Bizzare Legal Claims

Just when I thought I had heard everything, I stumble upon another gem... From a website where someone was getting in a tizzy over the requirement to register with selective service...

Quote:

And where it wants you to put your name, fill it out but USE UPPER AND LOWER CASE letters, because they want all capitals which designates a FICTION at law. And of course they want you to sign and admit that you are the fiction as stated above in the contract.

and later:

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You ask that I fill my name out in black ink and in CAPITAL LETTERS ONLY. To do so would be creating a fiction of myself, known in law as a straw man. And if I were to "affirm" that the statements were true, I would be affirming that I am the fiction that I was just cunningly deceived into creating.

So putting my name in all caps creates a fictional alter-ego of myself. Interesting.




- SUDDENLY

[TragicMonkey]

Do you have a link to the website? I'm interested in seeing whether this nut realizes that all those lovely, lovely low interest student loans dry up for guys who don't register.

[Nikk]

Quote:

Originally posted by Suddenly


So putting my name in all caps creates a fictional alter-ego of myself. Interesting.




- SUDDENLY

Aren't you at risk of breaching the sock puppet rule here?


Mind how you go.

NIKK.

[NoZed Avenger]

Quote:

- SUDDENLY

Who are you and what have you done with Suddenly?!!

Sorry about the missing link:


http://www.strike-the-root.com/4/rey...reynolds3.html

[TragicMonkey]

Thanks. The guy's a maniac. There are public service announcements about signing up for Selective Service, and I got plenty of reminders in the mail well before my 18th birthday.

Who the heck doesn't have a birth certificate? Sounds crazy to me. As does refusing to let your kid learn to drive so you can save a few bucks on auto insurance. Bet that kid had some fun high school years!

[BPSCG]

Wow, what a clever guy! His arguments for not filling out the draft registration form remind me of the arguments tax protestors use for refusing to file tax returns. I'll bet the selective service people will be just as impressed with his arguments as the tax courts.

Doofus.

Edited to add: BTW, the link's home page is a gold mine of anti-government woo-wooism.

Ahh.. Some more information as to what kind of dark conspiracy is afoot when you are tricked by the evil government (or should I say EVIL GOVERNMENT) when you use capital letters....

http://user.icx.net/~drherb/namecaps.html

After a lengthy discussion of style, we get to the larger point. How did I know the Federal Reserve was going to be mentioned?

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The legally created fiction called the UNITED STATES is bankrupt and holds no lawful Constitutionally mandated silver or gold - coin and bullion - to back up or pay their debts. For example: all privately held and federally held gold coins and bullion in America was seized by Executive Order of April 5, 1933 and paid to the creditor, the private Federal Reserve Bank Corporation (FRB) under the terms of bankruptcy. Congress - still meeting under Executive Order authority - confirmed this bankruptcy through the Joint Resolution to Suspend The Gold Standard And Abrogate The Gold Clause, June 5, 1933 in H.J. Res. 192, 73rd Congress, 1st session, Public Law 73-10.

Which is important because:

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Legally, you are considered a slave or indentured servant to the various Federal, State and local governments via your STATE issued and created Birth Certificate in the name of your full caps person. The reason this Birth Certificate was issued is so that -exclusively - they hold the title of birth to your legal person. This is compounded further when one voluntarily obtains a driver's license or a Social Security Identification number. They own even your personal and private life through your STATE issued marriage certificate issued in the names of legal persons. You have no Rights in birth, marriage, or even death. They hold the sovereign right to all legal fiction titles they have created.

So since YOU are THEIR PROPERTY,...

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This means that the bankrupt corporate U.S. can guarantee to the purchasers of their securities the lifetime labor and tax revenues of all Americans as collateral for payment. They simply do this by converting the lawful name into a legal person. Cujusque rei potissima pars principium est-- The principal part of everything is in the beginning.

