I think the Feds are sending a subtle signal.
1 posted on 02/25/2015 2:22:52 PM PST by Dacula
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To: Dacula

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

Link


2 posted on 02/25/2015 2:25:50 PM PST by Dacula
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To: rustbucket

You weren’t part of this was you?


3 posted on 02/25/2015 2:26:21 PM PST by StoneWall Brigade (Daniel 2 Daniel 7 Daniel 9 Revelation 13 Revelation 16 Revelation 17 Revelation 18 Revelation 19)
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To: Dacula

They can talk about it all they want, but it ain’t gonna happen ... :-) ...


4 posted on 02/25/2015 2:26:44 PM PST by Star Traveler (Remember to keep the Messiah of Israel in the One-World Government that we look forward to coming)
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To: Dacula

What’s to stop them from raiding a meeting of people who are getting together to discuss article V.....

If this keeps up in a decade they will be doing so....


5 posted on 02/25/2015 2:26:55 PM PST by GraceG (Protect the Border from Illegal Aliens, Don't Protect Illegal Alien Boarders...)
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To: Dacula

But of course the feds can, and do, ignore the Constitution at will.


6 posted on 02/25/2015 2:28:01 PM PST by skeeter
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To: Dacula

Yep. Declaring war on these “right-wing terrorists” is what this government is all about.
Now those peace-loving muslims, excuse me, not “real” muslims, is nothing to worry about.


7 posted on 02/25/2015 2:28:41 PM PST by vpintheak (Call them what they are - regressive control-freaks)
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To: Dacula
Not only did they attempt to set up their own court, they "summoned" a real judge to appear before their fake tribunal.

They got off light.

8 posted on 02/25/2015 2:28:47 PM PST by wideawake
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To: Dacula

If they had tried to search and fingerprint me I’d have shot at them. Nazi a-holes.


9 posted on 02/25/2015 2:29:26 PM PST by Fledermaus (The GOP is dead to me! McConnell and Boehner can drop dead!!)
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To: Dacula

“the group was close to taking their case to an international court”

What, the UN? fools.


10 posted on 02/25/2015 2:30:14 PM PST by dynachrome (Government can't give us anything that it doesn't first take away)
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To: Dacula
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

Hummmmm....

11 posted on 02/25/2015 2:30:25 PM PST by TexasCajun
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To: Fledermaus

Warrants aren’t a new concept, and have nothing to do with German fascism.


12 posted on 02/25/2015 2:33:51 PM PST by wideawake
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To: Fledermaus
If they had tried to search and fingerprint me I’d have shot at them.

Ummm hard to blame them then for the overwhelming show of force. The lesson here is don't tweak a sitting judge.

13 posted on 02/25/2015 2:39:48 PM PST by Drango (A liberal's compassion is limited only by the size of someone else's wallet.)
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To: wideawake
"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.

Really? Has this brown shirt sheriff ever heard of the Obama administration? Tell this crap to Zimmerman or the cop that defended himself against that other thug.

14 posted on 02/25/2015 2:41:10 PM PST by Fledermaus (The GOP is dead to me! McConnell and Boehner can drop dead!!)
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To: wideawake

And that judge could have just laughed and thrown the “summons” into the same round file where he threw his Publisher’s Clearinghouse ticket.

By the Gestapo’s own admission, there was no crime being committed by these guys. Yeah, they’re a bunch of splinter-group separatists, but that’s not illegal.


15 posted on 02/25/2015 2:41:45 PM PST by IronJack
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To: Dacula

OK; I get it. These folks are kooks. But the last time I checked that wasn’t a Federal crime. Unless they were planning some kind of violence, this was a gross overreaction.


16 posted on 02/25/2015 2:42:02 PM PST by NRx
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To: Dacula

“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”

300 state troopers surrounding a single guy? Yeah, things could have gotten out of hand (roll eyes)


17 posted on 02/25/2015 2:45:36 PM PST by lowbridge
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To: TexasCajun

Hundreds of thousands are flooding across our borders, committing multiple FELONY crimes, and this a$$hoe sheriff has the time, money and power to harass senior citizens. No wonder people hate what our governments have become - modern day Gestapo.

Welcome to Acirema, where the guilty are rewarded and the innocent are punished.


18 posted on 02/25/2015 2:47:35 PM PST by NTHockey (Rules of engagement #1: Take no prisoners. And to the NSA trolls, FU)
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To: Dacula

IIRC, the self appointed Republic leader guy in the Fort Davis area siege was from Ohio.


19 posted on 02/25/2015 2:48:53 PM PST by Rockpile
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To: skeeter

“But of course the feds can, and do, ignore the Constitution at will.”
__________

Had you read the article closely, you’d have seen that law enforcement had a warrant (ie., satisfied Fourth Amendment requirements). But since you brought it up, issuing a summons for a phony court is absolutely contrary to the US Constitution (and I would think the Texas Constitution as well).


20 posted on 02/25/2015 2:49:52 PM PST by Regal
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