To put it more clearly:

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The only asset the UNITED STATES has, in order to pay their bankruptcy debt since 1933, is the people themselves. But, if the UNITED STATES openly declared this, the people would never allow their labors and future to be collateral to this bankruptcy debt. Consequently, they legally pledge the future labor and tax revenues of Americans, by and through the full caps fictional legal persons they have created, as collateral for credit - loans - to pay daily operational costs and the ever increasing debt.

Sort of like invasion of the body snatchers. As soon as you allow the use of your name in FULL CAPS the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT uses YOU as collateral. They own YOUR BUTT.



What do WE do about this horrible thing? How can we stop IT?

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Just who is the full caps person, i.e. JOHN JAMES SMITH? He's the legal fiction the government created to take the place of the real being, i.e. John James Smith. The lawful Christian name of birthright has been substituted by a legal fiction created by the government. If the lawful Christian name answers as the legal person, the two are recognized as being one and the same. However, if the lawful being refuses acceptance of the legal fiction, the two are separated. Therein lies the simple solution to the entire matter: refusal by the lawful Christian to accept or answer for the legal person. How did this happen? A result of the federal government bankruptcies was their creation of a legal fiction known as THE UNITED STATES as a part of their legal reorganization. Each STATE was also converted to their respective fictional legal person, i.e. THE STATE OF TEXAS. Legal fictions can create further legal fictions, such as corporations or any other fictional persons easily identified by being written with full caps. Once this was accomplished, the entire process was set into motion. All areas of government, including the purported courts of law, are currently authorized by, and operating as, legally created fictions.

so...

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The purpose and reason for the government use of proper names written in full caps is now revealed. The only way to counter this is for lawful Americans to stop accepting the use of the substituted legal fiction the State has given them. Every document now issued by any government addresses the person written in full caps. Lawful Americans must insist that they are not that legal fiction and refuse to accept it. By joining together and doing so from the local level, each community will begin to upset the legal order. Lawful Americans must begin to demand lawful government and lawful courts. The legal fictions can only come to an end when the people refuse to use or recognize them.

SPEAK UP!!! (Whoops... I mean "Speak Up!!!") Do not let this tyranny of typeface make you into collateral!!

Just say no to Capital Letters, the tool of tyranny and use of citizens as collateral for loans!!!

[TragicMonkey]

You know, I have thought of a perfectly simple solution to the author's woes.

Lithium.

Here's a triple crown winner, touching on the all caps, new postal abbreviations, and fringe on the U.S. Flag...:

Quote:

Under the "Buck Act" 4 U.S.C.S. sections 105-110, the federal government has created a "Federal area" within the boundaries of all the states. This area is similar to any territory that the federal government acquires through purchase or conquest, thereby imposing federal territorial law upon those in this "Federal area." Under federal territorial law as evidenced by the Executive Branch's yellow fringed merchant law flag (see Federal Courts for an explanation) flying in schools, offices and all courtrooms.

So, when you send mail using the two-letter CAPITAL abbreviation for the state, you are addressing the corporate shadow state created by the Buck Act as an extension of the federal District of Columbia, and you are accepting the jurisdiction of the FEDERAL Government within the borders of the Sovereign States!

Then, to really lock down their control, the federal government created an artificial PERSON to whom they could address all of their demands. This person is Your Name in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS! Whenever you receive a letter from the government addressed in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS (such as "JOHN SMITH" instead of the proper English language "John Smith") they are addressing a legal fiction, a "straw man," whom they assume they OWN. This is fully explained in the LIBERTY REDEMPTION PACK.

Since they are going on the assumption that they OWN this "straw man" (which they actually do not -- and you can learn how you can take TITLE to this "straw man") they assume that whatever money comes in to the property ("straw man") belongs to the master (government).

What you are experiencing is an unprecedented GRAB for power by the "federal" government! In fact, Agents of the "federal" government have NO jurisdiction within the borders of these separate and sovereign united States, or over the "straw man" -- unless you give it to them!

I knew the fringed flag came into this somewhere...



http://www.solgroup.com/notax/buckact.html

[Michael Redman]

Does font matter?

[TragicMonkey]

If he thinks the "States" are "Sovereign", does he also think they should each be allowed to make treaties with foreign nations?

The mind boggles. Please tell me that website is an elaborate hoax, or a promotional gimmick for an upcoming miniseries about crazed rednecks fighting off alien lizardmen controlling the government (Kevin Sorbo as the President, the Muppets from "Farscape" as the aliens, and Mrs Roddenberry as the voice of the talking sports car).

This guy should meet my coworker, the one who is convinced that the CIA puts mind control drugs into fluoridated water.

Uh oh. It turns out this goes much deeper than you think.

Quote:

The governmental and judicial systems within the United States of America, at both federal and local state levels, is owned by the “Crown,� which is a private foreign power. Before jumping to conclusions about the Queen of England or the Royal Families of Britain owning the U.S.A., this is a different “Crown� and is fully exposed and explained below. We are specifically referencing the established Templar Church, known for centuries by the world as the “Crown.� From this point on, we will also refer to the Crown as the Crown Temple or Crown Templar, all three being synonymous.

Who are these people? Looks like I am part of the conspriacy, so FEAR ME!!!!

Quote:

All licensed Bar Attorneys - Attorners (see definitions below) – in the U.S. owe their allegiance and give their solemn oath in pledge to the Crown Temple, realizing this or not. This is simply due to the fact that all Bar Associations throughout the world are signatories and franchises to the international Bar Association located at the Inns of Court at Crown Temple, which are physically located at Chancery Lane behind Fleet Street in London. Although they vehemently deny it, all Bar Associations in the U.S., such as the American Bar Association, the Florida Bar, or California Bar Association, are franchises to the Crown.

Just in case you limeys out there thought you were getting a pass: (plus those of you who thought the Magna Carta was a good thing are dupes)

Quote:

The present Queen of England is not the “Crown,� as we have all been led to believe. Rather, it is the Bankers and Attornies (Attorneys) who are the actual Crown or Crown Temple. The Monarch aristocrats of England have not been ruling sovereigns since the reign of King John, circa 1215. All royal sovereignty of the old British Crown since that time has passed to the Crown Temple in Chancery.

Godwin's law alert!!!

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The legal system (judiciary) of the U.S.A. is controlled by the Crown Temple from the independent and sovereign City of London. The private Federal Reserve System, which issues fiat U.S. Federal Reserve Notes, is financially owned and controlled by the Crown from Switzerland, the home and legal origin for the charters of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, and most importantly, the Bank of International Settlements. Even Hitler respected his Crown bankers by not bombing Switzerland. The Bank of International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland controls all the central banks of the G7 nations. He who controls the gold rules the world.

Maybe Aaron Burr was on to something...

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By example, Alexander Hamilton was one of those numerous Crown Templars who was called to their Bar. In 1774, he entered King's College in New York City, which was funded by members of the London King’s Inns, now named Columbia University. In 1777, he became a personal aide and private secretary to George Washington during the American Revolution.

In May of 1782, Hamilton began studying law in Albany, New York, and within six months had completed a three year course of studies, passed his examinations, and was admitted to the New York Bar. Of course, the New York Bar Association was/is a franchise of the Crown Temple through the Middle Inn. After a year's service in Congress during the 1782-1783 session, he settled down to legal practice in New York City as Alexander Hamilton, Esqr. In February of 1784, he wrote the charter for, and became a founding member of, the Bank of New York, the State's first bank.

He secured a place on the New York delegation to the Federal Convention of 1787 at Philadelphia. In a five hour speech on June 18th, he stated “an Executive for life will be an elective Monarch�. When all his anti-Federalist New York colleagues withdrew from the Convention in protest, he alone signed the Constitution for the United States of America representing New York State, one of the legal Crown States (Colonies).

One should particularly notice that a lawful state is made up of the people, but a State is a legal entity of the Crown - a Crown Colony. This is an example of the deceptive ways the Crown Temple - Middle Templars - have taken control of America since the beginning of our settlements.

Later, as President Washington’s U.S. Treasury Secretary, Hamilton alone laid the foundation of the first Federal U.S. Central Bank, secured credit loans through Crown banks in France and the Netherlands, and increased the power of the Federal Government over the hoodwinked nation-states of the Union. Hamilton had never made a secret of the fact that he admired the government and fiscal policies of Great Britain.

Americans were fooled into believing that the legal Crown Colonies comprising New England were independent nation states, but they never were nor are today. They were and still are Colonies of the Crown Temple, through letters patent and charters, who have no legal authority to be independent from the Rule and Order of the Crown Temple. A legal State is a Crown Temple Colony.

Spirit of '76?

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1776 is the year that will truly live in infamy for all Americans. It is the year that the Crown Colonies became legal Crown States. The Declaration of Independence was a legal, not lawful, document. It was signed on both sides by representatives of the Crown Temple. Legally, it announced the status quo of the Crown Colonies to that of the new legal name called “States� as direct possessive estates of the Crown (see the definitions above to understand the legal trickery that was done).

What a difference a capital letter and an extra "s" makes:

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The American people were hoodwinked into thinking they were declaring lawful independence from the Crown. Proof that the Colonies are still in Crown possession is the use of the word “State� to signify a “legal estate of possession.� Had this been a document of and by the people, both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution would have been written using the word “states�. By the use of “State,� the significance of a government of estate possession was legally established. All of the North American States are Crown Templar possessions through their legal document, signed by their representation of both parties to the contract, known as the Constitution of the United States of America.

Now we get back to familiar territiory:

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The people who comprise the citizenry of a state are recognized only within natural and common law as is already established by God’s Law. Only a State Citizen can be a party to an action within a State Court. A common state citizen cannot be recognized in that court because he doesn’t legally exist in Crown Chancery Courts. In order to be recognized in their State Courts, the common man must be converted to that of a corporate or legal entity (a legal fiction).

Darn Caps:

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Now you know why they create such an entity using all capital letters within Birth Certificates issued by the State. They convert the common lawful man of God into a fictional legal entity subject to Administration by State Rules, Orders and Codes (there is no “law� within any Rule or Code). Of course, Rules, Codes, etc. do not apply to the lawful common man of the Lord of lords, so the man with inherent Godly law and rights must be converted into a legal “Person� of fictional “status� (another legal term) in order for their legal - but completely unlawful – State Judiciary (Chancery Courts) to have authority over him. Chancery Courts are tribunal courts where the decisions of “justice� are decided by 3 “judges�. This is a direct result of the Crown Temple having invoked their Rule and Code over all judicial courts.

And then this gets really weird:

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The Wizard of Oz = the Crown Temple

This is not a mere child’s story written by L. Frank Baum. What symbol does “Oz� stand for? Ounces.Gold What is the yellow brick road? Bricks or ingot bars of gold.

And it appears he is serious. I'll just put in this whole section, as this is just mind blowing:

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The character known as the Straw Man represents that fictitious ALL CAPS legal fiction - a PERSON - the Federal U.S. Government created with the same spelling as your Christian birth name. Remember what the Straw Man wanted from the Wizard of Oz? A brain! No legal fiction has a brain because they have no breath of life! What did he get in place of a brain? A Certificate. A Birth Certificate for a new legal creation. He was proud of his new legal status, plus all the other legalisms he was granted. Now he becomes the true epitome of the brainless sack of straw who was given a Certificate in place of a brain of common sense.

What about the Tin Man? Does Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) mean anything to you? The poor TIN Man just stood there mindlessly doing his work until his body literally froze up and stopped functioning. He worked himself to death because he had no heart nor soul. He’s the heartless and emotionless creature robotically carrying out his daily task as if he was already dead. He’s the ox pulling the plow and the mule toiling under the yoke. His masters keep him cold on the outside and heartless on the inside in order to control any emotions or heart he may get a hold of.

The pitiful Cowardly Lion was always too frightened to stand up for himself. Of course, he was a bully and a big mouth when it came to picking on those smaller than he was. They act as if they have great courage, but they really have none at all. All roar with no teeth of authority to back them up. When push came to shove, the Cowardly Lion always buckled under and whimpered when anyone of any size or stature challenged him. He wanted courage from the Grand Wizard, so he was awarded a medal of “official� recognition. Now, regardless of how much of a coward he still was, his official status made him a bully with officially recognized authority. He’s just like the Attorneys who hide behind the Middle Courts of the Temple Bar.

What about the trip through the field of poppies? They weren’t real people, so drugs had no effect on them. The Wizard of Oz was written at the turn of the century, so how could the author have known America was going to be drugged? The Crown has been playing the drug cartel game for centuries. Just look up the history of Hong Kong and the Opium Wars. The Crown already had valuable experience conquering all of China with drugs, so why not the rest of the world?

Who finally exposed the Wizard for what he really was? Toto, the ugly (or cute, depending on your perspective) and somewhat annoying little dog. Toto means “in total, all together; Latin in toto.� Notice how Toto was not scared of the Great Wizard’s theatrics, yet he was so small in size compared to the Wizard, no-one seemed to notice him. The smoke, flames and hologram images were designed to frighten people into doing as the Great Wizard of Oz commanded. Toto simply went over, looked behind the curtain – the court - (see the definition for curtain above), saw it was a scam, and started barking until others paid attention to him and came to see what all the barking was about.Just an ordinary person controlling the levers that created the illusions of the Great Wizard’s power and authority. The veil hiding the corporate legal fiction and its false courts was removed. The Wizard’s game was up. It’s too bad that people don’t realize how loud a bark from a little dog is. How about your bark? Do you just remain silent and wait to be given whatever food and recognition, if any, your legal master gives you?

Let’s not forget those pesky flying monkeys. What a perfect mythical creature to symbolize the Bar Association Attorners who attack and control all the little people for the Great Crown Wizard, the powerful and grand Bankers of Oz - Gold.

What is it going to take to expose the Wizard and tear down the court veil for what they really are? Each of us needs only a brain, a heart and soul, and courage. Then, and most importantly, we all need to learn how to work together. Only “in toto,� working together as one Body of the King of Kings, can we ever be free or have the freedom given under God’s Law.

ETA the link: http://www.worldnewsstand.net/histor...own_Temple.htm

[TragicMonkey]

Wow. I wonder what the Good Witches of the North and South represent?

Good grief, it has spread to Canada (or should I say CANADA)

http://www.cyberclass.net/woodford.htm

(From a letter written to explain why this person is returning his BIRTH CERTIFICATE.)

Quote:

More and more Canadians are learning that the government of this country has been bankrupt for almost a century and is deeply indebted to The Bank of Canada, a PRIVATE INSTITUTION owned and controlled by a few private bankers! Early in the last century, the government began using birth registrations (pledging the lifelong earnings of registered infants) as collateral against the national debt! Corporate government cannot pledge what is not theirs. (Flesh and blood babies, created in the image of God are not theirs!) So, by the process of birth registration, the government creates, in it's own image, "legal persons" which are otherwise known as corporations ! Every time a live birth is registered in this country, a legal person is created by government which is then used as collateral against the national debt! We think we live in a "free country"
but we were all, in fact, born into SLAVERY!

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One might well ask,"In what essential particular does a "legal fiction" name differ from ones' true name?"

-While names of flesh and blood men and women are always written first name first and in upper and lower case letters, names of legal persons are written last name first and/or in ALL CAPITALS !
-While a flesh and blood man or woman is comprised of a spirit, a soul and a body, a legal person is comprised of a legal name, a legal number and a legal document.
-Flesh and blood men and woman are recognized by God and by other flesh and blood people. But government bureaucrats do not recognize people! They only recognize "legal persons" by legal names,legal numbers and legal documents!
-My Creator has pledged to meet the needs of His creatures who place their trust in and choose to serve Him. (Philippians 4:19 See scripture quotes below.) The government, trying to usurp the place of God, has promised to meet the needs of all its' creatures who place their trust in and choose to serve it!
-Biblical revelation sets forth the Truth, the Way of redemption. Redemption is deliverance from the fear of death. It is through fear of death that people are always made subject to bondage! (Hebrews 2:14,15) But government registrations are designed to deceive in order to instil fear of death in its' legal person subjects in order to bring them into the bondage of debt!

A legal principle of which you may not be aware:

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The Bible, which is the complete legal guide for all those created under the jurisdiction of The Living God, clearly forbids me to be surety for the debts of others whether friends or strangers! (See Proverbs 6:1-5; 11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 22:26,27; 27:13 and Romans 13:8.) That is the first reason why I am returning the enclosed BIRTH CERTIFICATES - I can no longer accept
responsibility for this "legal person". Such was pledged, without my knowledge or consent, as collateral against the national debt!

[BPSCG]

Quote:

Originally posted by TragicMonkey
Wow. I wonder what the Good Witches of the North and South represent?

Don't get me started on the #$%^ Wizard of Oz...

Whoops, too late.

Okay, spoiled little Dorothy's problems start because she can't be troubled to walk an extra block from Miss Gulch's house and her mangey cur goes ripping through the poor old lady's petunias. Miss Gulch, who owns half the land in the county but is still ecology-conscious enough to ride a bicycle, comes by and Uncle Hank lets the front gate slam her in the butt and sweet old Auntie Em insults her to her face. It's always a good idea to treat a rich, aggrieved neighbor that way.

Dorothy decides to run away from home, runs into John Edward, who persuades her to go back home again. Meanwhile the tornado is coming and Auntie Em risks her life looking for the spoiled little snotnose.

House lands in Munchkinland, crushes Wicked Witch of the East. Munchkins thrilled and delighted, make Dorothy national hero. Dorothy just gobbles all this up until Wicked Witch of the West shows up, terribly annoyed, at which point Dorothy claims the whole thing was just an accident. West threatens Dorothy until Meddling Glinda, the "Good" Witch of the North reminds her of ruby slippers. North somehow gets East's ruby slippers on Dorothy's feet, taunts West ("and there they'll stay!"). West acknowledges she can't do anything about Dorothy here, and leaves. North tells Dorothy the sooner she gets out of Munchkinland, the better off she'll be.

Note: West has just admitted she can't hurt Dorothy in Munchkinland. So why the hell does North tell Dorothy to get out of dodge? Do you think North is an ambulance-chasing lawyer in her spare time?

North recommends Dorothy go see the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy doesn't know how to get there.

Note: Maybe North could offer Dorothy a ride in her magic bubble thingie? No, better that Dorothy risk her life going through the woods where West is laying for her.

North tells Dorothy that the Munchkins will see her safely to the border of Munchkinland. Great - a bunch of sawed-off nerds with squeaky voices are going to walk with her exactly as long as there's no danger. Thanks a lump.

Dorothy meets Scarecrow, steals him.

Dorothy and Scarecrow get hungry, steal apples from orchard.

Gulch's flower bed, West's shoes, Scarecrow, apples - this girl clearly has no respect for private property.

Rescue Tin Man from being rusted in place. West threatens them all, but doesn't actually kill anyone. If you watch the movie carefully, you'll note West never actually says she's going to kill Dorothy. Scarecrow and Tin Man promise to protect Dorothy. Dorothy gets comfort from the knowledge that an admitted half-wit and a jerk who doesn't know enough to come in out of the rain are going to protect her.

Meet Lion. Get to poppy field. West realizes they're all tired, so she helps them sleep, but North comes along and dumps snow on them, rusting Tin Man all over again. West annoyed, flies to Oz, makes threatening display, but again, does nothing.

Wizard wants Dorothy to kill west and bring back her broomstick. Dorothy acts petrified, but she's already a thief and a killer, so it's hard to see why.

West orders flying monkeys to bring back Dorothy and specifically orders them not to harm her. They do so. West tries to take Dorothy's shoes, gets shocked. Dorothy then asks if she can have her dog back, a miracle of bad timing.

Look, at this point, we know West isn't going to hurt Dorothy. Yeah, she puts on a big, scary show, but she's already had several chances to blast her with fireballs and hasn't availed herself. All she wants is her sister's shoes, which are hers now, after all. If Dorothy would just give her the shoes, she'd get her dog back, and West would probably be grateful enough to give her a spare broom to take back to the Wizard.

But, no, Dorothy just sits there crying. Then she throws a bucket of water on West, grabs her broomstick, and brings it back to the Wizard, who reneges on the deal.

Meddling North comes back, babbles some nonsense about how Dorothy had to know her heart's desire was in her own backyard, and tells her how to get home, a service she could have performed the first time they met, but didn't because she had to get West and the Wizard out of the picture. Dorothy returns home, leaving the ruby slippers behind. Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, sees her carefully-laid plans have finally borne fruit, takes the magic slippers and the magic broomstick, and in the absence of any other witches and wizards, assumes total dictatorial and magical power over Oz, Munchkinland, and all the lands up to and including West's castle, which she moves into, being far more spacious and homey than that magic bubble thingie she rides around in. She institutes a thousand year reign of terror, enslaving the Munchkins and making them dig for rubies in the mines, while she reigns as Glinda, the Great and Terrible.

The moral of the story:

• Ugly people are bad ,even if they've done you do harm.
• Beautiful people are good, even if they use you for their own nefarious purposes, lie to you, and try to get you killed.
• If you meet an ugly person, kill her and take her shoes.

[TragicMonkey]

Humph. You are arguing from the movie, and not from the book. Which is infinitely superior. (Yes, I'm an Oz snob, and have been since childhood.)

Actually, the book is rather darker:

Dorothy wanders into a strange land, where she is assumed, by the manner of her arrival and her dress, to be a witch. The Witch of the North (who is not the same person as Glinda--she's South) decides to make use of this strange witch, and tricks her into journeying to the Wizard, a man with undisclosed amounts of power who has made himself monarch of the largest city and threatens the hegemony of the four witches. North is hoping Dorothy will either dispose of the Wizard for her, then leave Oz to the remaing three witches, or else the Wizard will destroy Dorothy and thus reveal the extent of his powers.

The Wizard is a fraud, as it turns out, and therefore doesn't confront Dorothy but sends her on an impossible errand. She accidentally accomplishes it, returns to the Wizard, and discovers his deception. He flees the country, knowing he's toast once the remaining two witches find out.

Dorothy, abandoned, is advised to consult Glinda, the Southern Witch. Glinda's the smartest of the bunch, and realizes that the girl has no powers beyond those contained in the (silver) shoes she looted from the corpse of East. Glinda reveals to Dorothy the manner of using the shoes to return home. It's in Glinda's interests to do so because Dorothy, while not a magical threat, has gained a following that might lead her to political power. As the Wizard had proven, even the appearance of magical power can lead to gain. Dorothy, chump to the last, follows the advice and vanishes in a puff of smoke. The shoes are destroyed by the act, and there is no reason to expect she'll find a way to return. Glinda and the weaker North witch can now divvy up the country between them.

Of course, it's dressed up nicer than that, but the events speak for themselves. Dorothy was a patsy, and eliminated three of the five contending for control of Oz.

[BPSCG]

Quote:

Originally posted by TragicMonkey
Humph. You are arguing from the movie, and not from the book. Which is infinitely superior. (Yes, I'm an Oz snob, and have been since childhood.)

The Hollywood version is better. I can say this because 1) the Hollywood version is a movie, and movies never lie about anything, and 2) I haven't read the book.

[TragicMonkey]

Quote:

Originally posted by BPSCG
The Hollywood version is better. I can say this because 1) the Hollywood version is a movie, and movies never lie about anything, and 2) I haven't read the book.

There's a whole series. L Frank wrote thirteen more, and then other people took over the franchise. The L Frank ones are the best, though.

It's especially fun to read kids' books written by a man who seriously advocated committing genocide against a tribe of Native Americans on the grounds that the white man had already done them so much injury, there was no chance of being forgiven for it so they might as well go ahead. Creepy!

(Okay, I admit it. I kept many of my childhood books, and reread them sometimes.)

[Savagemutt]

There is apparently a long history of reading really deep stuff into The Wizard of Oz

Thank goodness for the Straight Dope. Bless Unca' Cecil.

Quote:

Originally posted by Savagemutt
There is apparently a long history of reading really deep stuff into The Wizard of Oz

Thank goodness for the Straight Dope. Bless Unca' Cecil.

Yeah, but I doubt the Tin Man being about Tax Identification Numbers can be topped, at least without some kind of IV of LSD and Maker's Mark....

[TragicMonkey]

Quote:

Originally posted by Suddenly
Yeah, but I doubt the Tin Man being about Tax Identification Numbers can be topped, at least without some kind of IV of LSD and Maker's Mark....

Perhaps we ought to send the guy the rest of the series, and see what else he can come up with. Other living freaks in Oz include a disobedient girl made out of a quilt, a sawhorse, a pumpkin-headed moron, and a glass cat. I'm sure they're all deeply significant, in capital letters. Perhaps the cotton, timber, agriculture, and, er, glass industries?

[Thanz]

Back to the subject of bizarre legal claims, here are some excerpts from my favourite one as the crazy loon gets hoisted on his own petard. From Joly v. Pelletier, [1999] O.J. No. 1728:

Quote:

Mr. Joly's claims in these two actions, and in several others not currently before me, all centre on his firm assertion that he is not a human being; rather a martian. As I understand them, the nature of his complaints against the numerous defendants who include a number of doctors, medical facilities and government agencies is that they have conspired with the American government in its attempts to eliminate him and have otherwise taken various steps to interfere with his ability to establish himself and live freely as a martian.

As indicated, there are two actions before me. At the beginning of the hearing Mr. Joly advised me that he has recently commenced a third action against, among others, the Central Intelligence Agency, President Clinton and the Honourable Anne McClellan for interfering with his D.N.A. test results that prove that he is, in fact, not human.

Just can't leave the poor martian alone.

Quote:

Mr. Joly, in a well prepared, thoughtful argument submitted that he had evidence of falsification of records and related wrongdoing. On the pivotal point of Mr. Joly's being in fact a martian Mr. Joly advised me that the only reason he was not now able to satisfy the Court that he is a martian, not a human, is due to the falsification of his D.N.A. test results by the Americans.

Damn you Americans! Always keeping the martians down!

Quote:

In my opinion there are at lease two reasons why the two Statements of Claim in question ought to be struck and the actions dismissed.

1. Neither pleading discloses a cause of action. While conspiracy to do harm to someone is the basis of many actions in this Court there is a fundamental flaw in the position of Mr. Joly. Rule 1.03 defines plaintiff as "a person who commences an action". The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines person as "an individual human being". Section 29 of the Interpretation Act provides that a person includes a corporation. It follows that if the plaintiff is not a person in that he is neither a human being nor a corporation, he cannot be a plaintiff as contemplated by the Rules of Civil Procedure. The entire basis of Mr. Joly's actions is that he is a martian, not a human being. There is certainly no suggestion that he is a corporation. I conclude therefore, that Mr. Joly, on his pleading as drafted, has no status before the Court.

In other words, the court says "Mr. Joly, you're a martian? Okay. Fine. Sorry, but Martians can't sue anyone. You have to be human. Too bad for you."